Over the years we have collected a lot of antique pieces of furniture. Some we cleaned up and used for the purpose intended, others, not so much! Today I’m going to show you how we took a beat up, work table that was grease stained and had some holes drilled into it and made it into a desk that looks brand new! This is actually the third time we have done this over the years to match the decor in whatever room it was being used in!
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To do this you will need a tablecloth or fabric that is large enough to wrap under the table top, a staple gun, and heavy weight clear vinyl (again-long enough and wide enough to cover and wrap under the table top). I purchased the vinyl from Joann’s fabrics. It’s sold on a roll and not very expensive.
Here is the before:
Now, if you can wrap a gift, you can do this. Sorry I don’t have photos of all of the steps, but it really is very simple.
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Lay your fabric over the desktop extending over the edges enough to fold it under. I used a tablecloth that I purchased at Home Goods (my favorite store). Take your staple gun and staple every 4-5 inches across the underside-front of the desktop. Make sure your fabric is laying flat with no wrinkles and gently pull the fabric snugly across the back and staple every 4-5 inches across the underside-back. Next make your corners (as shown below) by folding the fabric the same way you do when wrapping a gift. Staple in place. Trim excess fabric to make it all look neat. Sometimes the staples don’t go all the way in (if there is a lot of fabric or vinyl), but you can just take a hammer and tap them in the rest of the way.
Complete all four corners in the same manner and then repeat the procedure using the heavyweight plastic and your done!
Super fast and super simple!
This is how it turned out!
I love the way this looks. It’s very easy to keep clean and will last for years. You can do this to an old door and place it on top of two small file cabinets to make a desk. Cover virtually any flat surface and turn it into something pretty and practical.

A Beautiful Place to Create!
You don’t have to break the bank to have a pretty and practical work area.
Be Well,
Karen
The post “Make A Desktop Look Brand New” was first seen on The Decorated Nest and was written by Karen Ploransky.
Love it! What a great idea. ~ K
Thanks you Karen!