Old Desk Turned Laundry Chest

October 19, 2010

Keep dirty laundry hidden and sorted with this clever laundry chest. To make your own, start with a desk that’s seen better days, then follow our easy step-by-step instructions to give it a new lease on life.

Laundry Chest
To make our chest, we used a classic desk style with drawers on one side and an open space on the other, but yours may be different. Before you start taking measurements and shopping for materials, carefully read these instructions and tailor them to your desk.

Materials
Old desk
Pry bar
Wood panel*
Spray primer
Spray paint, color(s) of your choice
Ledger strip**
Screwdriver
Screws
2 L brackets
1/2" thick plywood***
Measuring tape
Handsaw
2 piano hinges
2 hampers

*Tip: Measure your desk from one leg, across the front to the other leg. Take this measurement to your local home improvement store or wood shop and have them cut plywood of your choice to this size.

**Tip: On one side of an old desk, there’s usually an open space where you would slide in your chair. Measure from the outside leg to the end of this open space—that’s how long your ledger strip should be. Ask the experts at your local home improvement store to cut it to size for you, or carefully do it yourself at home with a handsaw.

***Tip: Measure the bottom opening of your desk. Take this measurement to your local home improvement store or wood shop and have them cut 1/2" thick plywood to this size. For some desks, it will only require one wide piece of wood, for others you may need two or more pieces.

Instructions

Pry off the desktop with a pry bar, then remove drawers (save them for other organizing projects) and with a handsaw, cut out any bars that separate the drawers.
Prime and spray paint the desk, desktop and front panel. Let dry completely.
Place ledger strip on its side, then screw one side of one L bracket to each end of the strip. Fasten prepared ledger strip to the open side on the bottom of the desk, screwing through the other side of the L bracket.
Screw both pieces of plywood to the desk to create a bottom.
Attach the panel to the front of the desk with screws. Be sure to screw in from the front so screws aren’t sticking out of the legs.
Measure the length of one of the top openings in the desk. Using this measurement, cut the desktop into two pieces with a handsaw. Screw one piano hinge to each piece of the desktop, then re-attach the desktop pieces to the desk with screws so the hinge allows it to open and close.
Put two hampers inside the laundry chest, one for light-colored clothes and one for darks.

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