• Home
  • Shop Our Home
    • Shop Our Home
    • Amazon Shop
  • About
    • Meet Bre
    • FAQs
    • Disclosure
    • Design Shop
  • Project Gallery
  • Design Services
  • Popular Posts
    • How to Paint Your Tile Backsplash
    • How to Add Trim and Paint Your Laminate Cabinets
    • Modern Vintage Bathroom Reveal
    • Modern and Vintage Boy’s Nursery Reveal
    • How to Build a DIY Leaning Ladder Shelf
    • DIY Modern Step Stool
    • Where to Buy the Best Faux Fiddle Leaf Figs for Under $100
    • Best Place to Buy Throw Pillows
  • Contact

brepurposed

You are here: Home / DIY Home Decor / DIY Cane and Wood Desk – IKEA Alex Hack
DIY Home Decor, Furniture Makeovers, How Tos

DIY Cane and Wood Desk – IKEA Alex Hack

04/01/20

DIY CANE AND WOOD DESK

It was time to get rid of my cute little vintage mid century desk and upgrade to something I could actually sit at comfortably. When I saw the IKEA Alex Drawers I knew I could give them the perfect makeover and create my dream desk. 

DIY Modern Cane Desk Makeover

If you’ve been following along with my projects lately, you know I’m slightly obsessed with all things cane. We recently used it on the bench in the kid’s playroom and I loved how that turned out and wanted to use more of it.

My friend Aniko also used it recently on an arched cane headboard that turned out SO pretty.

My previous desk had limited counter space and was too small for my long legs. I couldn’t cross my legs underneath it or sit comfortably at it really at all.

So I figured it was time I did something about that. I wanted to be able to customize it so it would fit my little nook perfectly and the IKEA Alex drawers were the perfect solution.

IKEA Alex Drawer Units

Of course as is, they aren’t my style at all. So it was time to hack these babies. I had a very specific vision for them that included cane webbing and wood trim/accents. So I got to work bringing that vision to life.

SUPPLIES FOR CANE AND WOOD DESK MAKEOVER

  • 2 IKEA Alex Drawer Units
  • Cane Webbing (I used the W700 Fine Radio Weave)
  • Polyshades Spray Paint (I used Mission Oak)
  • 1/4″ Plywood for sides and drawer fronts
  • Wood Trim for Drawer Fronts
  • Drawer Pulls
  • DAP Rapid Fuse Glue
  • Staple Gun
  • Nail Gun
  • Door Slab for Countertop
  • Stain (I used Varathane Dark Walnut Gel Stain)
  • Top Coat (Vermont Natural Finishes)

I’ll walk you through my process step by step so you can create this desk too!

*Note: I assembled my Alex units first before adding all the wood/cane pieces but found it would have been easier to leave it unassembled.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR CANE AND WOOD DESK

STEP 1

Cut your 1/4″ plywood to fit each of the drawer fronts. These will be rectangular in shape and cover the dip at the top of each drawer. They should be approx. 12 3/4″ x 4″ for the smaller drawers and 12 3/4″ x 5 3/4″ for the larger ones.

STEP 2

Cut the rest of your plywood to cover the sides of the Alex Cabinet. Since my desk sits between two walls, I only needed to cover the inside panels. If your desk isn’t going to be against any walls, you’ll need to cut 4 panels.

STEP 3

Using a mitre saw, cut your trim pieces that will sit on top of each drawer front. All of these cuts will be at 45°.

I used this pine screen trim I got at Lowe’s that has slightly rounded edges.

Pine Wood Trim used around drawer fronts

DIY Desk Drawer Fronts

STEP 4

Next up, cut the trim that will go around the entire set of drawers on each unit. I couldn’t find trim that was the right size, so I bought 1.5″ trim and we had to cut it on the table saw down to 1″ wide. You’ll be cutting these at a 45° as well.

Here are those measurements:

4 @ 14.75″
4 @ 28″

STEP 5

Give all of your wood a light sand to remove any rough edges. I used my Ryobi corner cat sander but you can use any type of sand paper or sanding block.

STEP 6

Stain! I used Varathane Dark Walnut Gel Stain applying it with a staining pad in one coat.

Varathane Dark Walnut Gel Stain

STEP 7

Once dry, you can finish all your wood pieces. My favorite top coat right now is Vermont Natural Coatings.

Vermont Natural Coatings Furniture FInish

STEP 8

If you want to change the color of your cane webbing so it isn’t natural then you can stain it by using Polyshades spray. I used it in the color Mission Oak. I like how it softens the color and gives it a more vintagey look.

Natural Cane Webbing

How to Stain and Darken Cane Webbing

STEP 9

Cut your cane webbing to the exact size of each of your drawer fronts. I cut some of mine a little smaller and it made it harder to attach the trim.

STEP 10

Attach your 1/4″ wood pieces to the fronts of each drawer. I did this by applying a generous amount of DAP rapid fuse glue.

DAP Rapid Fuse Glue

I swear by this stuff. It’s amazing! Hold it in place for about 30 seconds. No need to clamp unless it feels like it isn’t sticking.

Glueing Wood to Drawer Fronts

DIY Cane and Wood Desk

Repeat with each drawer.

STEP 11

Take your cane pieces and attach them to each drawer front on top of the wood you just attached using a small staple gun. Make sure your staples are small and are as flush to the drawer as possible. This will make it easier to attach the trim. 

How to Attach Cane Webbing to a Drawer or Cabinet

If any are sticking up, you can use a small tack hammer to hammer them in.

STEP 12

Using your Rapid Fuse glue again, glue a line along the edge of the drawer and attach ONE piece of trim at a time. I found that these were a little more stubborn and didn’t want to stick as well, so you’ll want to use some clamps to hold them in place for a couple of minutes. 

DIY Cane Desk Makeover

I didn’t need to clamp all of them, so you can try holding them in place for 30 seconds and seeing it that works. If they’re wiggling then clamp.

How to Add Trim to Drawer Fronts

This is why you shouldn’t assemble the units first. If you do (like I did) the way the drawers are put together doesn’t give you enough room around each side to use a clamp.

Repeat for all drawers.

STEP 13

Once all your drawer fronts are covered, you can assemble the Alex units.

STEP 14

Now you can attach the trim around the entire set of drawers on the front and the side panels. We did this using just a nail gun. If you want a little more extra support on the sides, you can use some liquid nails too.

IKEA Alex Hack Desk

STEP 15

Attach your hardware! I ordered these Edge Pulls from amazon, and was determined to make them work even though the color was off.

They were the perfect size, shape and came in a pack of 10. After some trouble with Rub ‘N Buff, I ended up using Rustoleum’s Metallic Spray Paint in Champagne Bronze and it was the perfect soft gold color.

Best Gold Spray Paint for Hardware

STEP 16

If you want to do the same thing we did for the top of the desk then keep following! Otherwise, attach a top of your choice and your desk is ready to use!

We used a door slab from Lowe’s that cost us $40. It’s hollow so when you cut it to size, you will see an opening. This didn’t matter for me since it sits between two walls. You could easily cover it with a piece of trim to cover the hole or just not cut it at all if it will fit in your space.

DIY Door Slab Countertop

The width was perfect, we just needed to cut down the length a bit. We did that using a circular saw.

STEP 17

Next you can stain your door to match the desk. Since they are different types of wood this might take some trial and error. I ended up using regular Minwax Dark Walnut stain for mine and then sealed it with the same top coat I used on the rest of the desk.

Stained Door Slab Desk Countertop

STEP 18

Put it all together! One thing to note is that with the size of the trim around the front, the top piece sits a little above the actual cabinet. Before you place your door or top on, you’ll want to put something under there to lift the top up a little so it isn’t resting right on the trim.

Ikea Alex Desk Hack Tutorial

We just used a scrap piece of 1/4″ plywood on each side and it worked perfect!

I can’t tell you how happy I am with this piece! The rest of my little office nook is still a work in progress but having this extra counter space and leg room is AMAZING!

DIY IKEA Alex Desk Hack Makeover

Cane Front Desk Makeover

Modern IKEA Desk Hack

DIY Door Slab Countertop

DIY IKEA Alex Desk Makeover with Cane

I can’t wait to finish decorating this space but I have been loving it so far! My DIY Cane and Wood Desk turned out even better than I imagined and I had so much fun hacking my first piece of IKEA furniture!

Pin for later!

DIY Cane and Wood Desk IKEA Hack makeover

Related

6 Comments

Comments

  1. Mywestcoastlife says

    May 11, 2020 at 11:44 pm

    I love this! definitely going to be attempting a version of this for our office as well!

    Reply
  2. carina says

    April 4, 2020 at 1:15 pm

    Shockingly beautiful!

    Reply
    • brepurposed says

      April 8, 2020 at 2:53 pm

      Thank you!!!

      Reply
  3. Alicia says

    April 1, 2020 at 10:24 am

    WOW!!! I would never have guessed that those drawers were from Ikea!

    Reply
  4. Janis Daugherty says

    April 1, 2020 at 7:12 am

    It looks so nice! Love it!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. ARCH HEADBOARD DIY - PLACE OF MY TASTE says:
    August 7, 2020 at 9:26 pm

    […] in my living room, but I have wanted to try some projects with cane webbing too. One of my friends used cane webbing for a few of her projects and I got super inspired. This is how this awesome arch headboard was […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

hi I’m bre! follow along as we renovate our current home and share modern DIY ideas.

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Shop My Faves

Our laundry room was the first room we renovated w Our laundry room was the first room we renovated when we moved into this home. Mainly because it was the room my FIL had the least emotional attachment to 🤣 I still love it today but have been needing a little change. I’m in this room ALL the time, and was getting bored of looking at the same stuff! So I switched out the laundry basket, hung some artwork on the tile and changed up my vase and greenery. And it instantly feels just different enough to put a smile on my face and kinda make me want to fold all the kids laundry that’s been sitting in the dryer for far too many days 😜 little changes that make a big impact are my favorite 🙌🏻 truthfully: I daydream about painting the cabinets in here too - they read darker in photos but in real life are much more blue. I’ll save that for another day 😉 but for now I’ll stick to painting my bookcase. Head to stories to catch the first stroke of black! 🖤
Who’s cuter? Dilly or the new legs we added to m Who’s cuter? Dilly or the new legs we added to my barrister bookcase? 😍 you know I’m all about repurposing around here and I love that we were able to take legs and other curved pieces from a $20 table I found on Facebook marketplace and add them to this guy! It wasn’t easy and if you get real close you’ll see lots of screws and chipped veneer 😂 but they’re on and I love them. Celebrating slow progress - because that’s how I’m rolling these days 🤪 can’t wait to start painting soon! #breinspired
BREPURPOSED IS 7! Let’s celebrate! 🥳 I still BREPURPOSED IS 7! Let’s celebrate! 🥳 I still remember all the emotions I felt as I hit publish on that first blog post so many years ago. Scared, excited, nervous, anxious - I never could have known the journey that was ahead of me but I’m grateful for all of it. The successes and failures. And I’m grateful for ALL OF YOU. Thank you for continuing to show up and be a part of this with me - I’m so proud of the community we’ve built here together and appreciate each and every one of you more than you know 🤍 now for the fun part! I’m teaming up with my girl @eclectic_goods to give away a Bre Coffee Table in the stain color of your choice! 
.
.
Just follow us both, like this picture and comment below and tell me what your favorite project of mine has been or something I’ve taught you! 
.
.
Giveaway ends Friday at 12am EST. US entries only. Good luck!!
Happy Valentine’s Day from our little red headed Happy Valentine’s Day from our little red headed love bug 🥰❤️ #dillygram #lovebug
The only time I make the bed these days is when I The only time I make the bed these days is when I wash the sheets - so obviously I took a picture. And then dilly spit up all over them 🙈 happy 5 months you little gingy snap 🥰 #5monthsold #whereisthetimegoing
5! Our spunky, sassy, passionate, dramatic, kind, 5! Our spunky, sassy, passionate, dramatic, kind, loving, fearless, stubborn, strong willed girl is 5 today and my heart is bursting with pride for who she has become. From the way she is her brothers biggest cheerleader, to the way she lifts me up when I’m feeling stressed and overwhelmed, I’m constantly amazed at the depth of feeling she already has. Eloise I pray you never lose your fierce spirit and beautiful imagination and keep bringing joy to everyone you meet. WE LOVE YOU. 🤍 #birthdaygirl👑
$10 well spent 🙌🏻 I’ll never get tired of $10 well spent 🙌🏻 I’ll never get tired of a good thrift store makeover what about you? I love finding unique treasures that add character to our home, but sometimes they need a little TLC. I didn’t love the swirly stripe on the front of this lamp (which some of you liked - and that’s totally ok!) but that didn’t stop me from buying it and turning it into something I now love 😍 next time you’re at an antique or thrift store, try and look past what you see in front of you and imagine the possibilities of what you could create 😉 next up - gallery wall! #breinspired
Musical trees 🌳 all the changes in Hawk’s roo Musical trees 🌳 all the changes in Hawk’s room gave this giant fiddle a new home in our bedroom. He’s fake. But that rubber tree isn’t 🙌🏻 proof I actually CAN keep them alive, despite what you saw in my stories yesterday 🙈 without that skylight he would for sure be dropping leaves like his poor brother. And on that note, I should probably go water him 🤪 what’s one plant you have the best luck keeping alive?
.
.
.
.
.
.
#plantsarefriends #plantsmakepeoplehappy #cornerofmyhome #pocketofmyhome #bedroomnook #rubberplant #fauxplants #skylight #officeinspiration #whitewalls #rugmadetheroom #vintagerugs #fakeplants #lonnyliving #handmademodernhome #floatingshelves #bedroomideas #masterbedroom

POPULAR POSTS: DIY LADDER SHELF | PAINTING TILE BACKSPLASH | HOW TO INSTALL WOOD LOOK TILE | PAINTING LAMINATE CABINETS | HOW TO REFINISH A DRESSER | DIY STEP STOOL | FAUX FIDDLE LEAF FIG TREE | BEST PLACE TO BUY THROW PILLOWS

PRIVACY POLICY

© Copyright 2021. brepurposed. All Rights Reserved. Designed by Oh Wild.