Semi-custom, semi-built-in desk area thingy PART 1

Do you ever have this problem in your house? You have "office-type" stuff in about 3 different locations in your house. It is quite annoying to have to look in 3 different places when you need something. I have been dreaming of having it all in one location.

I was dreaming up a desk and was thinking I was going to have to build exactly what I wanted. Then I was getting overwhelmed at the thought. And then a friend said he had an old desk he was going to trash. So we picked it up and I hacked it apart. So I ended up with these two banks of drawers. They are particle board with a melamine veneer.

First order of business was to make them better looking. I scuffed them up so stuff could stick to them.

 Then I got the genius idea of using **FREE** paint sticks as the trim. They are the larger ones for stirring 5 gallon buckets.

 I glued these with liquid nails.

Used a little caulk to clean up the edges.

 The banks of drawers were too short to be desk height. So I needed to add some height. I wanted more drawers anyway so I added some height at the top giving room for another drawer as well. I used this old particle board from my pantry shelves.

 I made a height extension with three sides. 2 sides and a back. It would be best to screw and glue to the bottom cabinet but the way mine was constructed made it not really possible. So it is just glued. But don't worry. A little reinforcement comes later.

Front view.

Then I made a drawer to fit the space. Bought simple drawer slides from the hardware store.

 I used MDF to make drawer fronts for the new drawers so they could match the old drawers. I used the same dimensions for the drawer front so everything looked consistent.

  This is after I had also primed the older drawers.

I needed a third bank of drawers so that I could construct an office area with 2 workstations. I used MDF and built it to fit 2 pullouts that I had leftover from the pantry project.

 Made a matching drawer front for the upper pullout. The lower area will have 2 doors. Haven't gotten to that part yet.

The sides were mismatched and ugly so they got some beadboard. Attached with liquid nail and brad nails. And they needed a little reinforcement since the top section was only glued on.

And this is where we conclude for today...