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    Home » Repurposed Items » Building Supplies » Repurposed Cupboard Door Lap Desk

    Repurposed Cupboard Door Lap Desk

    Published by Gail | Published January 6, 2017 | Updated June 23, 2021
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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     Happy New Year! It is great to be back at My Repurposed Life!

    In case you are new here, my name is Mindi. Nice to meet you! I blog at My Love 2 Create, and love contributing for Gail once a month.

    Today I am sharing my Repurposed Cupboard Door Lap Desk, which I am so excited to have. I have been wanting one for a long time!

    DIY Lap Desk made from repurposed cupboard doors

     pin it!

    Isn't it so cool!?! It ended up turning out perfect for my needs!

    DIY Lap Desk made from repurposed cupboard doors

    In fact, here is a view of me sitting at it! 🙂

    diy lap desk from cupboard doors

    I got a whole kitchen's worth of cupboard doors from a friend and have been repurposing them for different projects.

    cabinet doors before

    I noticed that these three were all the same width, if I turned the narrow one's on their side, which gave me the idea that they could be the legs for a lap desk. Since I have always wanted one, I set to work.

    remove cabinet door hardware

    I removed all the hardware on the back first.

    Originally I was planning on attaching the "legs" or small cupboard doors with pocket holes into the desk top, and obviously you could still do it that way. But then I thought it would be great to have them fold in, so I bought some hinges and started attaching them together.

    Unfortunately the hinges I purchased had faulty screws. I installed the first few and as I was attaching the other side, the heads of the screws started popping off! What?! The bottom of the screw still stuck into the wood, but no head to hold the hinge on. I was so annoyed that I ended up returning them to the store and bought new hinges (in a snow storm I might add).

    The new hinges and screws worked great, but with all my irritation at the time I had wasted, I didn't even think to take pictures. Luckily installing hinges isn't rocket science. 🙂

    Attaching support string

    In my mind the hinges were going to be great, but in reality they made my desk pretty darn flimsy. The legs were way to mobile, and I quickly realized I needed some supports to hold them. (in the back of my mind I knew this would happen but sometimes I don't listen to that voice...like I should)

    I debated taking the hinges off and using my original plan of pocket holes, but my stubbornness at wanting the legs to fold in for storage won out in the end. Plus, I had gone to so much trouble with two trips to the store to get the hinges...so I was determined to make it work.

    To hold the legs in position, I ended up using the screws from the hardware I had removed and some twine. I tided a knot around the screw with some twine and then tightened the screw into the screw hole in the cupboard door securing the twine.

    staple on twine to secure legs on lap desk

    This did the job and I decided to secure the other sides with twine as well, just in case. This time I just tied a knot and secured the twine with staples.

    Now the desk stands great, but if the leg gets knocked from the side it would fold in and fall over. I still preceded because, like I said...Stubborn.

    paint with chalk paint

    After cleaning the cupboard doors really well I painted it with two coats of a blue folk art chalk paint that I had on hand.

    I sealed the desk with some clear wax and only had one more finishing touch...

    DIY Lap Desk made from repurposed cupboard doors

    Since the holes were still in the cupboard doors from when I removed the hinges, I grabbed a dowel and cut it to fit inside of them. This was the perfect solution to making my desk sturdy so the legs won't fold in while I use the desk. It works awesome!

    folding up lap desk

    The dowel bends a little to put it in and take it out, but keeps the legs pushed out nice and secure. To put it away I just remove the dowel, and fold in the legs! Then I can slide it under my bed and out of site until I need it again!

    using lap desk

    I just love happy endings!

    DIY Lap Desk made from repurposed cupboard doors

    Because the cupboard doors were free, all I paid was around $4.50 for the hinges, everything else I had on hand.

    DIY Lap Desk made from repurposed cupboard doors

     pin it!

    Not only can I use this as my lap desk in bed, but it could also be used for Breakfast in my Farmhouse Storage Bed too...I probably should drop that hint to the family... 😉

    DIY Lap Desk made from repurposed cupboard doors

    So have you repurposed any cupboard doors lately? Could you use a lap desk too?
    Thanks for reading and please visit for more great repurposed project ideas and building plans!
    Hugs!
    Mindi

    see more of Mindi's posts on MRL Here 

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    About Mindi

    Mindi is a wife, mother, runner, dancer, and a lover of all things fun and DIY.

    A few years ago she discovered blogs and fell in love with the idea that she could do things she had always dreamed of doing. Like build furniture from pallets, and make cool projects for her home.... Mindi was inspired by other bloggers that empowered her to create.

    Mindi decided to give back and possibly reach someone out there that has a desire to create like herself. She believes we all have that desire in some form or another, and we all DO create in our own way, every day. Whether it be crafty or not, even creating happiness in others is a gift that many share.

    Mindi loves to learn and use that knowledge to make beautiful and useful things for her home.

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Janice

      December 15, 2022 at 9:46 pm

      Do you think a piano hinge running the entire length would help with stability? Can't wait to do this project!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        December 18, 2022 at 10:45 am

        Janice

        I do think that may work. I used one on this dog ramp project, and many, many years later, it's still holding up perfectly. https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/diy-indoor-pet-ramp/

        good luck, have fun!!

        gail

    2. Jennie

      January 09, 2018 at 8:54 am

      Ok, I need more cabinet doors. This is so neat and useful even for the couch when I want to work on something crafty. I love that it folds down and out of the way

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 10, 2018 at 9:57 am

        That Mindi is soooo clever, eh?

        I love using cabinet doors for projects. I look for them at my local Re-Store!

        gail

      • Mindi

        January 10, 2018 at 10:15 am

        Thank you Jeannie!! I hope you find some cabinets so you can make one!

    3. Jennie

      February 03, 2017 at 9:33 am

      I love this, it's perfect for a sick child. Put a large lego board down and they can build for days. Must make one of these.

      Reply
    4. Soledad

      January 11, 2017 at 7:33 pm

      This is awesome!!! Thanks I always wanted to have something like that. We repurposed our kitchen and I'm sure we should have some covers left over...

      Excited to do this!

      Reply
    5. Doris Styles

      January 06, 2017 at 10:27 pm

      Very clever!!!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 07, 2017 at 1:18 pm

        Thanks for taking my survey "guess who" 🙂

        Happy New Year!

        gail

    6. Pam

      January 06, 2017 at 4:31 pm

      Fantastic idea! Job well done.

      Reply
    7. girlfromwva

      January 06, 2017 at 9:47 am

      great idea! i made a small tray out of a smaller cabinet door. i put knobs on the bottom for feet; used a piece of back-splash for the top (which is really the inside of the cabinet door); used cabinet pull handles for tray handles.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 07, 2017 at 1:32 pm

        sounds great Nova! I love old cabinet doors for projects.

        gail

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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