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| Photo 5 |
There was no sewing this week. Instead, I finally added a shelf to one of the drawer units that sits underneath my sewing table.
The first step was deciding at what height to install the new shelf. I happened to have a leftover melamine board at home that was large enough for what I needed and already had a finished edge on one side, so it was the perfect material for the job.I started by cutting the board to the required width for the shelf. From the offcut, I made two “legs” to support the shelf on one side. On the other side, I used L-brackets, which I screwed directly to the drawer unit.
To finish the cut edges of the melamine, I had to improvise. I did not have any edge banding on hand, and I did not want to buy a whole roll when I only needed a small amount. Instead, I used a simple DIY technique that allows the exposed edges to be covered and painted.
Naturally, the result is not perfect, but since these areas will be hidden against the wall and will not normally be visible, it is more than adequate for the purpose.
The technique consists of using white glue diluted with a little water to attach strips of paper over the exposed surface. In this case, I used two layers of tissue paper and one layer of heavier packing paper. The thicker the paper, the fewer layers are required.The cut edge of melamine has a very rough texture, which can make working with delicate tissue paper a little challenging. However, tissue paper is ideal for repairing small surface defects in wood and wood-based materials.
When I made the previous modification to this piece of furniture, I already had plans to make better use of all the available space. My goal was to keep the lower platform for storing folders while adding a shelf where I could place storage boxes. At the time, however, I could not find a suitable way to do it, so the project was put on hold until now.
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| Photo 4 |
The first step was deciding at what height to install the new shelf. I happened to have a leftover melamine board at home that was large enough for what I needed and already had a finished edge on one side, so it was the perfect material for the job.I started by cutting the board to the required width for the shelf. From the offcut, I made two “legs” to support the shelf on one side. On the other side, I used L-brackets, which I screwed directly to the drawer unit.
To finish the cut edges of the melamine, I had to improvise. I did not have any edge banding on hand, and I did not want to buy a whole roll when I only needed a small amount. Instead, I used a simple DIY technique that allows the exposed edges to be covered and painted.
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| Photo 3 |
The technique consists of using white glue diluted with a little water to attach strips of paper over the exposed surface. In this case, I used two layers of tissue paper and one layer of heavier packing paper. The thicker the paper, the fewer layers are required.The cut edge of melamine has a very rough texture, which can make working with delicate tissue paper a little challenging. However, tissue paper is ideal for repairing small surface defects in wood and wood-based materials.
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| Photo 2 |
The first time I used this technique was when I built the cabinet that sits in the window recess, which you can see here. One of the side panels was damaged, but by covering it with tissue paper before painting, I was able to hide the defect completely.
This is actually the fifth modification I have made to this drawer unit. Originally, it was a desk (Photo 1), which I cut down to keep only the drawer section. Later, I added a top panel (Photo 2) and incorporated it into the first version of my sewing-room table.
Some time later, I removed the top panel and used it on another drawer unit. This drawer unit (Photo 3) was then positioned underneath my new sewing table. After that, I added a lower platform to make use of the space between the unit and the wall (Photo 4). Finally, I added this new shelf (Photo 5), allowing me to make full use of all the available storage space.
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| Photo 1 |
Sometimes the best storage solutions evolve gradually. This drawer unit has developed alongside my sewing room and changing needs, becoming increasingly practical over time without requiring any major expense.
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