How We Turned a Piano Into a Desk

Do you have a piano in your house that no one plays? Please don’t get rid of it! Let us show you how we turned a piano into a functional desk!

Are you wondering why we have a piano that no one plays?

Let me explain!

My Grandmother, Nonnie, had a beautiful baby grand piano.

I have many happy memories of her playing for us, especially on Christmas day!

When she passed, I received the piano.

I was hoping one of my children would want to play it.

Unfortunately, none of them did.

So, it sat for years in our basement, we never had it tuned, and it became nonfunctional.

It took up valuable space in an area I wanted to turn into an office, but I didn’t want to give it up because of the sentimental attachment I felt to it.

Then, I had a brilliant idea to turn it into something useful!

I needed an office and every office needs a desk, right? 

So, let me show you, how we turned a piano into a desk!!

And this is what the piano looks like now!

Steps to turn a piano into a desk

Demo

When Rich demolished the piano I did not take any pictures. 

We originally kept several pieces of the piano and planned to do at least three or four DIY projects with them.

Unfortunately, when we moved, we did not have room in the PODS for two large, heavy pieces.

Not to mention, we had no idea what our house in Florida would look like and if we would have any place to put them.

So sadly, those pieces went into the dumpster.

If you go to my Pinterest page to the DIY section, you’ll see examples of things you can make out of piano parts.

Build a new top

Here are the front legs of the piano.

It’s the perfect size and height to use as a desk!

But, for me to be able to use it, Rich had to build a smooth top.

He used a piece of birch wood and cut it to the size I needed!

Then he nailed 3/4″ quarter-round trim around the edges.

And that’s how we turned a piano into a desk.

Not very pretty but functional.

I used the desk, as it looked below, for several years and just put a tablecloth over it because I didn’t have time to paint it.

But now that’s about to change!

Prep

This project took quite a bit of prep work before I could paint it.

I had to fill gaps and nail holes in the wood, sand it, clean it, and prep the area for painting.

Here are the steps I used to prep the desk:

Fill gaps and holes in the wood

There was a seam between the birch top and the trim and several nail holes that needed to be filled in.

I used wood filler so the seams and holes would not show!  I used my finger to push the filler into the seams and a putty knife to wipe the excess filler off.

Sand

When the wood filler was dry, I used a sanding block to remove the excess, leaving a smooth edge. No more seams or nail holes!

Clean

Sanding produces a lot of dust, and it’s important to remove every bit before painting.

First, I used a vacuum to remove all of the visible dust.

Second, I use a tack cloth to remove the fine particles that cling to the wood!

Because I chose to use chalk paint, I did not need to sand the legs.

However, it’s very important to clean the wood before painting.

Krud Kutter heavy-duty cleaner is a great option for this step.

I could not believe how much dirt and grime I removed!

Get ready to paint

To protect the floor, I put down a sheet of plastic. Then I used painter’s tape to protect the metal on the bottom of each leg.

How to paint

First, you need to choose a color. I wanted to paint the desk white to match the shelves in my office I chose Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.

Next, apply the first coat of paint and let it dry.

It always looks terrible after the first coat, and I wonder if I’ve made a huge mistake, lol!

As you can see in the next picture, the paint always looks better after the second coat!

Unfortunately for me, the two pieces didn’t match.

The top looked white but the bottom was a cream color!

That was my first clue that I had done something wrong.

After coloring hair for many years, I should have known this would be the case.

I should have used a primer on the base.

To make matters worse, the next morning I discovered another problem!

Don’t make this mistake

Since I did not prime the base, the colors did not match.

The first lesson learned!

I also learned that wood contains tannin, which can seep through white paint and produce red spots.

Here’s what it looked like after it had dried.

See the red coming through at the bottom of the leg?

So, I did some research and discovered that you have to prime dark wood if you are going to paint it a light color, especially white.

I felt terrible because I wasted two coats of paint and now had to buy a primer.

I chose to use a spray primer called B-I-N by Zinsser.

It is a shellac-based primer.

The shellac contains the tannins in the wood and blocks the stains from coming through.

When you use a product like this, it’s important to wear safety breathing equipment and apply it outdoors.

The primer worked wonders! No more cream color and no sign of tannins peeking through the primer!

I added one more coat of chalk paint to the base and voila, it all matches!!

Don’t forget to seal

Last but not least, you must use something to seal the paint.

I decided to use clear wax rather than polyurethane.

Hopefully, I won’t be sorry because I use this desk a lot.

I chose Annie Sloan clear wax, applied it in small areas, and then wiped it off!

DIY complete

Here’s the finished product!

I love it and use it almost every day.

More importantly, I have something of my Grandmother’s that I will always cherish!

Even better than that, I have no guilt because I got rid of an item that held sentimental value to me and my family!!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing this DIY and learning how we turned a piano into a desk!

My wish is that it inspires you to take any nonfunctional, sentimental items you may have and turn them into something you can use and enjoy!

Here’s another DIY project I did in the office: Update a Whiteboard to Match Your Decor

Blessing, Donna and Rich