DIY Marble Desk Top

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Chauncey bought me a black desk when we moved into our house last year. I loved the size of it and that it had desk drawers, but it was just so plain. So I decided to do a desk hack to change things up and do a DIY marble desk top! Marble is so in right now, but it is expensive. I’m sharing an easy DIY that can be done for around $30!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
– Marble contact paper that is 18″-24″ wide, depending on the width of your desk
– Scissors
– Dust rag
– Pens (optional, but I like the Pilot G2 Pens)
– Old plastic card
– Exacto knife/tiny scissors (optional/not pictured)

First, dust off your desk. I used just a clean dust rag as I didn’t want to risk any cleaners messing with the adhesive on the back of the contact paper.

Second, unroll the contact paper to the length of your desk. You will want just enough overhang to tuck under the edges of your desk, or, if you have a desk like mine, into the cracks under the desk top. Cut the contact paper accordingly. The contact paper I picked up had some gridlines on the back, making it easy to get a straight line. If yours doesn’t, use the pens to mark off where you need to cut.

Now that you have your contact paper cut, line up the pre-cut end of the paper (not the end that you cut on) with one end of the desk. Pull about 3″ of the adhesive backing from the contact paper so that you can start sticking the contact paper to the desk. Make sure you get this edge as straight as possible as it will act as your guide for the rest of the project. Warning: do not pull off more of the adhesive backing, as it will cause the contact paper to stick to itself and bubble.

Next, move on the top of your desk. I like to pull off about 7-8″ of the backing and stick it to the desk, working diagonally from a desk corner. To make it stick smoothly, use an old gift card for this part. It will cut down on bubbling. If you do get bubbles, apply hard strokes of pressure with the edge of the gift card and smooth the bubble towards the edge. The idea is to pull the bubble out. Don’t be afraid to apply pressure, as the contact paper is pretty heavy duty.

Once you’ve covered the desk top with the marble contact paper, move to the edges. Make sure to pay special attention to the area where the contact paper bends over the edges of the desk top. If you had less-than-accurate cutting in the beginning, go back and clean up your edges with an exacto knife or a small pair of scissors. I like to press the contact paper into the desk so I can see the imprint of the edge, and then cut. Tuck any overhang under the edges of the desk or into the cracks of the desk.

Finally, cut out any areas where there are holes in the desk for cords to come through. This sounds difficult, but is actually pretty easy. Run your fingers over the contact paper until you feel the hole. Stab the contact paper with the scissors in the middle of the covered hole, and slowly cut your way around it. Most of these have a cap that go over them, so jagged edges are no big deal.

Ta-da! You’ve performed an easy desk hack and now have a beautiful “marble” desk top!

If you like my gallery wall, you can learn how to create your own gallery wall here.

I like to keep my Pilot G2 Pens on my desk. Even though I’m tech-savvy, I still like to write down notes, make lists, etc. Being an attorney and a blogger, I go through lots of pens. I’m also very picky when it comes to my writing utensils. I like the Pilot G2 Pens because they have 15 vibrant colors and smooth writing gel ink–there’s nothing better than a pen that writes smoothly, and I always use a colored pen! These pens work as hard as I do, and I really appreciate that!

You can pick up these awesome Pilot G2 Pens at your local Target. Click here for a coupon to save $0.75 on any ONE 4-pack (or larger) of G2 Gel Ink Pens. You can even check out how others are using their G2 Pens here.

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