Simple Whiskey Barrel Office Desk

“I’ma need some whiskey glasses…” –er, barrels (sounded like a Morgan Wallen moment to me, I suppose). Check out how we turned 4 ordinary barrels into a fabulous and functional whiskey barrel office desk.

So, with my natural inclination to create, and my fiancés background to build (he’s a structural dude), it only made sense to make our own desk when the need arose. And after hours of scrolling my Pinterest feed and still not finding the inspiration I wanted, we decided to take a gander at our local Home Depot and see what we could find.

Again, not really seeing anything that dazzled me, and Marc begging me to “make up my mind, already” (did I mention how indecisive I can be?), we finally came across some outdoor furniture, patio décor, and most randomly –some whiskey barrels (which apparently were meant for flowers, but hey).

“What about these?” Marc asked. And of course, with my love of rustic décor and farmhouse-y furniture, I was intrigued. So…without further ado, my super-simple steps to a DIY whiskey barrel desk:

Materials Needed for Your Whiskey Barrel Office Desk:

4 Whiskey Barrel Planters – we got ours from Home Depot, but if you find something similar elsewhere, go for it!

1 Large Sheet of Sanded Pine Plywood – the dimensions are up to you, but we cut ours to approximately 5 ft. x 3 ft

1-Qt. of Your Favorite Stain – I’ve linked this to a dark walnut stain and polyurethane because it matches the barrels perfectly and adds a nice shine! Feel free to improvise if you find barrels that are a different shade.

Paint Brush

Sand paper

Newspaper scraps/cardboard

Instructions:

Cut plywood to ideal dimensions (if needed)

Smooth over any rough or jagged edges with sand paper

Lay out old newspapers or cardboard on a flat surface outside or in your basement or garage

Place the plywood on the covered surface and begin to paint per the directions on the bucket (don’t overdo it, as a little goes a long way)

One you have your first coat of stain on, allow it to dry completely; once it’s dry, go for a second or third coat to your desired level of darkness

If you’re into the weathered-look (I certainly am!), add a little more stain on the corners or edges to give it a more streaky and textured-look –ours is by no means “perfect,” it’s just about the look you’re going for!

After the first side is stained and completely dry, go ahead and flip it over and stain the other side using the same technique (this is totally optional though, as you’ll only see the one side –we just had extra stain to use); allow to dry