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Flush doors are a well kept secret available at any Home store (Lowes, Home Depot). For about $25, you can get an 80 inch long by 24 to 36 inch wide x 1+ inch thick totally flat internally framed Luan (wood type) panel useable for many purposes, especially a huge desk.

They are also very GREEN, as they are framed of natural wood with two very thin (1/16 inch) smooth wood facings reinforced internally by a corrugated cardboard honeycomb. They are strong but light weight, cutting down on shipping emissions.

I will feature some of their potential uses in this and following posts.

If you have need of a simple-to-build large desk, the simplest version would consist of one flush door resting on two inexpensive metal file cabinets (fasten the door to them). If you want some “free range storage space” with it, use two doors separated by two “2×4s” fastened on-edge under the short ends of the doors.

If you are pressed for space, then try the fold-up desk shown in the accompanying diagram. It requires one flush door and a few pieces of 2×2 (actual 1.5×1.5) and 2×3 or 4 (actual 1.5×2.5 or 3.5) available at the wood construction section of Lowes, etc., and a few hinges. It uses the wall to hold up the back. You must fasten the back hinges well into the wall studs with long enough screws. Wall studs are usually 16 inches apart, center to center. Refine the construction to suit.

See many more simply elegant projects and products at our website.

Variations and Refinements:

* Cover the final desk with a thin sheet of metal, clear plastic (plastics store), plastic laminate contact-cemented on (Home store), or a few coats of glossy acrylic exterior house paint or clear water-base polyurethane.

* Construct a pigeon-hole desk storage unit to rest on the back top of the desk, using 1×4 (3/4×3.5) or 1×6 (3/4×5.5)— mount it a little above the desk to allow uncluttered desk space, or add wall shelves above the desk.

* Add a chicken-wire or fencing tool panel on the wall behind (see our Website, DIY section).

* If you make the fold-up version, you can use the folded-up door back as a bulletin board or picture display, or…

Cautions:

* Do NOT sit on flush door desks, as they may not hold up concentrated weights over about 100 pounds, NOR small children jumping on them. Flush doors cannot be used to make worktables that will take a lot of beating, as their skin is only about 1/16 inch thick.

* Do NOT cover the desk surface with glass.

* When adding legs, they must be very near the corners of the door because the internal framing is only about 1.25×1.25 inches in size and the screws need to “bite” into the framing. You can inset the legs if you use 1/2- 3/4 inch thick 12×12 inch plywood pressure spreaders glued to the door/desk “underside” near each corner. This also gives the leg screws something to “bite” into.

* You can cut flush doors shorter, but this requires care, and the cut edge MUST be reinforced with an inserted glued-in wood framing member. Cut the wood door facings carefully with a metal straightedge and sharp utility knife (many cut passes), THEN saw through the edge framing. WATCH YOUR FINGERS!

Printing your photos on your home inkjet printer is not as difficult as you might think. Try printing them on glossy 8.5 x 11 inkjet photo paper (from Staples, Office Depot, Walmart…) and see for yourself. You will likely be pleasantly surprised and will open up a slew of new ways to design with and display your photos. The two photos shown above are 8.5×11 and displayed in a Backlit Photo Print Display Lamp sold in the DoDesignDIY.com Store.

—Try it with whatever inkjet printer you now have. I have obtained consistently good results printing photos using Epson inkjet printers costing less than $100. The main secrets are to use the slowest and highest quality setting on your printer, good quality inkjet photo paper (I recommend Glossy), and high-resolution photos. More on this below.

—For home use, the new Canon Pixma series of inkjets have gained an excellent reputation. Laser printers can also be used as long as the image quality is acceptable to you. You need LASER printer photo paper for this.

—Obtain images from your digital camera. High-resolution (Superfine, Highest Quality) images provide clearer 8×10 or 8.5×11 prints. The chart at our website from Flickr.com indicates the minimum dimensions of the photo in pixels; the more pixels, the better. Your photo editing software (see below) can show you the image size, in pixels. You can also download many stunning high-resolution photos from photo sharing sites such as Flickr.com.

—Other prints can be obtained by scanning hardcopy materials at a resolution of 150-300 pixels per inch (300 if the original image is under 8×10 and you will be printing 8.5×11 inches). See the following points.

—Open and resize the image using your photo software: Corel, Photoshop Elements, Microsoft Image, etc. Remember that your digital camera, scanner, and MS Office probably included image-editing software. Photoshop Elements is one of the best for general use. Google (verb) ‘Free Image Editing (Mac/PC) Software’ to find and download some surprisingly good ones.

—In the resizing window, set the resolution pixels per inch (ppi) at 150 or 300ppi (300 is best). Then set the actual picture size (in inches) to 8×10.5 inches (or less).

—Before you start printing the first time, check your printer utility to make sure you have at least a quarter cartridge each of the inks, and do a printer utility test print to ensure that the print heads are well aligned and the ink nozzles are not clogged.

—For best results with inkjet prints, use standard glossy inkjet photo paper available at many retailers. Staples’ house brand works well. Be sure not to accidentally purchase laser printer photo paper.

—Before printing, be sure to click Center on Page in File/Page Setup and/or on your print menu.

—Consider first printing a lower resolution (100 ppi) Grayscale image on plain paper to make sure the orientation and size is correct. You can set this on your printer menu.

—Then print on gloss photo paper in your printers finest photo mode. Insert paper only one sheet at a time— they tend to stick together. Printing may be slow, but the results are well worth it. Let each print dry unstacked for a few minutes.

I will be happy to expand this article and answer your more specific questions on the subject. Email your questions to me at mh@DoDesignDIY.com

Tags: design, photos, printing

I omit the most common photo display method— framing.

—Fasten (use 3 long thin nails) a 1/4 x 1.5-3 inch x up to 8-foot piece of wood (lattice or molding) horizontally to the wall and clip, tack or tape the photos onto it, for a horizontal mass display.

—Lean a 3/4 x 2.5-3 inch x up to 8-foot piece of wood against the wall, fasten the top end to the wall with a long thin nail, and pin or tack the photos onto it, for a vertical mass display.

—Mount photos onto foam core art board using low-tack tape, face it with clear plastic (from a plastics shop), and hang it on the wall using thin nails or 2-sided foam tape on back

—Use plastic box frames, available at AC Moores or other hobby shops, for a frameless look.

—Pin your photos to a cheap umbrella, saw off the handle, then hang the umbrella on the wall from its edge.

—Make a simple easel from “1×2” (3/4×1.5) and a few bolts, mount your photos onto a piece of foam core art board and stand it up on the easel.

—Cut foam core art board to fit the inset area of cabinet doors, then mount your photos on it (a plastic covering is recommended).

—Roll a large photo copy into a cylinder and slip it into a glass column vase for display. If you still want to use it as a vase, insert a plastic jar with the water in it.

—Paint an old wooden ladder, lean it against the wall, and stand your (framed) photos on the steps.

—Place your photos under a clear plastic (from a plastics shop) piece the size of your coffee table or desk.

See our other posts about Printing Your Photos 8.5 x 11 at Home, and Making Yourself an Icon image container, which are also on our website with other ideas.

Tags: design, interior, photos, display

Stash your small everyday valuables in a container that will stand out from the crowd in the workday morning and display your favorite photos.

Clean out a large steel fruit juice can, or a shorter can. Cut out the top with a can opener. Do not use a zip-top can as they leave a dangerous sharp edge. Measure the height and circumference of the can (use a tape measure, or a strip of paper that you can mark, then measure with a ruler. Determine the number of prints you will need to cover the circumference of the can. You may need to tape two prints together (on the back) if the can is over 3-inches diameter and/or taller than 8.5 inches.

Design your own image. Scan something from a magazine. For tips on finding and printing pictures, see Finding and Printing Photos.

Make an inkjet print of a favorite vivid photo or design on 8.5 x 11 inch glossy inkjet photo paper (from Staples, Office Depot). Let it dry. Cut the image print to fit the can height and circumference. You can first protect and enhance the image print with clear adhesive page laminate (Staples, Office Depot, etc.). Roll the image around the can and tape it on using 2-sided carpet tape underneath, or clear office tape on the vertical seam in the back.

As a top, you can use a mailing tube cap or on old lid from a cookie tin covered with another print cutout. The cut off bottom of a 2-liter plastic soda bottle (inverted) or other plastic bottle also can make an interesting top. Tape the edge to dull the sharp edge.

You can also make a similar item by rolling up and inserting the image into a 3-inch diameter glass column vase.

The Icon shown in the picture is made from 4-inch diameter thin-wall plastic drainage pipe sold at Lowes or Home Depot in 10 foot lengths, and 4-inch mailing tube caps. It’s the same principle.

We have more tips, uses and ideas for your photo prints at DoDesignDIY.com/DIY/index.html. Come and visit.