Copper Toe Kick For Built-In Desks

Allow me to acquaint you with the most amazing thing – a copper toe kick with an adhesive backing. If copper isn’t your color, don’t write this idea off. Brass and nickel toe kicks are a thing too.

Sure, toe kicks or kick plates are not a new invention. They’ve been around since women started complaining about people and pets damaging their gorgeous front doors or so I assume.

Seems like something that would drive me nuts.

However, we’re not getting distracted by assumptive history today. We’re focusing on what drives me nuts creative problem-solving with gorgeous materials.

I most often see a toe kick or kick plate on the outside of exterior doors. However, you can install them any place where feet are marring a hard vertical surface.

Guess what hard surface was under attack in our home?

The trim underneath the built-in desks in our office.

If your family spends a lot of time playing video games doing homework and they have long legs, it’s quite possible they will rest their feet on the trim underneath the built-in desks.

Very specific problem, I know. You’ve probably encountered this issue more on a kitchen island.

Anyway, you know what happens. Over time, the wall surface where they put their feet gets dirty and scratched. The paint can even peel off the trim in chunks and rain like confetti on the floor.

Do you need to see the carnage? No.

Do you want to see the carnage? Yes. I know you do. We have that in common.

That’s embarrassing.

It goes without saying that I could not leave the desks in this condition.

Well, I could have but that also would have driven me nuts.

And don’t even get me started on this cord situation. At some point, we clearly stopped trying.

I sanded the peeling paint and primed the desks with a better primer than I used the first time.

I used Bin Primer because there were some wood knots bleeding through in places and this shellac-based primer is the only thing that will take care of that.

Then I switched the type of paint I had used originally (Behr Ultra) and went with an enamel paint specifically for cabinets and trim (Behr Cabinet, Door, and Trim Enamel).

Can you tell I’m trying hard for this to not be a “fool me again” situation? Hope springs eternal.

When that was done, it was time to further futureproof this trim under the built-in desks by adding a copper toe kick.

Installing the copper toe kick is pretty straightforward.

All you have to do is use all your hand strength and possibly develop tendonitis using metal snips to cut the copper toe kick to size. TOTALLY WORTH IT though. I can’t emphasize this enough.

I do recommend marking a cut line with a pen or pencil on the protective paper that covers the copper toe kick so that you can have a fighting chance of cutting a perfectly straight line. This is not the time to impress us with your scissor skills by freehanding it. It won’t work.

I’d also recommend wearing gloves during the entire cutting and installation process. You are dealing with metal that you are cutting to a sharp edge with a sharp tool. We know you love your home, you don’t have to bleed for it. I learned this lesson the hard way so that you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

My last bit of advice is that the adhesive backing on this particular copper toe kick is VERY STICKY. You get one chance to place it correctly on your hard surface. I threw caution to the wind and pulled off the entire strip of adhesive at one time and this was probably not the best idea.

That’s it. Like I said, pretty straightforward.

Joking aside, the cutting part can be a bit tedious, especially if your metal snips are a little rusty like mine were. (WD-40 helped with that.) However, most of you will only ever be cutting this toe kick to length. I had to cut 75 inches of it to the correct height as well.

You do have to use care when placing the toe kick, but don’t let that discourage you. It’s not a technically hard project.

Plus, there is so much upside!

Here’s a reminder of how the desks started out in case you forgot in the last 27 seconds.

Here’s how the desks look now with fresh paint, new knobs, and most importantly, that copper toe kick.

Be still my heart that loves shiny things.

I cannot believe how one little change added so much pizazz to these desks! It’s almost a shame that we have to push the chairs in now.

Kidding.

My kids don’t do that.

I love how this copper toe kick looks so much, I don’t even care if it doesn’t eliminate all the maintenance and wear issues we’ve experienced in the past.

This never-ending feast for my eyeballs makes the change worth it.

It was the best $30 I’ve spent in a long, long time.

What do you think of the copper toe kick? Do you have a spot you’d use it in your home? 

Let me know. You can always comment on this blog post, email me here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

Happy DIYing!

P.S. Most people just cut the toe kick to size length-wise. I had to cut it to size height-wise too to fit on my trim. However, I’m not worried about any sharp edges because I put the cut side down and the toe kick is also sandwiched between two smaller pieces of trim, so no sharp edges are accessible to bare feet.

P.P.S. Keep in mind the reviews said this toe kick worked best INDOORS. Most people seemed to put the toe kick on a door where a pet was scratching to go out or on the bottom of a kitchen island.

ROOM SOURCES

copper toe tick (comes in brass and nickel too)

desk paint color: Behr Confident White

wood knobs (painted to match desk)

floor protectors

leather chairs: similar

art: purchased in Ireland

Thanks for hanging out with me today! I love sharing ideas with you. Here are some other blog posts you might enjoy.

The Origin Story of Those Built-In Desks

How To Hide Cords On A Standing Desk

Reclaimed Copper Tile Tray (This is why I have copper on the brain not brass.)

*affiliate links in this blog post*