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I currently have two basic Ikea desks sat side by side with my various computers and crap spread across them. The main one I sit at is getting pretty tatty with the white plastic coating lifting i a number of places and a whole where I dropped something on it.
A simple Ikea replacement is the obvious £25 choice but I really don't like the sharp edges of the desk that cut into my forearms while I type. Now I spend more time here is is more annoying.
A standard cantilever office desk is about £150 from Office Hippo and would do the job but looks very work like for my house.
I have the tools to build something but am not sure of a good design to use and worry that I will end up with either something knocked up in 3/4" ply that does the job but looks a bit primitive or I end up with a beautiful desk with routed edges and inlaid blah, blah, blah that I can't use for fear of scratching it.
The needs are pretty basic as it is replacing a simple desk with a leg in each corner and 75cm deep x 150cm wide, currently no shelves, drawers etc. The second desk is the same but less used so I could keep it or make a single desk at about 240cm wide?
Anyone built a good desk or know of some good designs?
The easy DIY options include kitchen worktop (worktop-express.co.uk will cut to size and make holes for cables) or thick ply (you can get 24mm ply with formica top online) with hairpin or steel legs.
I'm leaning towards a piece of kitchen worktop because they look nice and worst case I can sand and varnish any damage.
Get a piece of 18mm melamine faced board and fix a half-round moulding on the edges with double sided tape, glue, tacks or dominos (whichever you have to hand). B&Q will have this.
Going through the same thought process here. Currently wondering if steel legs (loads on Etsy/eBay) with a span of 2m is enough support for a 40mm oak worktop
We have bamboo IKEA tops. Bevelled edge underneath.
I hated the one in each corner legs they had because I know what happens when they're ****ted with a hoover regularly so they are on IKEA metal trestles.
I think all in each one was 60quid
The good are light but very very rigid. I'm quite pleased with them. Still considering a sitting standing base but the top will stay.
Kitchen worktops as desks look a bit like the poor cousin of cheap ply - fine for the garage but not something I want in the office.
Are the Ikea Bamboo tops actually Bamboo or cladding over cardboard like most of their stuff?
Tempted to go for a build with real wood
IKEA do a desk top made of solid wood still, it’s £75 (can’t remember the name sorry) and pretty big, I got one for my wife’s art table. As it’s solid wood you can put a chamfer or rounded edge on it.
A lot cheaper than the equivalent Worktop Express choice too.
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heres the desk I built just before Xmas
It's 64cm deep and 146 cm long
The top is a standard Howdens laminate kitchen worktop which I just put a frame of 1 X 2 round
The frame is just standard timber yard wood so it didn't cost much. Maybe 40£ ish for the timber and £25 for the top which was gumtree
It's great I love it. I copied a plan off t'interne. if you're interested. I'll send it to you
There are a lot of 45 Deg mitre cuts and some 30 Deg so you'll need a mitre saw unless you've the patient of a saint
Are the Ikea Bamboo tops actually Bamboo or cladding over cardboard like most of their stuff?
They're definitely hollow but I know exactly what you're talking about about and these don't feel as flimsy. If they are cardboard inside it's not immediately apparent.
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I use my Dad's old A1 drawing board with a couple of legs off Ebay. Just the right size, bags of character, and a few old memories.
.Kind of like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-draughtsman-architects-wooden-drawing-board/313377186423?hash=item48f6bc6277:g:lLYAAOSwh-Rf8fej
But nicer...
Are you new here gingerbang?
wCA doesn't follow plans. He treads his own path. A path cleared with wild flaily things and marked with blood splatter.
Ikea 3m worktop, with a 3 drawer drawer pack at each end. Perfect
https://www.surreytimbers.co.uk/product-category/live-edge-table-tops/
I used kitchen worktops (solid beech, but posher woods available) to do a big corner desk for my wife. Battens on the walls, then Ikea Alex drawers/cupboard for support too.
Nick, get a nice motorised sit stand base (£150-£200) and stick whatever surface area on it you want (or just get their standard surface with it). We have two flexispot bases now which are nice, didn't cost too much and work better than the stupid expensive one I have in the office.
I custom built one into an awkward corner out of crappy looking 150x40 construction timber doweled and glued to make the top. It's supported along two sides (back and right) edge by an interference fit set of battens on the wall and then a diagonal leg from wall to the other front corner.
Someone with much more patience then me would have planed it properly flat to take the distortion out of the timber but since I was on a deadline and I only really use a keyboard/mouse or thick pad on it the imperfections don't bother me. I chucked on some stain and job done.
I've done 40-60 hours a week at that desk most weeks since I built it in the spring.
It was cheap too, I like cheap as it leaves more money for beer and bikes and boats and curry and (you get the idea)
We made one out of old floorboards, old wide ones... will find a pic and post when I can
Ikea 3m worktop, with a 3 drawer drawer pack at each end. Perfect
I like the look of this, few videos on YouTube of them but they seem to put an extra leg in the middle. Is that really needed? Ideally want to be able to stretch legs out without hitting anything, and not sure if a leg in the way would constantly annoy me.....
I used a length of solid worktop. Battens along the wall for the back and right hand end to sit on, a leg on the left front corner. And a cantilever leg near the middle so that you don’t smack your legs on it.
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I bought a solid grey metal IKEA base a few weeks ago and topped it with some cheap laminate as I couldn’t be bothered to do it properly in lockdown.
My last desk was oak worktop over 2 cabinets, fine for 10+ years. I think oak worktop framed like fingerbang has looks really quite good.
My plan is to eventually swap the cheap laminate for a piece of live edge wood, been watching Matt estrea on YouTube and he gave me some serious desk envy. The link to Surrey timbers above is where he gets his from.
This is the IKEA desk top I referred to above:
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/gerton-table-top-beech-50106773/
It’s solid beech and decent value compared to the solid worktop options. It does have some metal strengthening rods/strips underneath to stop it sagging (I presume cos it’s not as thick as a worktop).
It’s a nice size at 155x75cm, but bigger than normal and as it’s solid too you could adapt it a bit more for your needs. I wanted to round off the edges but my wife likes it at 90 degree (there is a little chamfer on it).
We have 2 IKEA plain white legs (£2.50 each!!!!) which are nice and solid and a matching drawer unit at the other end - the drawers are really nice despite being a bit of a faff to construct.
I’ll try and get a pic later.
EDIT:
Sorry it does look a bit small in this pic as my wife has all her painting stuff and a canvas on it but it’s big for a normal desk.
Underneath
I can refinish it at any time and make it reasonably waterproof (she needs it due to paint/water she uses).
Like a few others in this thread I’ve got an off cut of oak worktop as the top of the desk
And then some steel legs from
https://wickedhome.co.uk/shop-new/
As the base (the also do complete desks which are good for ideas although some are crazy money)
Motorised base - nice idea but as I cannot stand up for long it is probably wasted on me.
Surry Timber - Nice idea and was tempted by this Bubinga Top but slightly put off by this £7,200.00
Ikea Gerton solid beech looks like a good possibility but is out of stock and not available online which is annoying.
I will check out some kitchen work top places though as I guess there will be a selection of solid wood ones available.
Cheers Guys
The monitors I have (from work) sit about 100mm from the wall even when the stand is pushed right back, so I found kitchen worktop wasn't quite deep enough at 600mm.
I knocked something up out of an old wardrobe door, supported by some 1x2, mounted in an alcove. It's about 120 x 75cm
I got a kit from the hairpin leg company. Bevelled edge Formica topped ply in grey and some lovely hair pin legs. Looks good, does the job.
They supply legs on their own or kits with a table top in a few sizes. Nice selection of leg colours/ finishes. Quick and free delivery iirc.
The monitors I have (from work) sit about 100mm from the wall even when the stand is pushed right back, so I found kitchen worktop wasn’t quite deep enough at 600mm.
That can be an issue with worktops. Some are 620mm, my solid oak kitchen worktops were 640mm IIRC to allow for scribing.
Or you could go full on influencer/Instagram style and get a live edge board and fill bits in with weird coloured resin to get a gaudy/plasticy looking horror show. 😂
Not really possible in lockdown but I bought a s/h ikea galant corner desk plus extension off ebay, lopped the corner bit off and now have a nice birch veneer desk 2200 x 800
I have noticed a few “working at home” things popping up on eBay recently - desks/monitors etc. Maybe people going back to office or lost jobs getting rid?
I spent the first 6 months of lockdown using a dressing table as a desk which wasn't deep enough really, so I built a desk big enough for me and the wife to both WFH out of oak worktop but I went for a 720mm deep version to give more desk space.
As a complete stroke of luck, the offcut of the 3m worktop was exactly the right length to use as a support in the middle. Rock solid and much more comfortable!
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I also spent ages looking for some sort of cable management tray but they were expensive and not really what I wanted, so I made my own out of square guttering from B&Q for a few quid. Bargaintastic!
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At the risk of answering a different question (which I think is standard op practice for STW), I bought a height adjustable desk from sit-stand.com towards the end of last year - it was c£550 inc delivery.
It's really transformed my comfort levels. Before I was suffering from back ache but now I can work standing up and move around on the many long meetings that I have to attend. I'm also working with a colleague who has a similar set up albeit with a treadmill underneath so he spends much of the day "walking" in meetings.
I customised the desk - there was a large choice of desk top colours and sizes available and I added a few extras like lockable wheels on the feet, chrome cable holes and a memory setting thing for then desk heights etc. Without that it would have come in at around £450 when bought on one of their promotions.
Along with a decent sloping desktop port replicator / laptop wedge the desk has been my best purchase for pandemic home working.
Surry Timber – Nice idea and was tempted by this Bubinga Top but slightly put off by this £7,200.00
its funny because I don't think its even very attractive timber its just brown and you can get that for alot cheaper 😀
How about an Oak window sill with 3 x lenghts of planed square edge behind?
Covers or Sydnhams should stock them . Rolled edge ,decent finish , enough depth soyou can used decent sized screws to make a frame .
Then either router a biscuit joint ? or drill and dowel and glue the boards on the back.
Sydnhams have 250mm pse usually , add a window sill to 2 widths ,some woodstain, job jobbed .
Or T&G boards on th back of a window sill might be ok
Anyone looking at The Hairpin Leg Co (recommended btw), for some reason their Etsy shop is consistently 15% cheaper than their website.
Legs from amazon here
American walnut worktop from here , I got them to cut and edge profile the worktop for me, bought a 2m x 900mm x 40mm - cut and profile edge yourself if you are capable, im not due to ms so had to get them to do it for me.
Use two of the sample blocks to sit/mount rear shelf on desk, I screwed the sample block up into shelf, then placed shelf on worktop and screwed into sample block from underneath
Total cost about £500ish and treated with Osmo wood wax finish extra thin clear satin but you could build it for a lot cheaper by using a cheaper wood worktop or buying a damaged worktop surface and sanding/repairing it yourself.
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Is it still that tidy?
Scaffolding planks here. Edges cut straight and joined, sanded smooth then Osmo. I left the metal end pieces on, and the stamped in name of the manufacturer gives it character.
Sat atop 2 Ikea trestles. It's about 3ft deep and 7ft long, so there's plenty of space.
Not much effort to make, looks good and cheap.
Pics were taken 20 mins ago so yes, I despise clutter and stuff as things lying around really **** with my head (secondary progressive ms does strange things to my brain so I've totally cleared my house of unnecessary stuff)
@yosemitepaul - Did you not find the scaffold boards warp when they dry out? I've made a few things with them but no matter what I do, I still get warping and it looks crap.
@hooli - no problem with warping, I used recycled boards, so I guess they were fairly dry. After joining them I put offcuts at either end doweled to each board for their full width. It's been made a couple of years now. A bit agricultural, (which suits our house) but does a great job.
Ok, thanks. I'll try a few options as I have a pile in the garage that want using.
Slight hijack but I'm after a new grey formica faced 24mm plywood desk top, 1800x800 with simple rounded corners. I had a quick look on madeinply.co.uk and the quote is £685+delivery!
This seems expensive for a bit of ply but what do I know! Have always used a bit of worktop before but want the extra depth. Do any of the desk self builders know of a cheaper supplier of a plywood desk top?
Looks nice Somafunk but how do yo get your pens / usb sticks the out from under that shelf. Also, does it serve any purpose other than cosmetic?
It raises my iMac to a comfortable viewing height and also places the KRK monitors at ear level, and with placing monitors on a desk you have the issue of dealing with first reflections from the desk top. My ears are the only part of me that isn't destroyed by ms so im trying to squeeze the last bit of enjoyment out of my love of music.
The shelf is open at the back for cables to pass through and pens etc are in the drawer unit next to me - once I get sat down I really don't want to move as its so bloody painful and the effort takes it toll so I need/have everything within reaching distance.
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Only ever use a usb c for iPad and lightning connector for iPhone
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Cool - just priced up from that website in beech as I prefer a lighter finish and £252 with pencil edging top and bottom on 3 sides, the front 2 corners radiused at 50mm and the whole thing oiled.
Good shout, thanks
I'm in a similar situation since I'm moving house and will finally get away from the kitchen table! I got thinking about putting a nicer top onto the IKEA sit/stand legs (they have plenty of legs in stock but no matching desk tops).
I'm quite taken with the kitchen worktop examples on this thread but they're pretty spenny, will have to decide whether to go all in or to repeat the TV stand I made in lockdown 2.0:
They'd been outside my neighbours for months so were pretty wet. I sat them inside for a few weeks to dry, sanded down, stained and then used a kreg jig to join the boards together over a few weekends. Can't say I've noticed any warping myself. However... I'm not sure I can bring myself to do all that sanding all over again! Even with a machine it's an epic job.
WCA - Cool, glad to offer a possible solution to desk woes.
I've got one of these IKEA Bekant corner desks desk
It's a good size, the corner design makes it very comfy to sit at and the edges are rounded so don't dig in. I love it.
@db madeinply is not cheap. There are cheaper providers, etsy may have some, but 1800x800 is quite large so maybe not. I was looking at some 1500x750 on etsy which were a lot less.
Google around, I did find some ply retailers online that will cut and formica single sheets.
@db you could try The Ply Guys if you’re anywhere near Glasgow? Not sure about their nationwide delivery but our lounge furniture is coming this weekend (we’re localish to them).
Built.
Posted 19 minutes ago
I wouldn’t have that in my workshop never mind an office!!! 😉😉😂😂
@brant - With such fine carpentry skills I suggest you leave the trouser business and move into bespoke furniture 😉
I built a desk into an alcove: an offcut of solid oak worktop, battens on three sides. A 32mm flat drill bit to make a couple of holes for the cables. It all works very well, though the edge of the desk is a little sharp so I'll need to sand it back.
I wouldn’t have that in my workshop never mind an office!!! 😉😉😂😂
It's got history!
https://hebtro.co/2020/04/07/the-door-is-still-open-you-just-cant-come-in-for-now/
@brant – With such fine carpentry skills I suggest you leave the trouser business and move into bespoke furniture 😉
Had a hilarious email back and forth yesterday with a cabinet maker adamant that he needed 36in jeans, and ours were made "wrong". I tried to explain vanity sizing, but he wouldn't have it.
I built a desk into an alcove: an offcut of solid oak worktop, battens on three sides. A 32mm flat drill bit to make a couple of holes for the cables. It all works very well, though the edge of the desk is a little sharp so I’ll need to sand it back.
If you can get hold of a router with a round over bit you could put a radius along the front of it really easy. You could take it out to do it along the whole length or if you’d rather not take it out you could leave a section either end as 90 degree, would make it look a bit different too.
My desk is at the budget end being second hand Ikea's trestles from the local Facebook freecycle type group and a piece of 18 mm ply that was in the garage given a couple of coats of varnish. 73 X 120 cm (an offcut) Looks Ok but was done quickish and cheap in March. Strong enough too. Don't need the extra thickness or weight of kitchen worktop.
@db have you considered using birch plywood and painting it? Alternatively the Formica faced stuff used to make campervan furniture is significantly cheaper but may not have the edge quality wanted.
Here's my alcove desk construction, also at the cheaper end. Mostly from 2x4 and 18mm mdf as that is all they had left in B&Q, desktop is a door I found in the loft which I'd forgotten about. I think it's about 800mm deep (deeper than it looks in the pic) plenty of room to stretch the legs. Must tidy the cables up, but theres a million other diy jobs todo as well...
That looks really great but please please do some cable management!!! If only to avoid yanking a cable out with your feet but it really would neaten the whole job up.
My desk setup. Long before lockdown I went and bought a 1940’s (I think) Abbess desk, couple of hours round trip to collect it but it was only £20. They normally sell for £200 so I know it needed some work.
All it needed was a clean, light sand and some joints glueing and clamping - especially the drawers. Gave it some Osmo oil and here we are.
It looks small in the pics but it’s around 68x120cm. Would like it a bit wider.
It has a great top drawer which is really thin and good for small stuff.
