DIY Writing Desk with Storage

May 28

When I decided to remodel my husbands home office while he was out of town for work (as a complete surprise to him), I knew I would need to build a desk, from scratch, to put in the middle of the room. I needed to it be specific dimensions to leave enough room to walk around it completely. I also wanted it to be pretty deep, for a large work surface, and offer a little bit of storage to minimize the clutter that can be seen. I made a list of what this desk needed to be:

Look masculine and well made
Be no wider than 58 inches, and at least 24 inches deep, and 28-32 inches in height (standard sizing for desks)
Be extra sturdy, especially because it wasn’t going against a wall
Offer storage
Low cost, this whole room was on a tight budget
Repurpose old desks to save money and be resourceful

After doing some research, I found this desk online that I just loved the look of, but was definitely out of my budget (nearly $1000)! Here are some pictures below of the West Elm desk I sort of used as my inspiration. I looked for the link, but I don’t think its available anymore!

The room already had two desks that my husband was using that I had built quickly when we found out he needed a home office. It was one of my first building projects, and I didn’t have nearly as much experience as I do now. The tables (desks) were a little wobbly and felt more like folding tables, rather than actual sturdy desks. So, I repurposed those by completely taking them apart, and using the wood for the new desks. In this tutorial, I will explain how to do this starting from scratch.

Tools you need:

Circular Saw (or table saw)
Measuring tape
Speed Square
Yard Stick
Pencil
Nail Gun (optional)
Brad Nails (1 1/2 inch is preferred)
Kreg Pocket Hole System (optional)
Drill
Wood Screws (1 1/2 inch is preferred)
Sander (or hand sand with a block or sandpaper)
Sand Paper

Supplies:

Wood Glue
Stain (Puritan Pine is what I used)
Throw away rag for stain or use these off brand magic erasers
Disposable gloves
Clear Coat (Here is what I used, probably cheaper from Lowe’s or local hardware store)
Legs - you can purchase your own like I did (here are mine, and I LOVE them), or you can build your own. This cut list DOES NOT include wood for legs.

Cut List:

2 - 24” x 58” stain grade wood panel in 3/4 inch thick (I buy THESE from Lowes) This is for the top and bottom of the desk, so if you are modifying it, get wood accordingly
1 - 4” x 56.5” x 3/4” wood for the back (note - if you want the desk to be shorter, make this 3 inches wide instead of 4 inches wide)
2 - 4” x 22.5” x 3/4” wood for the sides
1 - 4” x 21.75” x 3/4” wood for middle support (you can add a second support if you want three cubbies instead of two)
2 - 4” x 3” x 1/4” wood trim for the outer edges (option and you can trim with anything else, just cosmetic)

Step 1:

Ensure that you have all of the necessary tools and supplies to get started. Start with making your cuts from the cut list above. The desk is completely customizable to the size and depth that you want, so adjust your cuts accordingly.

Step 2:

Sand each cut edge and surface of your wood to prep for stain. I usually start with an 80 grit and work down to a 220 grit until it feels smooth. Add pocket holes to the left and right sides, the back sections, and the middle support. I used the Kreg Pocket Hole System to help give me the angles to screw the sides and support into the bottom of the desk.

Step 3:

Stain all pieces of wood (including all sides and edges) with your choice of stain. The stain I chose is Puritan Pine by Minwax and I use it often in my artwork and other projects. I love the natural look. I always use these off-brand magic eraser pads to stain. They work perfectly for all size projects. When staining smaller pieces, I cut them in half or fourths, but for this project, I used a whole pad, dipped it right into the stain can, applied it as evenly as possible, and then wiped off the excess stain with a clean rag (or use paper towels). I throw the magic erasers away when finished because stain is very hard to clean up. Also - grab some disposable gloves before you begin staining to protect your skin. If you do get stain on your hands, mix half olive oil and half dish soap in your palm of your hand and scrub away in some warm water. It eventually comes off. I don’t think it comes out of clothes, but if you know something I don’t, please share! Let your stain dry for a few hours before moving forward.

Step 4:

Using wood screws and wood glue, attach the left and right sides to the top. Make sure not to drill through the other side of the top, as this will eventually be flipped and become the desk surface. The sides will line up evenly against the edge of the top. Attach the back section the same way, making sure to line everything up. Attach the middle support. Wipe away any extra wood glue.

Step 5:

Add wood glue to the exposed edges of the sides, back, and middle support. Carefully lay the bottom down and make sure everything is lined up properly. Use a brad nailer around the edges to secure the bottom. If you don’t have a nail gun, use some wood screws. Wipe away glue and let dry.

Step 6:

Carefully flip the desk over so the top is now facing up. Add optional trim to the edges using glue. Apply poly according to the instructions on your packaging. Make sure to get all edges and sides, but I mainly focused on the top so it would be sealed and smooth.