Best way to build a DIY office desk/workstation

I’ve decided to bling up my home office but can’t find anything that really suits the quirky layout of the space. So I’m thinking about the DIY route.

Would love 3m of solid oak worktop neatly batoned in place along with chrome worktop legs and a couple of pedestals. But I can’t justify the cost.

Can’t find any suitable offcuts (yet) so I’m thinking 2-3m of primed/lacquered MDF (that’s £150 saving over oak for a start). Either way, do furniture legs do the same job as worktop legs? The difference is £5 vs £20-30 per leg (will probably need 8 so that’s £40 vs £160-240).

What say you lot?

You could explore using an Oak veneered ply. I worked on a job recently where we used it for panelling in a pub, with a high gloss varnish it looked the bees knees. It comes in 8×4 sheets and 12mm thick, so to use for a desk you would have to lip the front edge with a decent piece of timber and build a frame/carcass under to support it.

Chrome poles and fittings are available in 25, 32 and 50mm sizes depending on what looks right. Or consider a newel post idea, available in different styles and shapes. Might be a bit overkill in a 3m top though. Next time you’re in the pub have a good look round for inspiration 😆

Ikea.

what you doing on it? is strength an issue? what about old (reclaimed) floor boards put together in a frame and then sanded. as for the legs look at reclaimed timbers or just fence posts from b n q!

For an office, even in nice oak worktops – as in kitchen worktops – are bit too shallow for a desk.

A good way to get a good desktop for cheap is to checkout the sick furniture corner in Ikea – the bit near the checkout where the shop-soiled bits are – the usually have a rack of big veneered and laminate boards.

You can get oak veneered MDF, 18mm thick and matching edge strip that you can iron on once you’ve cut to size. Prob about £40 – £50/sheet from memory. You might want to use an edge banding trimmer and end trimmer with that though and the two would set you back another £30, although you could manage without the end trimmer.

Good quality (A grade) birch ply is nice too and the cut edge is handsome so you don’t need to dress it with anything. Use something like ‘Sanding Sealer’ instead of normal vanish – its less yellowy and retains the pale quality of the birch better

I used Ikea beech block worktop fastened to the wall on battens and supported with a couple of Ikea worktop legs. I think it looks good.

donald +1

I did the same as donald only I used 4 legs and no batten.

buy a school desk, it will last forever. You can paint the legs and veneer the top if you change decor.

Where can I sell 2 oak planks for £150? Missing a profitable bit of market.

Look for a small sawmill, if they are anything like ours, they have all sorts of stuff sitting around, beech, yew, maple, sycamore, chestnut, elm, douglas as well as oak. Best prices for cash.

or just buy a table and use that

Great ideas guys.

Favourite now is indeed an Ikea beech or oak worktop plus battens and leg. Fitting a nice ply to a frame is a sound idea but not as simple as the former. Needs to be sturdy enough to hold 2 or 3 24″ TFTs, a printer and keyboard shelf so I guess proper worktop legs have the advantage over something like breakfast bar legs (which are a fair bit cheaper)? Edge trimmer or router for the finish.

Not sure I’ll get 2.5m+ up the stairs so maybe some kind of strap/hoist and in through the window job will be required.

There’s a sawmill a few miles away so I’ll give them a shout in the morning.

Cheers all

Ikea Worktops are a good option built a desk / bench for the garage and put a PC on one end and vice the other.

Trouble is they’re just a bit short on depth, so I cut one down it’s length to extend the back then made a raised monitor shelf for the back using the other half and a 2″ strip off the bottom piece to cover the join like a step. Weighs a frigging ton.

Also used their kitchen units reinforced a bit to sit it on. Ended up costing twice what I budgeted but you could sit a hippo on it. Only tools you need is a cheap circular saw and a drill.

or just buy a table and use that

Or that.

Scaff legs and kee clamp ends?

Thanks, laura, nice bit of spam.

If it’s possible, get a desk with a hutch.

Where would you put the pens?

You could use a flush panel fire door if depth is required.