I never imagined I would be a homeschool Mom, but here I am! 2020 has thrown as all for a loop. Am I right? So many things happening that we never saw comin. Yikes!
When I made the decision that I was going to homeschool my 2nd grader this year, while the dust (hopefully) clears from all of the madness, I knew I was going to need a space where he could learn. Not just a space for him, but for me too. I was on the hunt for a BIG home office desk. Everything I found was the wrong configuration or just not my style.
I knew I would have to make it myself, but I was being super LAZY. I wasn’t in the mood for a big project at the time- I wanted to snap my fingers and have a desk. Lol. Weird how you can’t just make that happen… I did see other desks similar to this online, but they had made the tops of the desk themselves with boards and, like I said, I was lazy. So I came up with a much better way.
This is THE easiest desk you could ever make. I wouldn’t even say I “made” it, because I did no building of any kind. And, the best part? It’s so affordable too.
DIY Home Office Desk
Here is how to create this fabulous, two-person desk for your home office-
Step 1- Find two file cabinets or drawer units that are right around 27 .75 ” tall. This is the perfect height for a desk used with standard height chairs.
I purchased 2 Alex drawer units from IKEA. They also have a style with large file drawers at the bottom too. But the shipping is pricey, and they don’t always have them in stock in the store. So, if this is the case I found some other similar alternatives that are the correct size for your desk.
Ellie Pedestal 2 Drawer Mobile Vertical Filing Cabinet
Both of these options comes in multiple colors to choose from and also has a locking file drawer.
Premo 3-Drawer Mobile Vertical Filing Cabinet
Step 2- Get your desk surface! I went to Lowes and picked-up an 8 foot butcher block counter top.
They are 1 3/4″ thick, so it is super solid (and heavy, bring a strong helper). They come unfinished which is so nice to be able to add your stain to it.
Put your butcher block right down on top of the file cabinets.
Step 3- I wanted to keep the natural look, so I just put 2 light coats of Crystal Clear Satin Polyurethane, water based.
Before I added the top coat, I did a very quick sanding over the top and edges with a 400 grit sandpaper. This may not have been necessary, you will just need to see how smooth your block feels to the touch.
Use a sponge brush like the one above, and paint on the poly top coat in small sections so you don’t miss any spots. Smoothing out any bubbles as you go along. Wait 2 hours, do a light sanding with the 400 grit wherever needed to smooth it out, and add another thin coat.
That’s it!! So dang simple, quick and pretty too! This will last forever, and I can choose to change the look by adding a completely different stain, or cabinets as my needs change.
You can shop all of the items I have in the office space below!
Have you made a DIY home office desk before? What current DIY project have you been working on recently? Let me know in a comment below!
LOVE this one!
XOXO,
DId you need to drill to wall or mount on drawers so it didn’t slip?
No you can just put it right on top without attaching. The butcher block is very heavy and has never shifted out of place
Is there any concern that the desk, computers, tabletop items, etc… are too heavy for the ALEX cabinets? Could you fit a third cabinet in the middle of the desk? Thanks!
Were 2 alex drawer cabibets enough to support the weight of the countertop? Did you do anything in the middle to prevent it from bending over time?
Also, all countertops seem to come with 25.5 inch depth. Did you have to get it cut to make it sit flush with the cabinets?
I didn’t need any support, as the butcher block is thick enough. I didn’t have to cut the depth at all, it works perfectly with the size of the cabinet
Hi, your desk came out so nice!
How big is the top LxDxW?
Thank you –
Alice
Thank you! Its the standard size of the butcher block you can purchase at Lowe’s. I believe it’s 7 feet
Great job!
What are the dimensions (HxWxD) of your filing cabinets?
I believe 27″ high. These are the ALex cabinets from IKEA, so you can find exact dimensions on their site
How much was the butcher block and ikea drawers? Do you have links?
Hello,
Have the Ikea drawers as the base held up? I know those particle board drawers can fall apart pretty quickly. I am looking to do something similar, and want it to last 5+ years.
Yes! They were excellent, I really do recommend them!
Are these drawers the black or the gray/blue?
They are a dark gray color. I don’t think Ikea sells this color anymore