Introduction: A Quick and Easy DIY Monitor Stand From Bookends

Hi folks. Are you missing a stand for your monitor and need something to prop it up? Or, do you have a stand that lifts the monitor too high? Well you can simply use bookends to make a low-rise stand (no-rise actually) for little to no cost. If you ever do need to raise it up just put books or whatever underneath.

This idea is so simple you don't really need an instructable. The pictures say it all. However read along if you'd like some tips and variations on this idea.

Step 1: What You'll Need

  • Steel bookends -- one pair, ideally 9" or taller
  • Sticky back velcro tape -- roughly 75cm (30") in total is needed
    • (or alternatively, double-sided foam tape)
  • Optional: soft material (like velvet) and some glue

Bookends -- 9" bookends worked fine for my 24" monitor. If you have a much larger monitor you should probably use taller ones. The 9" ones in the amazon.ca link below are what I purchased and I found them to be nice and sturdy.

Velcro -- you can use any standard hook and loop. However you might have noticed from my pictures that what I used is not regular velcro. It's Scotch Outdoor Fastener, which is similar but has no loop side -- both sides use the same hooks which can lock onto each other. I saw it in a store and thought I'd try it out. It's more expensive but I quite like it since it locks securely but not excessively so like cheap velcro sometimes can. If you want a really quick and dirty solution, just use double-sided foam tape instead.

Soft material -- this is for the bottom of the bookends. I used velvet but you can use just about any material at your disposal like denim, canvas, felt, etc. Of course you can skip this entirely if you don't care for this feature.

(Disclosure: I receive a small commission on purchases made through the above Amazon links. I try to link the most reasonable prices found on Amazon at the time of writing, but prices often fluctuate so be sure to shop around and compare.)

Step 2: Apply Soft Material (optional)

If you want your stand to slide around nicely on your desk, you can glue some soft material such as velvet to the bottom of the bookends. I used glue stick as adhesive, and rubbed on a thick layer to the bottom of the bookends to ensure a good stick. I chose glue stick over white glue because it remains slightly more tacky when dry.

Step 3: Apply Velcro

1. Before applying any velcro, place the monitor on the bookends so you can mark the best placement. Ideally you want the bookends to be as far out to the sides as possible. You can also adjust for tilt if needed. MOST IMPORTANTLY make sure the bookends do not interfere with any cables, ports or buttons.

(Note: at this stage you can also decide on which direction to face the bookends. You can face them either way depending on your preference. I chose to face the long part of the base towards the front (as you can see) because I wanted more stability from tipping towards where the person is sitting.)

2. When ready, cut four strips of velcro equal to the bottom width of the bookends. Stick two strips on the bottom of the bookends and the other two on the bottom of the monitor where marked.

3. Now for the upper portion. Cut four strips of velcro equal to the top width of the bookends. Stick two strips on the top of the bookends BUT do not stick the other two on the monitor just yet. Instead, press and lock those two pieces onto the ones already on the bookends (see the 3rd picture above). Do not peel off the paper backing just yet!

Place the monitor on the bookends exactly where intended. Now you are ready to peel off the paper backing and press onto the back of monitor. This is an easy way to ensure the velcro is placed exactly where they belong.

Tips

Tip 1: Press the sticky back firmly for several seconds to let it set properly. If you are not in a hurry, let them stick there untouched for a few hours before continuing.

Tip 2: As mentioned, you can substitute velcro with double-sided foam tape for an even quicker and cheaper solution.

Tip 3: If you later decide to lean the monitor further back, you can simply add another strip or two to the bottom of the bookends and to the back of the monitor, then adjust the tilt as desired. For forward lean, see the mod below.

Step 4: Forward Tilt Mod

If you need to tilt your monitor forward it can easily be done using packing tape. I did this a few years ago when we had a cheap desk that had a built-in monitor shelf that was stupidly high. The shelf could not be adjusted or removed. Furthermore, the stand that came with our monitor had no height adjustment so the monitor stood way too high for comfortable viewing. That was when I came up with the idea of using bookends as the stand, and packing tape to lean the monitor forward.

As you can see, packing tape is simply wrapped from the bookends to the top of the monitor and front bezel. The tape acts like a string which holds the monitor in the forward position. If you do this mod then you don't need to apply velcro to the upper section obviously. Note if you have an aggressive lean like the example in my picture, be sure to occasionally check that the adhesion of the tape is secure! Come to think of it, it's probably a good idea to add additional strips of packing tape along each side of the one shown in the picture.

Note also that if the tape is left on for an extended length of time, the adhesive will likely permanently mark any shiny plastic finish. In our case, the tape adhesive seemed to have reacted with the plastic surface leaving a permanent haze. Even tricks like vegetable oil could not properly clean it up.

This mod looks really trashy but if you live in the White House, it will fit right in! (Sorry I couldn't help myself. Please keep comments on topic).

Step 5: Wrapup

So there you have it. A quick and low cost DIY monitor stand from bookends. To top it off, I think you will be surprised how sturdy and stable this stand is.