Make a Desk from a kitchen countertop!

So ever since i finished remodeling my basement, I've wanted to build myself a new desk to fit in the corner of my newly remodeled office. Well after some motivation from a friend and his sweet desk , I decided to bite the bullet and build it.

I'll give you a step by step guide on how to do it and what materials you'll need, even some of the lessons learned from my ordeal.

ericharlan.com

Step 1 Go Shopping

This will cost the same to build as some of the cheaper desks out there and if you need a corner wrapping Desk, this will give you exactly what you want.

First thing you need to do is go shopping. Here was my shopping list.

1. 6' Labrador Granite Right Miter Countertop - 59.00
2. 6' Labrador Granite Left Miter Countertop - 59.00
3. Miter bolt kit -5.95
4. Labrador Granite End Cap Kit - 11.48
5. 8' x 4'x 3/4" Pine Ply wood - 29.00 (worth it dont skimp on the ply wood)
6. Hole saw kit (need at least a 3" saw) - 2.99
7. Jigg saw blades - 4.99
8. Paint left over from painting my basement - 0.00
9. Gorilla Glue left over from remodel - 0.00
10. Metal Brackets handed down from dad when i moved out. - 0.00
11. Flat metal shim from the same dad - 0.00

Comments

[dldeskins]

Nice instructable.... We created our similar desk 8 years ago. Our local Lowes store was going out of business and had two sides of a corner for $50. (The didn't match exactly but they were close and nobody notices). The problem with your design is that there is no storage. We used 3 2-drawer filing cabinets, instead of the legs that you have. This gives us storage for our desk and puts the desktop at the right height for our keyboards. Enough desktop for a Mac, a PC and a server... enough space for my wife and i to sit at our respective computers.

[simplegreen]

I dont really think of it as a "problem" i designed it the way i needed it, and I didnt need storage. I specifically designed it to not have a bunch of file cabs under it. I thought it looked like crap that way. I dont like slide out keyboards either because again, i wanted to sit in the 90 degree corner of the desk so i could have my arms up and either thing would be straight. If i had a slide out tray, aside from looking tacky and like something from ikea, it would have defeated the whole point. To each their own though.

[dldeskins]

Well, I guess you desk is well suited for you. The desk we have allows my wife and I both to sit at the desk at separate computers. The filing cabinets are at the proper keyboard height (no reason for a tray). We have enough room for two desktops, DSL modem, wireless router, one server (under desk) and printer. We have a shelf for each of the monitors. And yes, we need the filing cabinets for storage... so your design would be a big "problem" for me. And yes, there would be / is a problem sitting in the corner of the desk with a file cabinet underneath. That said, my wife and I both have laptops now, so we hardly ever make use of the desk. ;)

[Jack the Hammer]

Hey simplegreen I don't know if your checking this still but thought I'd ask as I've been building almost an exact replica of what you've got, have had it planned for a year, just struggled on what to use for legs, but saw your, only question you didn't cover I'm struggling with is how did you attatch the 2 inch strips to the back and tops of the legs with nails, screws or what? Just not wanting to crack the pine as that stuff was expensive. Thanks hopefully you still check back here

[simplegreen]

hey bud, yeah i screwed them, however i drilled pilot holes in both the strip in the back and the actual leg. Did the same for the top. Remember when you drill pilot holes you only drill half the size of the screw. The real grip comes from the threads and the head of the screw pushing down. so just drill some holes and run the screws down carefully, you should be fine

[theRIAA]

impressive! how sturdy is it? (would you feel safe jumping up and down on it?)

heres mine I made:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theriaa/406564229/

[simplegreen]

i dont think i'd get up on it and jump, but i have a terrible habit of every so often putting my elbows down and putting all of my body weight on my arms so i'd feel safe getting on top of it. My own "eh" about it all is that it is infact MDF laminate counter top, complete with back splash. To me it's a bit well ghetto when thinking of just the materials, but i think i made up for it with the attention to detail and finishing of it. with all the crap on it you cant really tell it's made of of the parts it is. RIAA, your desk is very impressive as well. Our needs and space dictate differences though. I have a more rectangular room where it seems you have a bigger more square room. (i need to kick my wife out of her office, it's much larger). It also seems you are an artist or arcitect or something from all the scissors and pencils and such, i can see where more desk top space would come in handy. I can see from where your desk makes the turn that you have a supporting leg there. Works great for what it seems you use it for, but being as i wanted to sit in the corner i had to have it more floating (hence all the support at the joint. I have another good 6 feet to my other wall and probably another 4 feet when that wall turns the next corner so with the extras I painstakingly made i could certainly extend it, being a programmer though i just need space for a few monitors (which mine does) so i dont think i'll take up all that space. I might use it for a small love seat and some cool shelving. thats a long ass comment to say, i like your desk too :). Btw how do you like staring at that 37 incher? As you can see from my photos i have a 32 on the wall in front of me and i go cross eyed trying to watch it or when i extend my pc desktop to it lol

[leebryuk]

MDF is an excellent building resource. Don't knock it. Price per square foot, along with strength...can't beat it. It's also structurally better than solid wood. Almost all (including very expensive) cabinets are built with it since solid wood warps over time. Also, MDF is more environmentally friendly (more efficient use of resources.)

[theRIAA]

i thought 60 was cheap for a granite countertop :P yes, my room used to be a garage... "artist or arcitect" <--- hahaha and the TV is fine, its 1080P, my eyes never strain... although I do have to turn my head to look at the other side of the screen... and do something about those damned cables!!

[simplegreen]

yeah the wires are a mess my next project is to figure out a better way to stand up my computer

[dpocius]

Looks great! Thanx for the hints-I'm considering something similar, but with a file cabinet of some sort integrated underneath. I ended up with the home office and computer in the living room so it has to look swank, and I haven't found a store-bought item that works quite right for the space. But, your version may be just the ticket for my garage office. I was looking at picking up a surplus cubicle for the long desk space (like yours). It just occurred to me I could make cubicle partitions out of 2X2 lumber and cover them with upholstery fabric remnants, then do the countertop thing on them and on cabinets, and the wall for support, too. It's all a little fuzzy right now... One thing: consider adding an ergonomic adjustable keyboard/mouse shelf underneath where you sit. Basically, all your body parts should be either parallel or perpendicular to the floor to avoid f*cking up your wrist and elbow. A good friend of mine ended up losing her house after going on disability from carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists (well, the rat bastard insurance companies involved in her case had a lot to do with the house part.) Basically, she never worked again. I've felt it sometimes myself, and had to mouse left-handed for a week on occasion to keep the devil at bay.

[freakytech]

I made a similar desk some years ago, but I used Cabinets to set the counter top on and gained storage space to put items into like my printer, CD's and controller. I used one cabinet that had drawers and another that just had a single door that opened to reveal the full interior of the cabinet.

[zupHC]

GREAT desk!

[Reffner]

Nice clean looking desk. We'll be moving soon, and I hope to get my own office space so I can do something like this. Good job!