Floating Standing Desk

Intro: Floating Standing Desk

This is a super easy project to make a wall mounted standing desk/work station/work bench using 3/4 black iron pipe and fittings and desktop/benchtop material of your choice.

For my particular project, we needed to create a communal workstation area in our office. We ended up using Ikea HAMMARP butcher block as our desktop material. But you can swap that out with plywood, an old door, or anything you fancy for your needs.

STEP 1: Step 1 - Clean Grease and Sticky Residue Off the of the Iron Pipes.

Your iron pipes may come with grease and stickers on them. Use mineral spirits to give them a good wipe down. Then remove the stickers, if they are stuck on really good use a utility knife and scrape off the sticker like you are peeling a carrot. Use some Goo-Gone to remove the rest of the stick residue. Give the pipes one more wipe down.

STEP 2: Step 2 - Determine Desired Height of the Desk

Determine your desired height of your standing desk. Once you do snap a chalk line on the wall where the desk will be installed. After you snap the chalk line, go back with a level to make sure the line is level.

STEP 3: Step 3 - Locate and Mark Studs on the Wall

Use a stud finder to locate studs on the wall and mark where the stud intersects with your chalk line.

STEP 4: Step 4 - Use Wall Flange As a Template on Where to Drill Pilot Holes

I decided to install a wall flange on every other stud, so about 32". I used a wall flange as a template to mark where to drill pilot holes on the top and bottom. I then drilled pilot holes into the studs.

STEP 5: Step 5 - Screw in Lag Screws and Pipes Into the Wall and Check Level

From here I went and installed the lag screw into the top hole of the flange on all 4 studs. Then I tightened the 3/4 iron pipes into each flange. Before installing the bottom lag screws into the flanges, I checked to make sure everything was level.

STEP 6: Step 6 - Place Table Top Material on Top of the Pipes

Get your table top material and place it on top of the pipes. In my case, I purchased the HAMMARP butcher block countertop from Ikea. However you could use plywood, an old door, or whatever you want your desktop material to be.

Once it's been placed on top and check to make sure it's level. If it's not completely level, you could use some shims. Just make sure the lag bolts and iron pipes are as tight as can be.

STEP 7: Step 7 - Secure Table Top to the Pipes.

Once everything is level and in the desired position, screw in the clamps. I left about 2 inches between the wall and edge of the table top to allow for cables to run between the desk and wall.

Once everything is secured, enjoy you new standing desk!

Comments

[vhhuddleston]

I'm about to buy parts for this project. Did you only ever use the top and bottom holes of the floor flanges? Thanks!

[CoachWheels]

How much weight can this support? I have a desktop and two. Monitors. ?

[somelucky1]

I just bought parts for this project, but am I missing something with your math? A pipe every 36 inches would only allow for two pipes within the 8 foot board, but you used 4 pipes. Now, if they were 24 inches apart, you could possibly use 4 pipes.

[Made_x_Us]

Good catch, it's actually every 32" since studs are generally every 16" in the US. (Instructable updated)

This will ultimately depend on where exactly you want your desk and where the studs are in the wall behind it. What I did for my particular build, was stud (0"), stud (16'), skipped a stud (32"), then stud (48"), and stud (64").

Hope this helps.

[audreyobscura]

those pipe flanges are so handy for projects like this! Well done!

[Made_x_Us]

Thank you! They are so functional. It's so nice that the flanges and piping are readily available at home stores or Amazon.