Store bought desks tend to be too small, too wobbly or too pricey, which is exactly why building one makes so much sense. These 18 DIY desks cover every kind of workspace, from a wall mounted desk on adjustable shelving and a wraparound standing desk to a farmhouse L shaped desk with X legs. Short on space? There’s a hairpin leg desk that switches between a corner desk and a long table, plus a fold down homework desk that closes into a chalkboard. Love an industrial look? Black pipe, glued 2×4 tops and metal sawhorses show up more than once. Budget builds include an IKEA hack with cube storage and a double desk on kitchen base cabinets. Finish the space with a tin can desk organizer, then browse more DIY home office furniture for shelves and storage ideas.
1. DIY Mounted Wall Desk
A mounted wall desk built on an adjustable shelving system gives a home office storage and a work surface in a little over an hour of install time. Wall standards hold brackets for a laminate desktop and a run of shelves above it, and painting the brackets in several colors turns the hardware into part of the decor. The supplies for this version ran about $220. Custom boards hold the screws more securely than laminate. Because the shelves move up, down and around, the layout can change for free later.
Get the full tutorial at The Crafted Life.
2. DIY L-Shaped Desk
An L shaped desk gives a corner office two full work zones, and this farmhouse version uses common lumber: seven 2x4s, two 1x2s, seven 2x6s and one 2×3, all in 8 foot lengths. Build two leg frames from 2x4s with pocket hole screws, then add decorative X trim cut from 1x2s, measuring each piece against the assembled side for the best fit. Brace the base with a middle 2×4, then attach the planked 2×6 top. Printable plans include the full cut list.
Get the full tutorial at Handmade Haven.
3. DIY Tin Can Desk Organizer
A tin can desk organizer keeps pens, scissors and paintbrushes corralled on a workspace, and it is made from cans headed for the recycling bin. Soak torn tissue paper in water, squeeze it out and mash it into a pulp. Mix in glue and paint until smooth, adding a little water or glue if it crumbles. Draw a flower or any large design on the can, fill the design and then the background with the colored pulp, and let it dry for up to 24 hours. Working in layers keeps colors from bleeding.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
4. Build A Standing Desk
A wraparound standing desk built from pine boards and large shelf brackets frees up the middle of a home office while giving two people their own work zones. Measure the walls first, then cut the boards to fit, angling two of them where they meet in a corner. Sand the whole surface, not just the cut edges, so polyurethane does not leave it rough, then stain if desired and seal with a coat or two. Mount the brackets to the wall first, using the largest size the board width allows, then add the boards.
Get the full tutorial at A Beautiful Mess.
5. Custom Industrial Wooden Desk
This industrial desk pairs a thick butcher block style top with a black iron pipe frame, sized at 18 inches deep, 40 inches wide and 30 inches tall. Because a 2×4 is really 1.5 by 3.5 inches, gluing twelve 40 inch lengths on edge makes an 18 inch deep top. Clamp two or three boards at a time with plenty of wood glue, then sand, stain and seal. Hand tighten the pipe, flanges, tees and caps into a frame, check it with a level and screw the flanges to the top.
Get the full tutorial at The Reaganskopp Homestead.
6. Industrial Sawhorse Desk
An industrial sawhorse desk delivers a long, deep workspace for the price of a few boards and a pair of metal sawhorses. Start with two 12 inch wide and one 10 inch wide board, 6 feet long, then distress them for character before staining and sealing. Lay the boards across collapsible metal sawhorses, mark the center over each one and bolt straight through with locking nuts that read like rivets. Finish the top with two 24 by 36 inch sheets of metal nailed down at the corners.
Get the full tutorial at Yummi Haus.
7. DIY Farmhouse Desk
This farmhouse desk skips complicated drawers by sliding wooden crates into a side cubby, which keeps the build simple enough for a beginner. The frame is painted white and the smooth top is made from stacked plywood rather than planks, so homework and handwriting do not catch in the gaps. A dark walnut stain on the top contrasts with a chalky finish paint on the base. Free building plans are available through Kreg’s plan site, and it works in a kids room or a home office.
Get the full tutorial at The Creative Mom.
8. DIY Desk Under $60
This IKEA hack desk combines two cube storage shelves with a laminate desktop for a work surface with built in storage at both ends. Lay the desktop face down, center the shelves on it and mark four drill spots inside each. Drill pilot holes and screw the shelves into the desktop with screws long enough to grip the top but not poke through. Flip it over, then add marble contact paper to dress up a plain top. The original came in under $60, and a 2020 remake was about $90.
Get the full tutorial at Pretty Providence.
9. Transformable Hairpin Leg Desk
This transformable hairpin leg desk solves the small studio problem of needing a corner desk one day and a long table the next. Have one 3/4 inch sheet of plywood cut into two 2 by 3 foot pieces and two 2 by 5 foot pieces, which overlap like puzzle pieces in the middle. Six powder coated hairpin legs attach with short flathead screws, and threaded insert nuts with machine screws join the halves. Seal the plywood with a thick polyurethane. It needs few power tools.
Get the full tutorial at A Beautiful Mess.
10. DIY Farmhouse Writing Desk
A farmhouse writing desk built on stair spindle legs is a small, easy build for a nook. Trim four spindles down to 29 1/2 inches, cutting most of the excess from the bottom so the ends look like feet. Drill pocket holes in two 11 inch 1x4s and attach a spindle to each end to make the sides, keeping the boards recessed to the back. Join the sides with two 27 1/2 inch 1x4s, then glue and nail six 32 inch 1x3s across the top. Sand and finish.
Get the full tutorial at The Crafty Blog Stalker.
11. DIY Kids Homework Hideaway Wall Desk
A hideaway wall desk folds down for homework and folds up into a chalkboard when the work is done. The cabinet is built from pine boards with a pegboard back for hanging supplies, and a 48 by 24 inch front board on piano hinges drops down as the desktop, held level by one decorative leg cut in half. A sash window lock keeps it closed. Start with a premade chalkboard or whiteboard and size the cabinet to it. The materials ran about $115.
Get the full tutorial at The Organized Mom.
12. Rolling Pipe Desk
A rolling pipe desk pairs a 5 foot butcher block workbench top with a 3/4 inch black pipe base on casters, so it moves out of the way when the room is needed. The base uses four 6 inch, four 22 1/2 inch, four 9 inch and one 48 inch pipe, plus six tees and four flanges, and home improvement stores often cut pipe for free. Assembly takes about 40 minutes. Casters attach with drilled dowel sections pressed into the pipe ends, which may need filing to fit.
Get the full tutorial at House by Hoff.
13. Farmhouse X Office Desk
This farmhouse X office desk has two outer leg frames with decorative X braces and a middle leg that creates an open shelf on one side. The materials are eight 2x4s, one 2×2, five 1×6 boards and a 2 by 4 foot sheet of 3/4 inch plywood. Build the outer legs with pocket hole screws, measure each X piece against the assembled side before cutting, then build the middle leg and join everything with front and back stretchers. Drill pocket holes upward for the top.
Get the full tutorial at Handmade Haven.
14. Copper Pipe Child's Desk DIY
This copper pipe desk with an attached bench is sized for young kids under 60 pounds, since copper is a soft metal. Two 10 foot lengths of 3/4 inch copper pipe are cut with a pipe cutter, joined with slip tees, elbows and end caps using copper bond epoxy, and sealed with clear enamel so they do not tarnish. Pipe straps and short screws attach a 12 by 36 inch pine desktop and a 7 by 36 inch pine seat, both spray painted light pink. Leftover pipe is normal.
Get the full tutorial at A Beautiful Mess.
15. Scrap Lap Desk
A scrap lap desk is the perfect project for a pile of leftover boards, with a lift top storage compartment and two side cubbies. The shopping list is short: one 1×12, one 1×4, one 2×2 and one 1×3, plus quarter inch plywood and standard hinges. Nail the storage box together, screw 13 inch 2×2 legs to it, add the top trim and plywood the side compartments. Fit dividers inside, attach the fixed back strip and hinge the lid. It works on the living room floor or in a teen’s room.
Get the full tutorial at Ana White.
16. DIY Vintage Desk
This vintage style desk is 4 feet long, 30 inches high and 20 inches wide, built from a 10 foot 4×4 for the legs, a 20 by 48 inch pine top and two 6 foot 1x4s for the face panels. Cut the legs to 29 1/4 inches, sand the ends flat and attach metal angle brackets at the top of each. Connect the 1×4 panels, square the frame and add short corner braces for stiffness. Paint the base with interior latex, stain the top and finish with a clear enamel.
Get the full tutorial at Strawberry Chic.
17. DIY Workbench Inspired Desk
This workbench inspired desk is built from standard lumber and a workbench hardware kit, with extra connectors and fasteners to stretch it into a full desk. The metal connectors show on the outside, which gives warm wood an industrial edge, and the open shelves below hold baskets and storage. The result has a big work surface and feels solid as a rock. Free printable plans include step by step instructions, materials and cut lists, and the design is easy to modify for a different space.
Get the full tutorial at Jaime Costiglio.
18. DIY Ikea Hack Desk with Plank Top & Copper Pulls
This IKEA hack double desk sets a planked top on three 18 inch base cabinets. Raise each cabinet on two short MDF trim risers so the flush doors clear the floor. Build the top from ten 8 foot 2×6 boards and a 2×4, then make pulls by cutting copper pipe into 12 inch lengths and attaching them with copper tube straps and pan head screws. A painter’s tape template marks the same drill spots on every door. Copper hanger strap wrapped over the front edge adds a finishing accent.
Get the full tutorial at The Gathered Home.
