When you work from home, having a comfortable and pretty workspace is important.  But you may not want to spend a lot of money or you may not have a lot of space to work with. This was my dilemma. So, I decided to build a custom office desk that fits my individual style. It gave me the room I needed so I wasn’t crowded into a small area. I literally made this in one day and it only cost me $120.00.

Before I show you the new desk I made, I wanted to show you the desk I was using.

This custom office desk is what I call an office in a box. I made this several years ago from an armoire I bought at a thrift store. This is a great idea if you are limited on space and you want to close it up at the end of the day to hide the mess. But as you can see, I was growing out of it. If you’re interested in making one, here’s how I made it.

This is the space I had to work with. I didn’t want a big desk that took up the entire room or exceeded the space from the wall to the sliding glass door. The space I was working with was 81” long and only 19” deep. So, I had to get creative.

I needed a desk that would hold my computer and monitor and give me enough room to write. I also wanted a file cabinet to store my paperwork and office supplies. OH, and I budgeted myself $150.00.

How to make a custom office desk

So, the first thing I did was look for a file cabinet that was 29” high. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find one for under $50.00. So, I bought one at Goodwill for $10.00. That was 25” high and added 4” bun feet to get the Height that I needed. You’ll see as you keep reading.

This meant I had to drill holes in the corners of the file cabinet so I could screw them in. You will need an electric drill and metal drill bits.

After I drilled the holes, I sanded the file cabinet to give it some tooth so the paint would adhere. You will need an electric sander and medium-grit sandpaper.

Once it was sanded, I spray-painted the cabinet with semi-gloss enamel spray paint and let it dry.

Next, I spray-painted the bun feet with the same enamel spray paint.

Once everything was dry, I simply screwed the bun feet in the holes.

I decided to put the bun feet on top of the cabinet, but you can also put them on the bottom.

Lastly, I paint the two drawers with a stencil design.

I used latex paint and a sponge roller to apply the paint.

For the desktop, I used heavy plywood. It needed a little sanding to smooth out the rough edges. I used medium grit sandpaper.

Next, I painted the plywood with a primer

Once the primer was dry, I painted it with two coats of Benjamin Moore Advanced paint. I love this paint. It dries nicely and evenly, and it’s very durable.

You will need two 29” wood legs.  I spray-painted them with the same semi-gloss enamel spray paint.

To attach the legs, you will need two Heavy Duty Top Plates.

Just line them up to the corners and screw them in.

For the final touch, I added the rope molding to the front of the desk because I didn’t like to raw edge.

And there you have it, a Custom Office Desk made from an old armoire.

Simple, clean, and super easy to make. I literally made this in one day.

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Blessings,

Cheryl

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