With school just a few weeks away, we have been busy getting the kids rooms ready for the homework & virtual home school soon to come.
Which meant 2 new DIY custom built in desks for our 2 boys bedrooms.
These DIY boys custom built in desk ideas are cheap, simple to make & don’t take away from precious floor space so they are perfect for small spaces.
The best part is that we completed both of them in just a few hours for less than $100 EACH!
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2 Boys Custom Built in Desk Ideas for Small Spaces
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If you have been following along for a while you know that this isn’t our first rodeo when it comes to building desks for our kids. 🙂
Our youngest, Tucker had finally outgrown his red desk (see that desk here) & needed a bigger one.
Ryan, our 10th grader had broken the lid off of his secretary desk so many times we had gotten to the point where it didn’t make anymore sense to keep fixing it.
We decided to make both boys custom built in desks so we wouldn’t take away from precious floor space & they would still have plenty of room in their small bedrooms.
Step by Step Instructions for DIY Custom Built in Desk ONE (Floating Desk)
The Finished Desk is 32 inches wide, 18 inches deep & 31 inches high
Step ONE – Create the Floating Desk Base
To make the built in desk in Tucker’s room, Jason first cut a base out of 2 by 4’s for the finished wood to go on top.
He screwed the 4 boards together & screwed them into joists in the wall.
We decided on white oak for the desks because we like the light color of the wood & oak is VERY durable.
The white oak boards we bought in Holmes County, OH where my in-laws live.
We have found that wood is sooo much cheaper there since furniture building is so popular in the Amish community.
Step TWO – Putting the Oak Board Top for the Floating Desk Together
Jason put the oak boards together using his Kreg jig & cut them to fit perfectly over the top & front of the 2 by 4 base.
Step THREE – Sanding Down the Oak Boards & Finishing Them with polyurethane Spray
He sanded them down with his orbital sander making sure the wood was really smooth & the front corners were not too sharp.
We sprayed the desk boards with a flat polyurethane spray.
It is much easier to use & dries faster than traditional poly does.
Step FOUR – Nailing the Oak Boards to the Custom Floating Desk Base
Once the oak boards were dry, Jason nailed them to the 2 by 4 base with his finish nailer.
And…. DONE!
Our youngest’s custom built in desk is PERFECT for him to use with his computer Chromebook when virtually home schooling.
Instructions for Custom Built in Desk TWO (Angled Floating Desk under Window with Built in Bookcases Flanking It)
Custom Finished Built in Desk is 36″ wide, 17″ deep & 31″ high
We decided to add the new built in desk between his bookcase & built in dresser.
I think it is nice that he can look at his window while doing his homework.
We also added a wall mounted desk light to make his desk brighter.
Build a Custom Floating Built in Angled Desk Base
Ryan’s desk is almost the same as Tucker’s except we angled the corner next to his bookcase to make it easier to get in.
We found Ryan this padded desk chair for sale at Pottery Barn Teen last year. (The other boys are asking for the same one now 🙂
In Ryan’s old desk, I painted the old flip down part white & Jason added a few more oak boards to give it a more finished look. (See how we created his built in Secretary Desk HERE)
Ryan has already been making good use of his desk as he has been scrambling to get his summer homework done.
It’s hard to believe he only has 3 more years of high school to go.
The kids are growing up WAY TOO FAST.
I hope this inspires you to create a DIY custom Built in Desk for your home.
by Tara Lehman
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