DIY - Office Desk

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When we moved to Asheville and into a house (instead of a condo), we decided to take our time filling the space up with furniture rather than rush out and get new things.  Both Serial and I are learning how to build our own furniture and it's much more fun (and affordable) to take our time working on each piece.  I love me some Ikea, don't get me wrong, but this furniture that we build is just so solid.  Not to mention, exactly what we need for our space since we draw up the plans & dimensions ourselves.

The first thing I tackled was a desk for the home office.  I work from home full-time so having a space that is organized and dedicated to work is important.  The first few weeks that we lived here, this was my set-up. 

It's not awful and it worked for awhile, but long-term this just isn't going to cut it.  Check out those Peonies though - so pretty.  Serial found them growing in our front yard and brought them in to my desk one day.  Instant happy.

Back to the desk.  I had been searching around for desk inspiration and found two things that I loved.  The first is the massive desk that Young House Love built for their last home office.  The second is the tower desk from Ana White.  I knew I wanted to combine these two desks somehow so I drew it out with the dimensions for the room.  I'll be honest... I'm still learning so this took a good hour just to figure out what lumber I needed to buy.

The desk I built ended up being really large, but I love it.  If you follow the plan below you'll end up with 3 towers and one continual desktop.  The overall dimensions of the desk are 10' L x 20" D x 30" H, but you could easily adjust this to your space. 

Shop List
9 - 2"x2" @ 8'
2 - 1"x12" @ 10' (these are your desktop panels so make sure they are straight and flat)
2 - 1"x4" @ 10'
1 - 1"x10" @ 10'

Cut List
2"x2" - 12 @ 29.25" / 33 @ 16.25"
1"x12" - no cuts, unless you need to even the 2 boards to be the same length
1"x4" - 12 @ 16.25"
1"x10" - 6 @ 16.25

Tools Used
Miter Saw (could use any saw)
Kreg Jig
1.25" Kreg Screws
Power Drill
Power Sander (could use sanding blocks by hand)
Level Square
Clamps
Nail Gun (could use hammer or screws)

First, I assembled the 3 towers.  It's important to take your time and make sure that each joint is square.  I stop after each step and make sure that it's square and that the overall piece is level.  Annoying?  Yes.  But not more annoying than finishing a tower and having it wobble or be uneven. 

2"x2" pieces make each side of the tower. The legs are 29.25" and each horizontal support piece is 16.25"

Attaching the shelves to the tower sides

(2) 1"x4" and (1) 1"x10" join to make each shelf

The completed side pieces and shelves for the tower, ready to be assembled

The towers, before sanding and finishing

Once the towers are assembled, give them a good sanding and then wipe them down with a dry brush or rag.  I decided to paint the towers white so I chose to use paintable caulk to seal up some of the gaps between pieces of wood.  This step is totally optional, I just like the way it creates a more "finished" look.  If you're staining your piece, use wood filler instead. 

To use the caulk, you basically just run a thin strip of caulk in the gap, then use your finger or a little caulking tool (5 bucks at hardware store) to smooth it out.  Wipe off excess with a wet rag. 

Before the caulking tool

After the caulking tool

Once the caulk dried, I painted all of the towers white.  I used Valspar in a satin finish.  While they were drying, I started to get my desktop panels ready.  I sanded them thoroughly and made sure that they were smooth.  Then I wiped them down with a dry brush and a dry rag to remove all dust.

I decided to stain the desktop.  I like the contrast of the white paint and the dark stain.  I'm a big fan of using pre-conditioner before stain.  I think it helps the stain absorb more evenly and consistently.  So I did one good coat of pre-conditioner and let it sink in for 10 minutes.

Next up was the stain.  I used Rustoleum in Kona and LOVE the color.  It took three coats to achieve the dark color I was hoping for, but the time was well spent.  Here's how it looks through the stages of staining.  If you've never stained before, you basically paint or foam roll it on, then let it sit for a few minutes.  Not long enough to dry or pool though.  Then you use an old rag to wipe away the excess.  Let it dry then you repeat this process until it reached the color you're looking for.

The difference between painting the stain on and wiping it off 5 minutes later

One coat vs two coats

Three coats of Kona stain

I let the boards dry overnight then used my nail gun to attach them to the towers.  Since they are so large, it took some maneuvering to make sure everything was even and level, but once it was all lined up it was a breeze.  After it was nailed into place, I used a water based Polycrilic sealant to protect it.  I opted for three coats, sanding lightly between coats, and let the final coat dry for a full 24 hours to be safe.

It's been a few days since then and it's definitely durable.  I have my computers, phone and food/drinks on it all day and it seems to be holding up really well.  I still need to decorate the room and add some organizational items, but here is how it looks today. 

I'll be back with pics once I get it all prettied up, but I couldn't wait any longer to share the plans.  If you have any questions about building it or about the tools I used, leave them in the comments and I will answer you with a reply comment.  :-)

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