Organizing The Home Office: DIY Desk in 5 Steps

Step 1: Glue It Real Good

This was the easy part. I slathered a thick layer of Elmer’s Wood Glue and stuck my two pieces of oak together. Why two pieces? First, design-wise, I wanted the table top to be nice and thick. More importantly, I wanted to reduce the chance of warping given that the desk was going to be long at 83 inches. Once glued, I added heavy weights to each end to keep them in place for a few days. Yes, clamps would have been better, but I didn’t want to invest in something I’d likely only use once.

Step 2: Sand, Baby, Sand

Next, using some fine grained steel wool I sanded the desk down. I later realized that I didn’t sand nearly hard enough. So if you’re giving this a go, do like Ice Cube and put your back into it. Yes, I added the link to the vid.

Step 3: Add The Trim

After confirming that the wood pieces were stuck to one another well, it was time to disguise the ugly desk edges. Unfinished edges are the clear giveaway of a DIY job.

Using wood edge tape that I got off Amazon and a heavy-duty household iron, I ironed the tape to the edges.

Full transparency: this step was the worst of this whole process. Ironing 1-2 inches at a time was painstakingly tedious but fully worth the 3 hours or so it took to complete. This is the step that made this actually look like a desk.

Step 4: Paint The Town Red

Once the trim was added and the desktop smooth to the touch, staining began. I used Watco Danish Oil in natural finish for a close to…well, natural…finish. I used two coats, sanding lightly in between.

After leaving to dry for another couple of days, it was time to varnish. I opted for multiple layers of Polyurethane (try saying that three times fast) to protect the desk from tea spills and messy kids since this will eventually be their homework desk as well.

If I were to do this again, I’d forego staining and skip right to the polyurethane. Unfortunately, even the natural finish altered the color a bit too much for my liking.

Step 5: Move It Indoors

Once everything was dry and odor-free, it was time to move the table top into my new office space. Because of the sheer weight of the desktop, I merely popped the oak top to my two new IKEA filing cabinets. It sits securely even without glue or bolts. If my kids start using this as a Ninja Warrior obstacle course (very possible) than maybe I’ll consider that extra step.

Once my laptop and monitor were placed on the desk, my organizing obsessiveness picked up another notch at the mounds of cables kiboshing my streamlined desk design. This cable box from The Container Store was my saving grace. It now disguises my ugly cables like a champ.

The Verdict

I am in LOVE with this desk, minor blemishes and all! I especially love the extra storage space that comes with the two IKEA filing cabinets. The cable box also adds yet another layer of streamlining that I felt was crucial given the simplistic and clean design of the desk.

When you break building your own desk in 5 steps it seems like an easy project. For a DIY newb like me, it certainly wasn’t a walk in the park. I had to keep reminding myself that I’m a professional organizer and not a carpenter. I’m glad I powered through.

Next up is organizing the filing cabinets. Stay tuned to see how I tackle this next phase to organizing my office space.