More and more people are choosing to work from home or at least taking up some form of hybrid working. Having a dedicated workspace makes a huge difference to productivity, so in this article I'll show you step by step how to make your own minimalist desk for a great work from home set up.
You can watch the how to video here:
Materials Used:
Oak Kitchen Worktop
Rubio Monocoat Oil
Spray Paint
Resin
Tools Used:
Step1: Cut The Wooden Desk Top
For the top to my desk I opted to use a piece of solid oak kitchen worktop. A full 3 meter long worktop is rough £300/400 brand new but I managed to find a bargain on Facebook marketplace. A Full 3 meter long, 60cm wide, 38mm thick solid oak worktop for £90. I was over the moon with that price! I rough cut it so I could fit it into my car so the first step in this project is to cut the rough edge to its final length.
I cut the top of my desk to 1 meter long. You can of course adapt the size to suite your space and needs. I made the cut using a track saw. This makes quick work of the cut but you can also use a regular circular saw and a straight edge too. Or of course use a handsaw for a proper workout.
I wanted to keep the full 60cm depth to the desk but I did think adding an under bevel to the sides would be a nice touch. So I tilted my track saw to 47 degrees.
I overhung the track by 1cm from the edge I wanted to cut. This will result in a small right angle transition into the 47 degree angle. It's a small detail but I think it makes all the difference.
I made this cut to the front and two side edges of the desk. I left the back square as it would be against the wall. My track saw didn't make it through the full the thickness of the angled cut so I finished off the cuts with a hand saw.
Step 2: Sand & Finish The Wooden Desk Top
The angled cuts did have a few burn marks on them so I sanded the angle smooth to remove the marks and ease the edges slightly. I used a 3/4 Sheet Sander to do this.
I had a few voids that needed to be filled so I used some epoxy resin mixed with black pigment to do this. Once the resin was dry I could sand it flush.
I used an orbital sander to sand the top all over to 240 grit. I wanted to make sure it was nice and smooth ready for the oil stain finish.
For the finish I tested a few colour but I landed on using the Chocolate colour Oil Plus 2C from Rubio Monocoat.
I applied a liberal coat all over the top and left it to soak in for a few minutes.
I then wiped away the excess and left it to dry overnight. Once dry, I buffed it smooth with a clean rag.
Step 3: Prep The Desk Legs
I did have plans to weld my own legs for this project but when I found I could buy them cheaper then I opted to do that instead. I picket up these legs from Hartleys Direct.
Only the clear coat legs were in stock so I sprayed mine matt black. I gave them 2 coats sanded with 240 grit sandpaper between coats.
I did also need to make the predrilled holes larger so I drilled them out to 8mm. This will allow the machine screws to fit through later.
I also used a 16.5mm counter sink so that the heads to machine screws would sit flush to the surface of the steel.
Step 4: Add Mounting Hardware
It's time to add the mounting hardware to the desk now. I first lay the legs onto the underside of the desk top, made sure they were square and marked the holes with a pencil.
I then drilled 12mm holes into the table top where I had marked.
These holes are to receive M8 threaded inserts. These inserts will allows the table legs to be attached with M8 machine screws later. They get drove into place using the included allen key.
Step 5: Assemble The Desk
Rather than keeping the M8 machine screws plain. I decided to add a pop of colour by spraying them Magenta. Yes, it's magenta. I drove them in flush to the steel to secure the table legs to the table top. They're a really strong fixing and I think the pop of colour was well worth it, I love the contrast!
Desk Done
I'm really pleased with how the desk turned out. I kept the minimalist look I was going for and I'm so glad I did. The simple lines make for a nice clean aesthetic.
Desk In Use
I've been so much more productive since using this desk. I do thinking having a space to work at that you actually enjoy sitting at makes such a big difference! I hope this article has inspired you to give it a go for yourself.