DIY Kids Desk

6 Materials
$170
3 Days
Easy

This is an easy DIY desk we recently completed in my son's playroom. We decided to attach the top of the desk to his toy box but this could easily be made as a stand-alone desk. Checkout my Instagram (@mrsashleyfrench) for detailed video of the full project!

Toy Box


First, we purchased the Stuva toy box from IKEA and planned to place the top of the desk on top of the toy box. This part is totally optional.

Sand down the wood


We purchased two 3/4-in x 20in x 6ft Edge-Glued Panel Spruce Pine boards from Lowes. I started by sanding them down using a palm sander to ensure they were smooth and had no rough edges.

Pre-Stain


I always apply a healthy coat of pre-stain wood conditioner before I stain any piece of wood. The wood conditioner will help the stain go on evenly. Allow the pre-stain to dry a minimum of 2 hours before applying your stain.

Stain


I used Minwax Dark Walnut stain and a clean dry rag to apply the stain on one side and the edges of each board.

Glue the two boards together


I used a generous amount of wood glue all over the non-stained side of one of the boards.

Clamps boards together


I quickly lined up the second board on top with the stained side facing up. I used 4 clamps on each corner to firmly press the two boards together.

Add screws


I added 1in wood screws throughout the boards to suck the two boards together tightly. Its important that the length of the screws are shorter than the width of the two boards so that your screws don't poke through the other side. The side where the screws are visible will be the underneath side of the desk.

Add top coat


I added four coats of Gloss Polycrylic. I lightly sanded the board with 400 grit sandpaper before applying the fourth and final coat. Allow it to dry fully between each coat.

Build the legs


We used galvanized steel pipes from Lowe's. We went with the 1in x 18in pipes. Screw the pieces together to make your legs.

Paint legs


I painted the steel pipe legs with Rustoleum Hammered Metal spray paint in black. Allow to dry for 24hrs before installing them to the desk top.

Secure desk top


We used 1.5in wood screws to secure the desk top to the top of the toybox. We used 1in wood screws to secure the steel pipes to the underneath of the wood.

All Done!


Just like that you have a rustic industrial kid's desk!

Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • 17335038 17335038 on Jun 16, 2020

    How do you plan to raise the height of the desk up for when he gets older?

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 8 comments
  • Ellen Ellen on Jun 19, 2020

    You can raise it as you mentioned when he gets older, or you could put this anywhere as a great storage bench! I’d keep gardening stuff & boots in the toy box.

  • Tam Tam on Jun 19, 2020

    Great place to spread out homework! And projects!

Next