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DIY Filing Cabinet Desk

by
Brian & Kaylor
(IC: blogger)
$125
2 Days
Medium
I have been using the plastic crates filing system for our important papers but I have never loved it. It is nice that it is portable, especially during hurricane season, and that's about it. Having a filing cabinet in the office was a must so I decided to go with a filing cabinet desk. This is not a new concept, I pinned several similar desks years ago. Also, there are a few options available to buy already done but I wanted something custom and cheap....as usual.
I shopped around on Craigslist and a few local forums for some cheap used filing cabinets but could not find any. This project was on some what of a time crunch so I bought new. I found this filing cabinet at Office Depot for $25. At that price, I didn't mind putting holes in it and painting it. :) I bought two and got to work. Here is what they looked like before.
Several things needed to happen for this cabinet to be functional for us. First thing, I needed to add height. I am tall with long legs and I like to cross my legs when I sit. I know that's a bad habit...I am working on it. Anyway, tables and desks are sometimes my enemy. I hit my legs on them all the time and often they are too short for me to cross my legs under them. To create height, I added 2x1's to the top and bottom of the cabinet. I forgot to take a picture of this. FAIL. I was in a hurry. I used the Kreg Jig to create pocket screw holes and made two rectangles. One sits on top of the filing cabinet. The other on the bottom. I glued and screwed them into the filing cabinet.
The top of the desk is made of poplar 1x6's glued and screwed together. I decided on an aged, driftwood treatment. I love the dark stains but I wanted something a little lighter and beachy for this room. I love it!
I love the final result. Having a functional home office has made me more productive and I love being organized. It makes things so much easier. :) See more pictures and information on my blog.
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Published January 19th, 2015 4:20 PM
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Patricia Gutierrez Stone on Jul 25, 2018
I'll try this. Great job
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Frequently asked questions
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What the height of your desk?
I would prefer to have the drawer handles near the top of the drawers. Would that be possible?