Hey friends! 

Today I am sharing a project Ashley came over and helped me with! It was so much fun shooting videos together again. I am converting my dining room into an office/playroom and therapy room for Jed and I. The first piece of this project was building my desk. It turned out so cute I will be building two matching towers for each side as well… With Ashley‘s help! 😏😉

Check out our video on how we built the desk below! 

Before we get started, you can download and print the free plans here! 

DIY Desk By Shanty2Chic

Now let’s get to the build!

The first step of this project is preparing the 2 x 4 boards are used for the legs. Rip each 2 x 4 to 3″ wide each give them a straight edge all around. Then, make shorter cuts. On the top and bottom leg pieces add 1.5″ pocket holes on each side.

For this build, we used our new Kreg Jig 720PRO! This is our favorite model of Kreg Jig by far! It is so user-friendly and it saves you so much time. It makes our builds so much stronger and more professional. You can find it on Amazon here! It is completely worth the investment even for those of you that are currently using a K5 or other models. It truly is such an upgrade and an essential tool when building any of our plans!

You will build two identical leg assemblies for this desk.  Build a frame by attaching two of the short pieces to two of the long pieces using wood glue and 2.5″ pocket hole screws.

Next, attach the side apron boards. These are ripped to 4 3/4” from a 1×6 board. Add 3/4” pocket holes to both short sides and also a long one long side of the apron board. Attach it flush with the inside of each leg assembly using wood glue and 1 1/4 inch pocket hole screws.

Once you have both leg assemblies built, attach the back apron board. This is a 1 x 6 board. Add 3/4” pocket holes to both short sides of the long apron board and also along one long side. When you attach this board, it will be flush with the top and back of each leg assembly. Attach it to the legs using wood glue in 1 1/4” pocket hole screws. You want your pocket holes on the apron board facing up or towards you.

Now, you will add the middle support board. This is also ripped from a 1×6 board. Add 3/4” pocket holes on one short side and also add one 3/4” pocket hole on the opposite side and this will also be facing the opposite direction. Attach this board in the center of the middle apron board using 1.25” pocket hole screws and wood glue.

Next, add the 1×2 support board along the front of the leg assembly. This will help create your frame for your drawers. Add 3/4” pocket holes on each side of this 1×2 and attach it to the front of the leg assemblies using 1.25” pocket hole screws. You will also attach the middle support board to this 1×2 board using wood glue and one 3/4” pocket hole screw.

Now, build the drawers. I was able to build both drawers using one 2 x 4 sheet of 1/2 inch plywood. Build the frame of each drawers by attaching the corners using wood glue and 1.25” brad nails in each corner. Once you have the frame built, add wood glue to the bottom of it, and attach the base of the drawer using 1.25” brad nails through the drawer base and into the side frames.

At this point, you can attach your drawer slides. You can see the drawer slides I used for my desk here. Attach the slides on the insides of the frames.

Now, attach the project panel top. Add 3/4” pocket holes along both short sides of the project panel and also along the backside of the project panel. Attach this board flush with the top of your leg assemblies and also flush with your back apron using wood glue and 1.25” pocket hole screws through all of those pocket holes in into the desk.

The final step in this build is adding your drawer faces. These are 1×6 boards cut to size. Add wood glue and attach the drawer face in place. I like to nail it in place in two spots from the front that I know will be easy to cover. Then, open the drawer and nail or screw through the drawer and into the drawer face to make sure everything is strong and tight.

I decided to paint my desk using one of my favorite colors Pure White by Sherwin-Williams. I gave the desk two coats of paint. Then, I decided to stain the top of the desk. I combined two different stains to get this finished that I love. I used Varathane Willow Gray stain mixed with Varathane Golden Oak stain. I use half of each color. I ended up adding an additional project panel to my finished desk. I did that because I wanted a uniform look on top, and I chose to stain it rather Then paint it which was my original plan. Both ways work just fine and either way you will have a flush desktop it is a matter of style and choice!

I found the drawer pulls on Amazon! You can see them here! These are my favorite handles and I think they add so much character to the desk. 

I will be sharing the matching towers in the next few weeks and I can’t wait for y’all to see it all put together! I found my chair on Amazon for $100! It’s so comfy and soft and I love the color as well. You can find it here on Amazon! 

The rug is from boutique rugs. I shared it yesterday in stories on our Instagram! I love it so much.  It was the first piece I picked out for the room. You can find it here on their website! Be sure to use code S2C60 to get 60% off of your rug and free shipping!

Thank you guys so much for stopping by and checking out the video! I can’t wait to share the rest of the room with you and be sure to reach out if you have any questions at all and be sure to follow us on social media! Happy building!

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6 Comments

  1. I’m thinking of doing this kind of work at my house too. It’s been great work. I had some confusions about the table but I’m going to do it

  2. Love this build! I’m about to start it for my son’s room. I have a question though, is the top of the desk supposed to be inset like that? I see from the pictures of it at the top that the top goes over the legs. Thanks,
    Robin