We are so appreciative of all of your support for our pilot, Open Concept! It was such a fun and rewarding opportunity that we are so grateful for. If you missed the premiere and the repeat airings, you can learn more about it and check out all of the before and after pictures HERE!
Dack and Brooke told us that their kids needed a place to do their school work, and that they were all sharing the same desk. We thought that the family room was the perfect place for the kids desks and we built floating desks so that they would tie in with the room and look like pieces of furniture.
Not only were we able to give them their own work space, we added flip-tops allowing them to hide their stuff! This was huge for us because we wanted the work spaces to be part of the room but didn’t want them to become cluttered and eye sores!
AND, we have the free plans for you and the step-by-step tutorial! You can click HERE or the image below to print the FREE Plans!
I started by making my cuts with my miter saw.
Next, I drilled 3/4″ pocket holes, with my Kreg Jig K5, into the short sides of the desk.
You can see in this picture where I drilled the pocket holes.
I attached the short, side pieces to the long, front pieces. I used wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws to attach them. This is the main from for the desk.
Next, I cut a piece of 3/4″ Purebond Plywood to fit inside the frame. The Rip Cut is a great alternative to a table saw. It is inexpensive, and it doesn’t take up very mush space! You just attach it to your circular saw and the arm has a guide, on the end, allowing you to make precise, straight cuts, every time. I have my plywood propped up on 2×4’s.
Refer to the plans for pocket hole placement, on the plywood. Once you drill your 3/4″ pocket holes, you can attach the plywood to the inside of the frame. This is the bottom of the desk.
We picked these knotty pine corbels from Osborne Wood Products! The corbels are the bulk of the cost of the desk but, they really “make” the desk 🙂 You can find them HERE on Amazon.
Use 3″ Spax screws and wood glue to attach the corbels to the bottom of the desk. You will drill from the inside of the desk into the corbels.
Make sure the edge of each corbel is flush with the end of the plywood bottom.
I used two screws per corbel.
Here is a view of the top of the desk, at this point…
and a view from the bottom! Lookin’ good right 🙂
Now, measure and cut the two piece for the top of the desk. There should be a 3/4″ over hang on the sides and the front of the desk.
I used wood glue and my Airstrike 18 gauge nailer to attach the 1×4 piece to the top of the desk. The 1×4 will be flush with the back of the desk.
Then, I measured and cut the 2×4 pieces to create the cleat. Refer to the plans for the pocket hole placement. You will drill 1 1/2″ pocket holes to each short piece and attach them to the long piece with 2 1/2″ pocket screws and wood glue. The outer pieces should be flush with the edges of the long 2×4 and center the middle piece.
Make sure it fits 😉
Don’t attach the second top piece until you stain! You don’t want to have to work around the hardware.
This is what the desk should look like (without hardware).
Time to stain!
I applied one coat of Varathane Dark Walnut stain to the entire piece. Just wipe on with a clean cloth, wait five minutes and then blend it with a new clean cloth.
Once the stain dried, I applied one coat of Varathane Triple Thick Polyurethane to the entire piece. Just apply with with a bristle brush. It will look white while it is wet but it will dry clear and smooth. We love this stuff because one coat equals 3 coats and it is silky smooth to the touch!
I added 3 hinges to the top, for the lid, and I used a decorative key hole piece that I had left over from the Campaign Hardware from Liberty Hardware.
To hang them, mark your studs with a stud finder. We like THIS one.
Then, use 3″ Spax screws to drill into the 2×4 and then into the stud behind the wall. I like to use my impact driver to drill into 2x material and especially when I’m drilling into studs. You can use a basic drill too. The impact driver just does more of the work for you. Make sure you use a level to keep the desk level on the wall 🙂
Slide the desk over the cleat and brace it to the cleat by drilling 2 1/2″ Spax screws from the bottom of the desk into the 2×4 cleat.
That’s it!!! A basic floating shelf that we modified to create the perfect floating student desk WITH storage!
Here’s a little behind-the-scenes shot for ya’ 🙂
We were so honored to build these desks for Reece and Riley! Please make sure to tune in tonight at 11 PM EST! You will see us design, build and install these desks and a WHOLE LOT MORE!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
~Ashley and Whitney
