When I went full time working from home on jamesandcatrin.com I obviously needed somewhere to hang my blogging hat. Seeing as we were Ikea hacks obsessives, while also not wanting to sit down at a computer all day, I decided to go down the route of an Ikea standing desk hack.
Standing desks can get very expensive, especially when you look at the motorised versions. Even Ikea do these and they are still expensive! The cheaper, manual wind up and down versions are ok, but seems like there is a high chance of it breaking (especially in my heavy hands!).
I decided the best thing was to create my own Ikea standing desk hack. All I needed was an awesome Ikea desk top and some adjustable legs. Luckily Ikea do the Finnvard adjustable trestle legs which go up to a good height for a standing desk (unless you’re really tall).
Let’s have a quick look at the finished desk and then dive into how I made this (including that desk tidy at the back that got added on as the project unfolded!).
The James and Catrin Ikea Standing Desk Hack
So, I started off putting the Finnvard trestles together which was easy enough for an Ikea veteran! I then set them in place and added the gorgeous greige (grey/beige) Linnmon desk top with plywood effect edges I had chosen.
There was a little gap at the back!
Thinking cap firmly in place, I came up with a plan to add a plywood desk tidy that could hold pens, notebooks, tablet, etc. I went for 18mm (3/4″) ply for a chunky look. This desk tidy didn’t need to be complex so I just did a quick sketch of what I wanted and got cutting.
If you’re recreating this and don’t have a circular saw, you can easily get these bits cut at a timber merchant. Here is a cutting list to take with you. Ask for any off-cuts they have to get it done cheaply!
With all the pieces cut it was simply a case of gluing them together in one go. No nails or screws required here as wood glue is strong as hell when applied properly. The easiest way to apply it is to use a craft paint brush to brush it reasonably generously on the surfaces to be glued.
I clamped it all together with some handy quick clamps. Leave this to dry for 24 hours. Of course, if you want this project finished in a hurry then you can use a nail gun to pin it all together, but I recommend still using glue to make sure it stays together.
To make sure your stationary doesn’t fall through the bottom, simply glue (or nail) the piece of 3mm (1/8”) ply to the base.
That’s the only complex part of this Ikea standing desk hack done!
Now all that’s needed is to put everything together and get on with your day job already!
The easiest way to get it all put together is to screw the desk top and the desk tidy to the top piece of the trestle. Drill some clearance holes in the top of the trestle, then lay the desk top and desk tidy on it and screw them both from the underside.
The materials and tools you need for this Ikea hack are:
- Ikea Linnmon Beige Table Top (or whatever style you want)
- Ikea Finnvard Trestle Legs x 2 (white or bare wood)
- 18mm and 3mm plywood (as per cutting list)
- Circular saw
- Hand saw/Mitre saw
- Wood glue
- Nail gun (optional)
- Wood screws
- Drill + 3mm drill bit
I do love a stylish and well accessorised place to work so I pulled in some of our favourite things to lavish this Ikea hack with. Catrin wasn’t too pleased though so I’ll have to go shopping for some more permanent accessories!
I’m incredibly pleased with the outcome of this Ikea standing desk hack. The surface moves up and down nicely, although it doesn’t feature the ease of an automatic desk. It’s certainly a great budget option and we think it looks a darn sight better than any commercial standing desk!
I’m planning on adding some gas struts, as well as a bit more tinkering to make the movement easier and will update the tutorial as that happens. So keep a lookout in our newsletters for that!
Please do save this idea to your Pinterest account and check out our Pinterest boards for more great Ikea hack ideas.
If you attempt this Ikea standing desk hack yourself, or have come up with your own design please do let us know and we can feature it here. We love to see everyone’s Ikea hack creations!
Oh, by the way, this post was written at my lovely new desk. Both sitting and standing!