Ikea Hack Built In Desk

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase something through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please ready my full disclosure statement here.

This post is all about how I chose to build and configure my Ikea hack built in desk. I also include the other tasks I completed during week 3 of the ORC.

Budget friendly, 100% customized and stylish, this Ikea hack built in desk is everything that your home office needs this year. The past few years have brought unexpected work from home family dynamics and short adjustment periods. You need a space where you can work comfortably with a clear mind, while still having all of your supplies within a finger tips reach. This week was all about staining the Ikea hack built in desk top, securing the cabinetry and contemplating the printer cabinet.

1. Condition the Desktop

Start off by conditioning your new desktop. I used the water based pre-stain wood conditioner by minwax seen below. Quite honestly, I picked water based because I hate the clean up involved with any oil-based product. Water based suits my home office needs.

2. Stain the Desktop

Most would say that building the desktop for the built in desk is the hard part. I beg to differ and say that choosing the stain was the hard part!

Initially I contemplated white washing the wood or using a light wood stain. As I stared at that piece of wood, and scrolled through Pinterest and google searches of stained countertops, I started to lean towards gray!

Next, I selected which shade of gray I wanted to use. I was deciding between a few different shades, but ultimately chose Varathane Classic water based Gray Stone. 2 coats of this stain and I determined that I had applied the perfect amount! I also loved the color. After the first coat, I questioned everything about this countertop and was debating scrapping the stain and just painting it, but I am so glad I was patient! I had never applied stain to bare wood before and it soaked it up!

I personally did not like using the application method suggested by the directions on the can. I ultimately found that the best technique for me was using a lint free cloth to dip into the can, wiping it onto the wood and then using another lint free cloth that was damp to wipe away excess was the winning combination.

3. Seal the DIY Desktop

Having a durable desktop is a must. I chose to use Varathane Triple Thick Polyurethane in Satin. I still applied 2 coats, but it certainly beats applying 3 or 4 coats of the thinner polyurethane.

4. Attaching the Cabinetry to the Wall

One thing I wanted to do with this Ikea Hack built in desk was make sure that it looked like it is truly built in and not just a piece of furniture. To me that meant trim, continuing the crown and a lot of molding!

Being as budget conscious as possible, I knew that I could cut down and use the tops of the dressers as filler pieces for the outer sides, as you can see in the photo below. I went in and used a nail gun to attach these pieces to the dressers and made sure that each pieces that joined together was 1.5 inches thick, which matched the width of my trim! As the saying goes, work smarter not harder and take note of the trim and molding sold at your local hardware store so that you don't have to do extra cutting!

Shims were needed in between some of the Ikea furniture pieces to achieve this measurement. Using my stud finder, I then attached the dressers using screws into the wall. For the back of the furniture, I used the Ikea provided hardware to attach to the wall.

5. Attach the DIY Desktop to the Ikea Dressers

My excitement at this step was through the roof! If you know me, you know I don't throw out anything I think will be useful in the future. I had so many leftover wall attachment pieces from previous purchases! I used these to attach the desktop to the dressers!

6. Ikea Hack: Billy Bookshelves

Lifting the bookshelves on top of the desktop was the 3rd and final thing I requested help on from Steven for this project! 1st was cutting the 14 foot boards square and 2nd was carrying the desktop into the house.

Yes, I probably should have gotten help each time I flipped the desktop onto the other side. And perhaps also when I moved it into place, but I'm the queen of stubborn and doing things myself! 🙂 My Kreg pocket hole jig pro 520 was my tool of choice to aid in attaching the bookshelves to the desktop! And I used the included hardware to attach the bookshelves to the wall.

I did have to purchase filler boards for each of the sides, since I didn't have any extra long pieces. For ease, I purchased 12 ft white laminate boards and cut them in half. You could use plywood as well and cut it it down to size. I attached the bookshelves together using my nail gun.

7. Trim and Molding Save the Day

To finish everything up I added trim to any seams. Then I added molding to the bottoms of the shelves, where the shelving meets the desktop and I was done!

And there you have it! Here is the Ikea Hack built in desk so far! Don't you love it, in all it's chaos and DIY glory?!

Did you catch the sneak peak I gave in the very first picture of the the finished product on one side?! I couldn't resist!

8. Rockler inspired printer drawer/filing cabinet drawer

So far, this is the big hiccup of my project! I did not read or measure anything I have for this printer drawer correctly! My intent was to create a secret printer drawer out of the very right dresser. I was going to convert the top 2 drawers into a mega drawer that would house both my printer as well as a file folder system.

Well, the Rev-a-shelf heavy duty mixer lift and the Rev-a-Shelf file drawer system insert that were generously gifted to me by www.rockler.com are amazing! However, not quite working how I had planned. I missed the part where I considered the measurement of the part that is below the shelf. There is a metal bar that goes the length of the dresser that I didn't consider, so I can't put the mixer lift all the way to the top without removing the metal. I also missed the side measurements and didn't consider the width of the extra divider that I would have to install. Can anyone tell me where my brain was during this decision of mine? Although, I thought the mixer stand was adjustable for height, which it's not in its current state!

To be continued...

All of the above ultimately means that I can't fit both the file system and printer in the same dresser without modification. And for the mixer stand, I would need to use all 3 drawers instead of the 2 I planned. There's also the difficulty of getting the mixer stand to go up and down with a full drawer on the bottom. It's a bit of a logistical nightmare at the moment!

Needless to say, I'm having to think over my choices for another week and figure out just how many drawers I want to alter. I also need to consider if there is any other solution where I don't lose so many drawers! I can certainly cut down the file system, but just need to think everything out before I commit to plan b!

Well, week 3 is in the books! I am happy with how things are turning out and hope that this post inspires you to customize your own Ikea hack built in desk!

Don't forget to continue to check out all of the One Room Challenge rooms each week! Week 3 is when you start to see all the magic happen!

Ikea Hack Built In Desk – Week 3 Office Reno- Spring 2022 ORC