The Double Desk DIY Your Work-From-Home Life Needs Right Now

With so many of us still working from home, I wanted to share my favorite desk DIY. Because yep, it’s July and we’re STILL stuck at home. Many of us have been reworking our at-home office setups to make them more suitable for the long haul, since quarantine seems to be never ending. And for a lot of us, that means getting used to working alongside someone we don’t normally work with! Whether it’s your spouse, partner, roommate, kids – whomever you live with – you probably know how they answer a phone call and what they wear to their Zoom meetings right about now!

And I get that not everyone has a real office space, and suddenly COVID-19 hit and we needed one! But as long as we create a space for ourselves where we can be productive and maintain some separation of work time and relaxation time, I think it’s a win. So that got me thinking about this super cool project I did on Hidden Potential with my carpenter Brian from B and D Cabinets.

This video clip from Season 2 Episode 3, “House for the Girl Gang” will give you a good idea of this project.

Watch This First!

We needed to make a double desk DIY that could accommodate the homeowner and her daughter when they both needed to get work and homework done. But then the desk needed to turn into a craft table when they were done working – so I came up with this “Desk Duet,” as I called it! As cute as that title is, I’m also calling it a Double Desk, in case people are reading this thinking “what the heck is a desk duet?!” Anyways, I think this Double Desk DIY would work for a lot of homes right now because it can serve as a place for two people to work on whatever they need, and then the middle partition can be removed to create one large work surface. It’s multifunctional, and you KNOW that’s what I’m all about!

So scroll down below and I’ll show you how to make it for yourself!

How-To: Double Desk DIY Hack from Hidden Potential

YOU’LL NEED:

• (1) table or desk you can modify (I think this IKEA table would work great!)

• (1) 2×8 wood board at least the length of your table or desk

• (3) wooden dowels, 3/8 inch

• Wood glue

• Drill and 3/8 inch drill bit

STEP 1:

Measure your table or desk to identify the center line, lengthwise. ape down to mark this measurement, if preferred. Drill 3 holes across the center line of your table or desk, but don’t drill all the way through!

STEP 2:

Cut your 2×8 board to the exact length of your table or desk, lengthwise. Note your measurements for your drill holes on the tabletop, and mark 3 places on one side of your 2×8 board so they correspond. Carefully drill about an inch into the 2×8 in each of your markings.

STEP 3:

Once you have all of your holes drilled, glue your wood dowels into the holes you drilled on your 2×8 board. Leave to dry according to glue instructions.

STEP 4:

Once your dowels have set and dried in the glue, customize all you want! Maybe you want to paint the whole desk? Maybe you want to stain your 2×8 board to match the table? Maybe you want to add a trim piece to the top of your 2×8 board? I wrapped mine in galvanized tin, but you could easily use push pins and forgo the tin altogether. If you want to add tin, you can purchase it online and cut it with tin snips. Other materials you could wrap the divider in are adhesive cork, whiteboard stickers, or you could add nails to hang things from. The possibilities are endless – have fun with it!

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