Four station desk (PB inspired)

I really liked the PB mega desk, but I didn't want to spend $1600 on it. After seeing someone's post here (a couple years ago...) asking for plans on that desk, I decided to do it myself. I took these two plans and made 4 base units. They are 18" square at the top and 34" tall. I used 2 IKEA table tops connected underneath for the top, to make a total height of 36" - counter stool height. I constructed them a little differently than the plans, but no matter how you make them, the idea is the same. The plan is to take them apart and make 2 desks once everyone is too old and cool to do homework/artwork together.

Built from Plan(s)

Modular Office - Counter Height Desk Base

Estimated Cost

$500

Estimated Time Investment

Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)

Finish Used

Kitchen and Bath finish paint (2 coats) - it's a little shinier than eggshell (I only used it because I had 2 or 3 gallons extra at home :) then 2 coats acrylic top coat matte finish.

Recommended Skill Level

Intermediate

Comments

Ana White Admin

Sun, 03/15/2015 - 12:22

WOW!

That is one awesome build! Thanks for sharing!

handmadewithash

Mon, 03/16/2015 - 20:39

this is really awesome! What

this is really awesome! What a cool work area :)

diannaj

Tue, 07/28/2015 - 16:50

great idea but...

your wesite is not user friendly

lklima

Sun, 08/02/2015 - 11:39

four station desk

Where did you get the chairs to complete your project? And how much were they?

monty742

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 04:33

Stools from Ballard Outlet

Just seeing your comment...sorry for the delay! I got the stools and the light fixture at a Ballard Backroom (outlet) store near me. 3 of the stools ended up being about $40 each with the sale they had at the time, and the 4th was $60? - bought at a later time than the first 3.

steveoatilla

Sun, 08/30/2015 - 13:54

Could we get more detail on

Could we get more detail on how this was built? The base units, for instance.

Thanks!

AlisaH

Wed, 11/04/2015 - 07:40

Connecting Table Tops

How did you connect the table tops from the bottom so that the tables were secure together? I'm curious what's the best way to do this. Since two of the four seats will be where the seam is, I want to make sure I secure it properly so it's not wobbly. Thanks so much.

monty742

Sat, 01/09/2016 - 05:06

connecting table tops

I'm just seeing these latest comments for the first time, so you may have long finished this project already! The tops were surprisingly sturdy but I did reinforce them. I placed the tops on the floor upside down and screwed some metal brackets (about 12" long each) across the joint in four places. I just screwed them in through holes already in the brackets. This wasn't the most stable because those tops are particle board and don't hold screws very well... But since it was already pretty sturdy, I figured it would do. It has been fine, even with standing on the top (kids who get up there and me hanging the light fixture above).

Once the tops were joined, I placed the bases so there was about a 1" overhang on the top. To hold the top in place, I used small pieces of wood screwed to the underside of the top at the inside corner to act as a placement stop. The top is pretty big and heavy even though they are IKEA tops, so they don't have a tendency to move or slide at all anyway. I'm going to try to figure out how to post another picture of the braces and corner stops...we'll see if I can do it! Let me know if you have any more questions...again, sorry I didn't see this in a more timely manner!

Pmprdwife

Sat, 01/02/2016 - 05:55

Photo

Is the photo above the Pottery Barn version or your product result? I'm trying to figure out the dimensions for the drawer and shelf configurations. Thanks! BTW, I'm totally addicted to your style and personality...my husband loves the productivity inspiration I've received. :-)

monty742

Sat, 01/09/2016 - 10:17

more detailed measurements

Hi!

I'm glad you like the desk! The one in the picture is the one I built, not the pottery barn one! My dimensions were a good bit different than the PB desk - square bases instead of rectangular and counter stool height instead of desk/table height. So, I have no idea if I have my plans for this anymore, so I went and measured it again for you!

So each base is 18" x 18" square and 34" high so that with the 2" top the total height is 36".

Each base was made of oak plywood that made with 3 sides, a top and a bottom. All edges were rabbit joints (3/8" deep in thickness of boards and probably 3/8" wide - not 100% on width of rabbits). It's kind of a pain to do rabbit joints if you don't have a dado blade for your table saw, so you could use pocket hole screws instead. I glued and nailed these joints with a finish nailer, I believe.

I figured a diagram with measurements would be easier than trying to write descriptions...so I'm adding another pic with the dimensions outlined. Drawing is NOT to scale, so sorry about that! I really need to learn to use SketchUp. Let me know if you have any questions!

monty742

Sat, 01/09/2016 - 07:57

more detailed measurements

Hi!

So each base is 18" x 18" square and 34" high so that with the 2" top the total height is 36".

ecmc226

Wed, 06/22/2016 - 15:26

Can you buy the bases from

Can you buy the bases from ikea? or did you build them from scratch?

monty742

Thu, 07/28/2016 - 14:13

No you can't buy them from

No you can't buy them from Ikea. I bought the table tops from Ikea, but I built the bases. The dimensions for the bases are in one of the additional pictures with the post if you want to see them!

treverandamber

Mon, 10/10/2016 - 07:41