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Desk building material?

B

Biggrich76

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
Messages
411
Hey guys, I am in the process of planning a custom-built desk. I will likely be using laminate sheeting to complete the desk and am looking for some suggestions on base material. I've narrowed it down to these 3 choice:


  • Plywood - relatively cheap, easy to work with
  • MDF - a little pricey, not as easy to work with
  • Particleboard - cheap, chips and warps easily
Anyone have experience they would like to share? I live in upstate New York, and it does get humid here. I have had problems in the past with desks warping on me and I want to make sure the material does not warp easily. Also looking for suggestions on how to prevent warping as well.

Thanks in advance.
 
I built this desk using a door.

deskoxp.jpg


Literally go to home depot find a good solid sturdy door, and let your imagination run wild. Take your time in giving it multiple seals if you want a nice deep finish and don't skimp on layers if you're worried about warping.
 
Cool, thanks for the suggestion.

Where can I find those metal legs which are holding up the top shelf?
 
Ikea. They're like 5 bucks for each 2 pack I think. Check the As-Is section first though. The wood for the top shelf cost me 99 cents from the as-is section, and sometimes they have displays there with those legs attached, for very cheap.

Also, as far as the desk itself, sometimes they have countertops in the Ikea As-is that are very long and can be used for desks, but again, don't skimp on layering stain, sealants, or a good stain-sealer.

Between coats, use grade 000 steel wool to smooth it out. Just give it a light brushing with the steel wool between coats.
 
Apallohadas said:
Ikea. They're like 5 bucks for each 2 pack I think. Check the As-Is section first though. The wood for the top shelf cost me 99 cents from the as-is section, and sometimes they have displays there with those legs attached, for very cheap.

Also, as far as the desk itself, sometimes they have countertops in the Ikea As-is that are very long and can be used for desks, but again, don't skimp on layering stain, sealants, or a good stain-sealer.

Between coats, use grade 000 steel wool to smooth it out. Just give it a light brushing with the steel wool between coats.
Click to expand...

I pretty much agree here, except if you are using latex (water) based topcoat I would not use steel wool. I would use either 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper or a scotchbrite pad between coats of say latex polyurethane. If you are planning to use oil-based poly then steel wool is fine.
 
MDF all the way. If you're going to be building it, you might as well go all the way. After you build it, laminate it... will not only look nice but it will hold up well to abuse. They're nice too because they're heavy/sturdy. The door idea is pretty clever though actually. I'll probably try that sometime in the future.

iphone-july09-backup-061.png



This is one that I was able to grab from work when they were throwing some away, the thing could withstand a nuclear blast :p
 
Apallohadas said:
Ikea.
Click to expand...

Well, there is no Ikea within 200+ miles of me so going there is out of the question. And the legs I found on their website say "not available for shipping". so I guess I'm out of luck there.

I looked at some doors as well but the desk is going to be an L-shape, with vertical shelves (think Jerker style but with an L shaped side desk). A door might work for the main desk top, but I might have trouble matching pieces for the corner and return. I also wanted rounded edges, and I'm not sure if I would be able to take a router to a door because of the thickness.

I like MDF but it is bulky and kind of expensive. Anyone have any good luck with 3/4 plywood, that seems to be the way I'm leaning at this point.

Keep posting suggestions and pics though. Getting some good ideas so far, thanks guys!
 
Have you considered using wood and or recycled children toes?

But, in all seriousness...find yourself an IKEA Jerker on craigs list!
 
ply would is not going to work out well.....

MDF or real wood. Birtch (sp?) is easy to work with and it a cheap hard wood.
 
TeedOff said:
I pretty much agree here, except if you are using latex (water) based topcoat I would not use steel wool. I would use either 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper or a scotchbrite pad between coats of say latex polyurethane. If you are planning to use oil-based poly then steel wool is fine.
Click to expand...

Very good tip there, and yes I meant for oil based stains since he mentioned water issues.
 
foxtrotniner said:
Maybe its just me but I do find plywood to be really hard to work with, cuts just aren't as clean as the cuts done on MDF. I suggest you get MDF, cut it to size, prime it, paint it, then put galvanized pipe for the 4 legs.

this link might help http://www.simplifiedbuilding.com/blog/2008/08/21/how-to-build-a-custom-ergonomic-computer-desk/
Click to expand...

Ok, so let's say I decide to use MDF;

Can it be stained/finished? (I'm not keen on painting the desk surface)
Can it be laminated using sheet laminate?

I think I'm going to use a metal frame from another desk as the base, so I really only need the wood/MDF/etc. for the desk surface and shelves.

Keep the suggestions coming, I'm starting to see this come together a little. Thanks guys!
 
Apallohadas said:
I built this desk using a door.
Literally go to home depot find a good solid sturdy door, and let your imagination run wild. Take your time in giving it multiple seals if you want a nice deep finish and don't skimp on layers if you're worried about warping.
Click to expand...

+1 I did this and it is fantastic.
 
Ok, so let's say I decide to use MDF;

Can it be stained/finished? (I'm not keen on painting the desk surface)
Can it be laminated using sheet laminate?

I think I'm going to use a metal frame from another desk as the base, so I really only need the wood/MDF/etc. for the desk surface and shelves.

Keep the suggestions coming, I'm starting to see this come together a little. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

no it can not be stained, well at least not if you want it to look good. you can paint and then apply a clear polyurethane though, that looks nice.

mdf is okay but you have to keep in mind that it will sag badly in the middle unless you support it somehow, even if u double up on 3/4 it will eventually have a noticeable sag. try placing 1x3 on edge underneath the top if you plan on spanning it a few feet.

i worked as a finish carpenter for quite a few years and i would recommend just getting plywood. Get either birch or oak finished one-side, if you are unsure on your skills with a saw you can have them cut if for you at any good lumberyard or home depot. just trim the edge with some 3/4 ovolo or whatever suites your taste.

if you feel you got the skill, you can try and do a glue-up. by several 1x8 planks of clear pine, oak, or maple and glue and clamp them, let the glue sit for a day and then either sand or plane the excess glue off the tops, preferably plane well with a cabinet scraper first and then sand. finally, finish the edges by routing a profile into them.

no matter which method you choose, you should reinforce along the length of the top if you plan on spanning it very far. plywood and hardwood can span farther without as much support but if you plan on making the top 3ft our longer, i would suggest using 1x3 on edge to support the top. u don't want your new desk sagging in the middle:). you also could just use 2 sheets of 3/4 or with a glue-up, just one sheet of plywood underneath for support.

for the finish, sand the top very well with no higher than 120 grit and then apply the stain nice and evenly, take your time here. let it dry and then start applying a clear polyurethane, 3-4 coats should do it. After letting each coat dry use 200ish sand paper and then clean with thinner/mineral spirits before applying the next one. if you want to make the top look really nice, finish by applying furniture wax with 00 steel wool and wipe dry with a clean cloth.

mdf laminates well, but real wood looks better imo.
 
Biggrich76 said:
Ok, so let's say I decide to use MDF;

Can it be stained/finished? (I'm not keen on painting the desk surface)
Can it be laminated using sheet laminate?

I think I'm going to use a metal frame from another desk as the base, so I really only need the wood/MDF/etc. for the desk surface and shelves.

Keep the suggestions coming, I'm starting to see this come together a little. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

stained would look very bad IMO... you're better off laminating it (the picture I posted is a MDF desk with grey laminate) It'll look a lot nicer and will hold up better to moisture (from drink glasses and such), stains and general wear and tear. The down side is that it doesnt look as classy as a nice wood grain finish.

As for sagging, if you build it correctly it shouldn't have ANY sag. The desk I'm using right now used to house 2x 22" cad CRT monitors which weighed around 80+lbs each and it's as straight as an arrow (not to mention 12 years old now) :) I believe it's 1" board with another 1" layered on all around the edges for a lip/support
 
Last edited:
I believe it's 1" board with another 1" layered on all around the edges for a lip/support
Click to expand...

ya i can tell from the picture of yours that it is plenty sturdy, 2" is plenty for that span. i just don't want people to get the idea, that they can just slap a 3/4 piece of mdf across a 3ft+ span and have it not sag. just adding the board along the edges reinforces the whole top, i suggested using 1x3 set back from the edges, this will reinforce but the top won't look so monolithic.
 
If you're going to laminate it, why would you use MDF over particle board? It costs a lot more and you're not going to see it anyway. Make sure you support it correctly so it won't sag and you'll be fine. That's the route I went and I couldn't be more happy with my result. I've added T-Molding around the whole thing since these pics.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1315416&page=3

 
Ok, so I found 2 Jerkers for sale about 1.5 hours from me. Am going to pick them up tonight and use the materials to build the new desk. Will post pics of the plans and desk once I get them home.
 
Personally I like the solid doors as desktops the best since all the work of building the multi piece solid plank has been done for you. And you can easily route a ¼ round on all the edges.

Plywood with a finished side as someone suggested would also work and allow for a nice finish but it would have to be trimmed with something especially if you want to take a router too it and still have a nice clean look when stained. It will however need to be suported or it will sag when weight is placed on it.

MDF just isn't cost effective in my opinion once you start looking at laminating it on all but the underside or using molding on the edges. It also needs to be well supported across spans at probably more then one location at the depth you seem to be looking at. I avoid this shit like the plague in the kitchen where it's been used for far too long. If you want the laminated MDF look then do your self a favor a spend your money on a Corian counter top for your desk.

Corian and it's competing products are great but not cheap. You could have your L shaped desk top made out of Corian as one piece assuming you can get it in your house that way. It would actually be made of more then one piece but a professional can glue the pieces together and make it look like it was milled all from one piece. And with Corian if you do manage to scratch it you can just sand it out. Put a scratch in a piece of laminate and you will be living with it.
 
Free bump to a Neighbor! (yes i live in upstate, ny too!!)


I want to see pics when done
 
I plan on building a new desk since I'll be moving into a new place mid September. I was planning on using the door technique (since I want a huge flat workspace. It'd be nice to have a monitor shelf as well. I'll be putting 2x 24" monitors, an mbox2, and probably a couple speakers. I was wondering how to support the desk (just get legs under there somehow and screw em in?)
 
You have options.

You can buy legs, build them, or find a dying desk and take the legs/support frame from that. I used the supports from a desk I bought for $25 bucks. The top itself had warping in the laminate and was starting to splinter, but the aluminum frame w/legs is spotless.
 
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