Corner Command Center Part 2: Lower Built-In Desk

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Today I am so excited to share with you how I made the lower built-in desk. It was really easy and fun, only took me about 4 hours total (doesn’t include all of the wait time necessary for staining the wood and painting the base tho!)

Here you can see the “before” pictures as well as a description of how I made the upper cabinet and cubbies. 

Here is the break-down of costs for the materials:

• 1″ x 20″ x 3′ aspen board (Menards) $15
• 35 1/4″ height island leg: $35 (on sale, rubber wood) (I actually bought the Red Oak version for $64–a harder wood, so maybe that’s good??– but in hind sight, I should have bought the rubber wood version, since it was getting painted anyway and was so much cheaper).
• 1″ x 4″ board for apron (Menards): $2 (I bought quality wood grade so it would be straight)
• Minwax stain (mix of Weathered Oak and Provincial): $4.50 each, $9 total
• Minwax Satin Polyurethane (left over from another project) $0
• Sanding Sponge 220 grit (already had it): $0
• White semi-gloss paint in Polar Bear from Home Depot (already had it from the upper cabinet): $0
• Stool (Hobby Lobby): $60

Total: $120, including the stool!

The first thing I did was to cut and stain the wood piece for the top.  I cut down the 20″ board to be 18″ by 21″ to fit perfectly in the space that we had. I took it into the garage and stained both sided with a mix of Provincial and Weathered Oak (Minwax).  I just mixed them both together in a small bucket and used a brush, only one coat.  I let that dry and put on the Poly using a brush, using the fine grit sanding sponge in between coats to smooth it out.  This makes a big difference, but I learned the hard way!  I used a rougher grit sand paper in my sander on a different project, and it took both the poly and the stain all the way off in places, causing a complete re-do! Nobody got time for that! Use the fine grit sponge and just go over it lightly in-between coats of poly.  No need to sand after the stain. Since I had extra wood and had decided to use it for the hooks on the opposite wall, I stained them in exactly the same way at the same time (love the time saver.)

Once the top was cut and stained, I could use it to create the base.  I decided I wanted the wood top to hang over the apron by about 1″ on the front and right side, yet it needed to be flush on the left side and back in order to connect to the wall snugly.  I turned the wood top over, and marked where I wanted the wood apron to come to, and then set the leg on it as well.  This helped me create the measurements I needed for the wood pieces.

Measurements (These are the actual measurements of each piece, the 1 x 4 inch board’s actual measurements are 3/4″ by 3 1/2″.  Why they do this, I do not know):

• Front Apron: 16 1/2″ length
• Right Side of Apron: 13 1/2″ length
• Back of Apron: 19 1/2″ length
• Left Side of Apron: 16″ length

I then drilled all the holes I needed to connect everything with my Kreg Jig.  I connected the apron pieces to each other and to the leg, and then prepared the holes that would connect to the upper wood top. I planned all of the Kreg Jig holes to be on the insides, to they would not be seen. Below you can see the process. 

Below is my trusty Kreg Jig K4.  It is so easy to use, and I just clamp it to our work table, and away we go. If you are new to Kreg Jig, I suggest getting the full set with the clamp and screw set–so useful and really makes the pieces square and tight. I set it for 3/4 inch (the actual width of the apron boards), used the coordinating screws, and it worked perfectly. 

I used the Kreg Jig screws to screw the apron pieces to each other and to the leg. These are the only holes that are made in the leg, and that made for a very professional outcome, if I do say so myself! Below you can see how to put it together and connect the apron pieces.  This is important because the way it is connected makes it perfectly square and provides a smooth front and right side.  If you are installing it into a different corner, you might redo the measurements to create the smooth sides where you need them. 

Below you can see another angle, with the Kreg Jig holes that will secure this apron to the top.

I painted the apron with two coats of the Polar Bear semi-gloss (didn’t worry too much about the undersides, they just barely got one coat for good measure), and then set it on top of the stained board for assembly.  At this point, I checked and re-checked to make sure I was seating the apron correctly so that the front and right sides would have the overhang.  This worked well, and came out perfectly the first time (rare for me!) I just added in the screws, screwing the apron to the top.  The island leg did not get screwed in to the top.  Since the apron was attached to both the top and the leg, it was very secure, and prevented any marring of the top by adding a screw down into the leg, again, very professional I think! I didn’t add any felt or other pieces to the leg, since I knew I was building it into the wall and wanted it to sit flush with the flooring (we have engineered hard wood in there!) and to be screwed permanently into the wall. 

Below is a shot of the Kreg Jig holes before they were screwed into the top. 

Next, I marked the studs on the wall and the height of the piece so that I could just put the complete desk onto those marks and hopefully it would be level!  Then I could just screw it in.  I also marked the floor where the outer corner of the leg should sit so that I could also use this as a touch-point for leveling. Below you can see the stud marks and the marks for the lower edge of the apron.  As you can see, I didn’t get it quite right the first time, and had to try again. I measured my completed piece from the bottom of the leg to the top of the attached stained wood piece many times to get this right. 

Then I as able to bring in the whole piece, and after using a level to get the top perfect (both directions), I made some pilot holes for the screws and screwed it into the studs (two screws for each stud on the left side and the back wall).  It was solid! I was a little concerned that the leg would wiggle since it wasn’t screwed into the floor or top, but apparently my measurements were so good that it didn’t wiggle at all. This is rare and lovely. 

I love how the stain came out, looks really rustic and was a lucky match with the stool (bought at Hobby Lobby).  

My final steps were to touch up the wall paint, give the floor a good cleaning, and put the entry rug back.  Look how well my lap top fits!  It is such a cozy little work station for checking recipes (the kitchen is just around the corner), and paying bills. 

After that, I used the left over wood from the top to create the hook area and the little bench for the kids to put on their shoes!  See this post for directions.