Space Saving DIY Wall Mounted Desk

Hello! This is Cher from Designs by Studio C and I am back with another fabulous project! A few months ago, I posted a plan on my blog to build a wall mounted desk. The more I thought about this desk, the more I wanted to build one for myself! This desk is great – it is simple to build with a roomy top and three narrow cubbies underneath. The desk is secured to a cleat which is mounted to the wall studs with long screws. I changed the assembly method when constructing the desk, and the plans can be found here, complete with a material list, tool list, lumber list and cut list.

Note that the desk is not for sitting, laying or standing on. It is a writing desk and though it can support a laptop, it is definitely not made for super-heavy loads, i.e. “backsides”!

Wall Mounted Desk

I started by cutting the pieces, drilling the pocket holes and sanding each of the pieces.

I placed the top face down on my work surface then secured the sides of the desk using glue and pocket hole screws.I secured the cubby back to the top and sides using glue and pocket hole screws, then secured the cubby dividers to the underside of the top. I also added a couple of countersunk screws through the back into the back edge of the dividers. I added decorative rope moulding to the front and side edges of the top.

Unless you have super-duper tight-area painting skills, now would be a great time to paint the inside of the cubbies and the top of the shelf. In situations like this, I tend to wear a lot of paint and wanted to avoid it this time! I applied two coats of paint and avoided the edge of the top because I could touch it up later.

I secured the shelf to the sides of the desk with glue and pocket hole screws. I added a few countersunk screws through the bottom of the shelf into the cubby dividers and back. I added the lower stretcher centered under the cubby shelf securing it with pocket hole screws.

I then painted the rest of the desk and added a few coats of clear sealer to the top.

I wanted to use the desk in my dining room so I marked the position for the 2×4 cleat on the wall. The finished height of the desk will be 30″ from the floor. The top of the cleat will be positioned 29-1/4″ from the floor and is secured to the wall studs using two 1/4″ x 5″ lag screws which should be plenty strong enough! (The screws I used have a 3000 lb shear rating.)

I placed the inset of the back of the desk cubbies over the cleat (the back face of the cubby back will be placed against the front face of the cleat). I secured the desk to the cleat using 2-1/2″ screws with finishing washers (that I spray painted white) through the top into the top edge of the cleat.

Space Saving Wall Mounted Desk

That’s it – the perfect place to do homework, pay bills or to write a letter! This wall mounted desk is really easy to build and is perfect for those new to furniture building… See you next time!

If the DIY thing isn’t your thing… here’s some wall mounted desks you might want to check out!