Hacking an IKEA Galant into a standing desk

February 3, 2009 8:24 PM

How can I convert my IKEA Galant desk to a standing desk?

It has black straight round legs with gray plastic screw-like ends that extend a little bit but not enough. Any ideas? I'd like to get it to about 40-43" off the ground. I can provide a photo if necessary.

As the legs are perfectly round and pipe-like, I am considering buying pieces of pipe with inner diameter as close as possible to the outer diameter of the legs, then getting them cut to the final length I want and just slipping them over the legs.

My engineering experience is nonexistent and I'm sure there's someone with a better solution.

Any suggestions?

posted by andreinla to home & garden (6 comments total)

A photo would definitely help, or a link to the item on ikea.com
posted by big open mouth at 8:28 PM on February 3, 2009

Does Ikea sell a desk with longer legs that mount the same way? You may be able to buy just the legs and swap them out with your existing set.
posted by bizwank at 8:37 PM on February 3, 2009

Here's a link to a few photos of the desk

http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn160/upstagephoto/misc/
posted by andreinla at 8:50 PM on February 3, 2009

Replace the legs with VIKA BYSKE legs (27"-42" tall, $30/each)?

GALANT is a line of desk parts and not just a single product (see p357 of the Ikea catalog), so it might be helpful to know exactly what parts you have.
posted by cowbellemoo at 8:54 PM on February 3, 2009

Phone Ikea and ask them what parts you need to order or buy to make this happen. The odds are very good there is a part that fits already. If you're close to an Ikea store, they have an easy-to-overlook section at the end (after checkout, by the delivery desk) just for fasteners, legs, and other doo-dads where a guy at a service counter goes into the back and rummages through parts bins for you.

If THAT doesn't work, unscrew one of those gray ends and take it to a big hardware store that has a pipecutting machine. Get them to cut you some lengths of black-pipe to whatever you need and thread both ends: one exactly like the gray one, and one for the gray end to screw into, so you retain the same feet. Since you're in the store, you can test the foot part before you buy. To be extra careful, bring a leg too, and test all four.

Those'll cost about two dollars each for the pipe, plus a dollar or so for the effort of making each thread for you on their big noisy threading machine. Should be under $20 total.

I did this to replace a missing back leg on table once. Worked great.
posted by rokusan at 9:03 PM on February 3, 2009

Get some schedule 40 ABS piping (abs because its black, otherwise PVC that you can spraypaint). Get two sizes- one to slip over the full length of the existing legs plus the added height, and a second skinnier size to fit inside the first, the length of just the added height that the legs will sit on. Should be sturdy enough. Using elbows and t fittings creatively might add sturdiness.
posted by gjc at 4:20 AM on February 4, 2009