Where to buy a desk with a sturdy table top (1") of unique dimensions?

May 31, 2017 2:30 PM

tldr: I'm looking for a 48x24 desk with a 1" solid table top - that's about 22"-28" tall. Where can I find something like this? More details inside...

Hey hive mind,

I'm looking to set up a desk at home that works for my odd proportions.

I need a heavy duty (that's heavy) keyboard tray. So the desk needs to have a 1" thick table top of a strong material - from what I've read, Ikea mdf won't cut it (otherwise I would've just gotten a Klimpen.)

I'd like the table top to be about 48" x 24".

Because I'm planning to get this heavy duty keyboard tray, the desk should be between 22-28" tall.

Sit-to-stand ones frequently don't go below 28". Those that do are crazy expensive. I'd love to spend $300 or less, but if I've gotta spend more, then I've gotta spend more.

My DIY skills are limited to screwing stuff together, and maybe drilling the occasional hole. (Sawing, sanding, are non starters.)

Any ideas/thoughts on where I can find this magical desk?

posted by FlatHill to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Where are you getting the 22-28" range? Your knees are unlikely to fit beneath a keyboard tray hung under a 22" desk.
posted by jon1270 at 2:45 PM on May 31, 2017

If a KLIMPEN would be fine except for it being fiberboard, you could go with a GERTON table top instead, and whatever legs you want.

Otherwise, many places that sell wood will cut to size for you, even if you do have to buy the whole piece of lumber, so you could eliminate sawing. Sanding's still probably a good idea, and isn't a high-skill job for a large flat surface, though it will take a while. No power tools required, just sandpaper.
posted by asperity at 2:54 PM on May 31, 2017

Best answer: Oh, I missed the part where the GERTON is well over 48"; sorry about that.

You might try having some appropriate wood cut to size (lumber yard, specialty woodworking shop, home improvement store, etc.), sand and seal it (the instructions for how to apply sealant or stain are on the can), and go with the IKEA legs anyway (as a fairly simple option, might not be what you want.) You could take measurements of where the pre-drilled holes are on the IKEA desktops of the correct size, and duplicate those on the table top you've prepared.
posted by asperity at 3:02 PM on May 31, 2017

Best answer: It's going to be outside your budget, but I've got a Jarvis sit/stand desk frame that goes from about 24" above the ground up to about 53".

I had a local reclaimed wood place build a desktop for me out of reclaimed planks that are roughly 1.5" thick. They joined it, planed it, sanded it, and stained it all for me; I just picked it up, bolted it onto the frame, and bolted the control panel and other "make it move" related stuff to the bottom.

I've had this for just about a year; it is one of my favorite possessions.
posted by genehack at 3:53 PM on May 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'll mention that while a solid maple/oak/cherry/walnut etc. desk top is a common choice when getting something custom made one made from a much cheaper softwood (the hardness is relative) will be perfectly servicable.
posted by Mitheral at 8:59 PM on May 31, 2017

I have a GERTON desk with the FINNVARD trestle legs and it is very nice.
posted by 4ster at 5:14 AM on June 1, 2017

From time to time, I see beautiful desks at thrift shops or office surplus places. Lovely old desks don't accommodate computers well, so they get discarded. The have perfect tops that can be re-purposed.
posted by theora55 at 7:00 AM on June 1, 2017