DIY Fold Down Desk

It’s been a hot second since I posted on the blog and I am long overdue for a post on the DIY fold down desk in the room I did for my nephew. It is a smallish room that is sometimes shared with his older brother so I needed to maximize the space. A fold down desk was the perfect option. They are simple to build and easy to customize.

I added some shelves above so he could display his special things that had been stuffed in the closet. His love the Yankees so I stenciled their logo to the front of the DIY fold down desk.

It is the perfect spot to do a little homework!

Supplies For DIY Fold Down Desk

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1X6 Boards

1×4 Boards

Kreg Jig

Wood Screws

Paint/Stain

3/4″ Birch Plywood

Iron

I apologize for the small amount of progress shots. I normally take a lot more photos along the way for very detailed tutorials. Sometimes when it’s down to the wire with a deadline and it’s the last project, I am going to fast to stop after each step. I hope that since this is such an easy project, you will understand it enough to replicate it or make your own version.

Step 1

Build a simple box with butt joints. I built mine so that it would fit around the 17×23 inch cork board with room for some shelves. I painted it blue since I wanted a two-toned look.

Step 2

I built a desktop out of 3/4″ plywood that would fit inside the blue box frame. It can be tricky to get it to fit perfectly inside and allow room for hinges so if you’d rather, you can always make it to fit on the outside. I used an iron to attach the veneer edging to give it a more finished look but this is optional. I also added the banding to the shelf/cubbie pieces.

Step 3

Using some of the left over 3/4″ plywood, I cut strips to attach to the blue box frame. You could also use 1×4 boards. I used pocket holes (that I drilled with the Kreg Jig) and pocket screws to attach them to the frame. These are what will get screwed into studs to secure it to the wall. (see photo below)

Step 4

Using scrap pieces of plywood left over from the desk top, I cut a couple of pieces to create shelves on the side. I added banding to the edges that would show. I stained and polyurethaned them before attaching them with brad nails.

To hide the braces on the back and to act as the back for the shelf area, I used a scrap piece of 1/8 inch plywood left over from the floating shelves, but you could use scrap 3/4″ plywood from the desktop as well.

Make sure if you are doing an inset door, that you don’t have the shelves come all the way to the front of the blue box frame. Allw 3/4″ for the desktop.

Step 5

I attached the desktop to the blue box frame using small butt hinges. Once it was on, then I added the gas spring hinges. I thought I would need a magnetic latch to keep it closed, but the gas spring hinges keep it very secure.

I did not put the cork board in until I had screwed it into the wall studs. It was a tight enough fit that I did not need to secure it. If it is loose, you could use poster putty to keep it in place if you don’t want to nail or screw it in place.