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I have this desk, and I love it so far. It's a big desk and pretty sturdy for being extremely cheap and made of particle board. The sides are at least 3/4" thick, and might be as much as 1".

My problem with it is it being 4" shorter than my last desk, which I thought I could get used to but that is proving impossible. I get strain in my lower back and shoulders when I am at my desk for more than 2 hours, which previously I could work for 8 hours straight and not even notice.

I want to raise my desk by 4 inches, hopefully in a more elegant way than shoving some books under it or wood gluing some 2x4s.

Thanks,

Lelentos

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  • Cut 4” off of the legs of your chair.😊
    – Kris
    May 21, 2021 at 0:59

5 Answers 5

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I probably would rip a 2x6 down to 4 inches, make a three sided frame out of that and put the desk on top of it. Then attach the desk to the frame with some pieces of metal called "mending plates". make the inside dimensions of the frame the inside dimensions of the desk. Paint the new wood and plates black. If you wouldn't like the look of 2x4s at the bottom, you could cut some strips out of 3/4 plywood (or whatever thickness the desk is) and attach those to the desk bottom in some way, like more mending plates or pieces of wood.

You could Isherwood's idea, only use 2x4s instead of aluminum tube. Probably be a cheaper.

There are also "bed risers". They re small cone line platforms. It would take 4. I personally wouldn't like this because it wouldn't be that stable.

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  • This is the right solution for your desk, whether you like it or not. A cheap particleboard desk designed to rest on the entire outer edge of its walls should be supported that way. Using "risers", feet, or leg extensions will make the desk unstable and weak. Attaching legs or feet to the corners is a bad idea, they will break off because the desk is just thin particleboard. Spread the weight. A bunch of bricks might work, but use more than 8.
    – jay613
    May 20, 2021 at 17:35
  • Variation: Cut up 2x6 into 3 pieces as described but 4-1/2 inches tall then cut a 1/2 inch rabbet along one edge. The bottom of the desk sits in the rabbet. Instead of screwing mending plates to the chipboard, you screw the chipboard to the real wood with pan-head screws every 2 inches. So you are not relying on screw threads holding chipboard. If you do use mending plates also use T-nuts on the other side of the chipboard, don't just screw them to the table. And you could probably get away with 1x6, it won't be the weakest link.
    – jay613
    May 20, 2021 at 21:52
  • 2nd variation: Cut a 1/2-inch wide by 1/4-inch deep channel along one side of a 4x4. Cut into 3 pieces as described in answer. Don't use any fasteners or hardware at all. For grandiose effect, rout pretty corners and call it a "plinth".
    – jay613
    May 20, 2021 at 21:58
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You could make or buy a set of risers. These are commonly sold for desks and beds, and are available in a variety of styles/materials.

Here's one set wooden riser blocks

Alternatively, if the feet on your desk are a standard screw, you could just buy a set of legs (like for a couch) and replace the bottom pads.

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OK 4" - Let's improve the desk while raising it!

You are going to buy a set of "Casters". I would install them with bolts, washers, and nuts for MDF. I might even put in a think rubber gasket (rectangle) before the washers and on the other side of the board too...

So bolt will go through caster plate --> rubber gasket (with hole) --> MDF (drill holes) --> second rubber gasket --> washer (large) --> nut.

You may be able to find a caster set with these things - I have before. But you can easily buy a set and get the bolts/nuts/washers/gaskets at big box in a matter of $10 and 10 minutes.

enter image description here

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To maintain the clean, elegant look of the desk, I'd do this:

  1. Get yourself some 3/4" by 1-1/2" aluminum box tubing. You may find this at your hardware store, but a metal wholesaler might be a better option. You'll need four lengths, each the inside height of the desk sides plus 4".

enter image description here

  1. Buy some hammered-finish spray paint (or something else that coordinates with your desk's pattern).
  2. Cut the aluminum "legs", if necessary, and pre-drill them for at least four 3/16" screws each, spaced uniformly starting at about 6" from one end.
  3. Paint the legs.
  4. Mount the legs to the inside of the desk sides, tight to the top, using #14 or 3/16" screws. Pilot as needed to prevent blowout or bulging of the outer face of the desk. Masking tape on the bit helps gauge depth. I'd set the legs back from the front edge an inch or so, rather than leaving them flush, to reduce their visual impact.
  5. Add some black table feet to the tubing bottoms to save your floor.

enter image description here

Alternatively, buy some threaded insert feet to give yourself some height adjustability.

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Add 4" locking wheels to the legs of the desk.

I'm new here. I just saw the actual desk. Doh!

You can't do much to the bottom because particle board doesn't act like solid wood, because it isn't.

Find someone who is tired of their drafting table and really wants a particle board desk.

Some adjustments aren't worthy of our precious ability to remedy them. I found this out the hard way, of course.

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    Please be more specific. How would you mount them to 3/4" or 1" particle board in a way that wouldn't tear out at the first bump during a desk move?
    – isherwood
    Aug 25, 2017 at 18:53
  • I believe this Answer is saying in a roundabout way that adding wheels is a bad idea and OP should instead swap desks with someone who has a nice height-adjustable drafting table and regrets that, wishing for a sh*ty particleboard homework desk instead. Is there a section on Craigslist for that? :)
    – jay613
    May 20, 2021 at 21:43

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