How to Turn an Unused Closet into a Desk
How To Turn a Closet Into a Desk | Utilizing Your Space
By now, you should all know that I am all about utilizing space. When my parents moved, they had a bedroom on the main floor that they wanted to use as a guest room and office. So in order to best utilize that space, they asked me to turn the close in that room into a desk. I really didn't have a lot of experience with projects at this point (this was before Jackie's house bed or adding shelves to my closets) but I wanted to give it a shot! So let's talk about how to turn a closet into a desk!
How To Turn a Closet Into a Desk | Supply List
The supply list for this project is very similar to the one for the closet shelves but I have made some adjustments to match the bead board and the hole for the cords.
Materials
2x4s
1/2 plywood (or MDF)
3” wood screws
2 1/2” pocket screws
Bead Board
Primer
Paint
Caulk
Wood filler
Polyurethane
Wood Glue
Tools
Stud finder
Miter saw
Table saw or circular saw
Drill
Hole Saw Drill Bit
Pocket hole kreg jig
Brad nailer (optional)
Painting supplies
How To Turn a Closet Into a Desk | Desk Measurements
The first thing you need to do is determine the measurements of your desk. What will be the measurement from the bottom of the desk to the floor? In this case, we went with 41". That way lots of people could use the desk and it wouldn't be too tall or short. Will your desk be the entire length and depth of your closet? In this case, that is what we did. By doing so, we had a very large desk space and a lot of options for where to put the computer later! Once you have determined these measurements, you can cut your wood!
How To Turn a Closet Into a Desk | Building the Desk Frame
This is going to be the exact same as building the frame for the shelves I talked about last week! So if this looks familiar, that is why!
First, you are going to build the frame for your shelf. Decide where you want the shelf to be on the wall and use the stud finder to find all of the studs along the length of the wall. Mark where the studs are. Now measure the length of the wall. That’s going to be how long you cut your front and back pieces of 2×4. So if it’s 48” long, you will need two pieces of 2×4 cut to 48”.
Length of wall = length of front & back pieces
Next, you will need to determine how deep you want your shelf to be. This determines the lengths of your support pieces. Take the depth you’ve decided on and subtract 3”. This is because 2x4s are actually only 1.5” wide on the 2” side. Factoring in the front and back pieces of the frame means you have to subtract 3” from the total depth. So if you want your shelf to be 16” deep, you will need to cut the support pieces to 13”.
Total depth of shelf – 3” = length of support pieces
Now that you know the length of the support pieces, you need to figure out how many to cut. You will need one for each end of the shelf, and then one for each stud on the wall.
2 end pieces + # of studs on the wall = # of support pieces
Now you can cut and attach your frame! Add two pocket holes to ONE end of each support piece being used for the wall studs. The support pieces for the ends of the shelf don’t need pocket holes! Using one of the longer 2×4 wall pieces, attach it to the wall using 3” wood screws. Make sure you attach this piece so that the bottom of the frame is 1/2" inch above where you want the bottom of your desk to be! Place the screws where the studs are for increased support. Next do the same with two support pieces, one on each end of the shelf. If the shelf sits between two walls, you can screw the end pieces into the wall. If not and you’re just ending the shelf (like I did in our upstairs closet), you will need to pocket holes on one end to attach the support piece to the back wall 2×4.
Now let’s attach the support pieces. Using the ends with the pocket holes, attach the supports into the long 2×4 that is attached to the wall with the 2 1/2” pocket hole screws. Do this where the studs are for extra support. Using clamps to hold the support pieces in place while you screw them in will help a lot!
Before you attach the front of the frame, be sure to insert the piece of plywood that will act as the bottom of the desk into the closet. Otherwise you won't be able to fit it later! Now it's time to attach the front piece. Using the second, wall length 2×4, clamp it onto the ends of the support pieces. Then use 3” wood screws to attach the front piece to the support pieces.
Your frame should be very sturdy. Since it is screwed into the studs, it will be able to hold a lot of weight. I tested mine out by sitting and standing on them! I wouldn’t necessarily recommend doing this but I thought I’d give it a try!
How To Turn a Closet Into a Desk | Add Shelves
In this case, I added two shelves above the desk top. I measured up 40 inches from the desk and decided that was where the bottom of the next shelf would go. The second shelf was 12 inches above the top of the middle shelf. The assembly is the same as the desk top, the only difference was I made the shelves 6 inches shorter so that we could get stuff on to them!
How To Turn a Closet Into a Desk | Adding The Bead Board
I bought several packs of bead board that I was able to trim and secure to the back wall of the closet. I did this up the entire length of the back wall. It added a lot of texture to the wall, even though we ended up painting it white! The pack of bead board I bought had narrow pieces so I ended up with a lot of seams. I used caulk along the seams to make them look like one solid piece. I think it worked pretty well!
How To Turn a Closet Into a Desk | A Hole for Cords
I wanted to add a hole for the computer cords so that they weren't all over the place. We decided where the computer would go and then I used the hole saw drill bits to create the hole. In order to make sure I didn't drill into a support piece of the desk frame, I used the stud finder to make the final placement decision. I sanded down around the hole and touched it up with paint when I was done.
How To Turn a Closet Into a Desk | Final Touches
I removed the doors from this closet but the hardware was still all there! So I had to remove that from the frame and wood fill it so it would be smooth. I then painted the entire closet and added polyurethane to the tops of the desk and shelves so that they wouldn't scratch. Then we added the computer and other items that would be housed in the desk. In order to really hide of the cords, we used 3M Command Strips and hooks to keep the cords tucked out of sight!
How To Turn a Closet Into a Desk | Shop
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