Maybe you read articles talking about the risks of extended sitting because you spend most of your time at work sitting. And then, you bought a standing chair that is missing a matching table. Now, here you are, searching for a standing desk and getting scandalized by the prices.
This fancy piece of furniture often commands a high cost. So, if you can’t find the right one yet, why don’t you make it instead? I’m talking about a DIY standing desk. This option can be less expensive and more aligned with your preferences.
If you’re wondering how on earth to do that, here are five ideas to pique your interest:
Table of Contents
- DIY Standing Desk Ideas for 2020
- Benefits of a Standing Desk
- How Can I Make My Desk a Standing Desk?
- What is the Best Stand Up Desk?
DIY Standing Desk Ideas for 2020
Raise Your Desk
Benefits: Low-cost, medium effort, big savings
The cheapest standing desks can still cost you between $100 and $500. If buying a new one is not an option, then switch on your creative mode. It’s time to extend the height of your existing desk.
How can I raise my desk height to standing?
If you have a short table, you can raise it to a height that feels comfortable when you are standing. The edge of the desk should be around the same level as your belly button. You can use a trash bin, turned upside down, and some books to create a stable leg. Do the same for all four legs to get a sturdy height raise.
DIY Ikea Standing Desk
Benefits: Low cost, medium effort
Ikea is a haven for those who want to score affordable furniture and furnishings. This $22 Ikea standing desk converter is an idea from Customer.io CEO Colin Nederkoorn. It’s a combination of a few Ikea pieces, put together, to place your laptop/monitor and keyboard at standing desk height.
If you want to adjust your existing desk without raising it, this tabletop concept is a good alternative.
What you need: side table by Lack, shelf by Ekby Viktor, brackets by Ekby Valter, and some screws. The result should look something like what the image shows below:
Wrap-Around Standing Desk
Benefits: Low to medium cost, medium effort
This project uses the corner spaces of your room. The table is long and takes an L-shape, like in the photo. It is not bulky like a full-size table but wide enough to handle your laptop and other things. It can be attached to the wall and supported by brackets and studs. Small areas can do well with this kind of tall, minimalist desk.
You can search for two pieces of thick plywood, which you can sand and style as you please. Add the materials for mounting and labor if you aren’t installing them yourselves.
Standup Desk
Benefits: Low to medium cost, medium effort
If you want to take the clutter off the floor, you can start by doing away with the legs of your table. The result? The murphy bed of desks, aka the standup desk. This one is hung on the wall and can be folded up when not in use. It’s a space-saving idea for those who live or work in cramped quarters.
To start, you need a single board, screws and hinges, brackets, and hooks and chains. This project may take you a day or two to finish. But the output is going to be worth it.
Build From Scratch
Benefits: Medium cost, medium to high effort, big savings
Designing your own standing desk may be the most exciting project of all. You can customize the measurements, make it look the way you want, and pick the materials for construction. You can embellish it if you like. You can even turn it into an adjustable standing desk.
If you’re doing this idea yourself, though, you need some woodwork knowledge. After all, you want this table to last. You can’t mess up the measurements, miss out on an important ergonomic detail, or waste your materials. Otherwise, it can defeat the purpose of your DIY project.
Benefits of a Standing Desk
A standing desk can work hand-in-hand with a standing chair to promote active sitting and good posture. In turn, these are connected to other desirable outcomes, such as the following:
- Can reduce back pain
- Can lower your blood sugar levels
- Can decrease your risk of cardiovascular diseases
- Can help improve mood and energy levels
- Can make you more productive
How Can I Make My Desk a Standing Desk?
You can try the first two ideas in this article: raise your desk or use Ikea pieces to create an extended tabletop. The Ikea hack has been a popular solution among those who want to skip splurging. And for a good reason. It’s low-cost yet effective.
Raising your desk may pose a few problems if the base you’re placing the desk on is not stable enough. You’d look from the stuff available at around the house, such as trash bins and books. But you can also try some loaded boxes.
What is the Best Stand Up Desk?
While I recommend that you try a DIY standing desk, you may also be curious about what the best stand up options are on the market these days. The top brands in this space include Uplift, ApexDesk, Fully Jarvis, Varidesk, and FlexiSpot.
Overall, Uplift V2 is the best standing desk. The FlexiSpot Manual Height Adjustable Desk is the budget choice. These two, different models from the brands mentioned above have their own set of pros and cons. However, you may want to take note that the Uplift V2 costs almost $500, and the pocket-friendly Flexispot product retails at around $300.
The expense for a DIY standing desk project can range from $100 to $150 and a few hours of your time to build it.
Conclusion
If you are spending a long time sitting in your corporate or home office for work, this practice can affect your health negatively. Taking breaks can help you achieve balance, and so do the right desk and chair. In particular, standing desks can provide you with pretty beneficial effects. You can sit on a standing chair and then stand for the next few moments.
However, some people avoid standing desks because they cannot afford their upfront costs. For one, they are much more expensive than the chair versions. Who wants to splurge on something they aren’t sure they like yet?
Well, as this article attests to, a standing desk DIY offers a cost-effective alternative. It opens up many other possibilities. And I hope you have found your possibility from the ideas enumerated here. You can also build on the information you got here and create your own standing desk. If you do, let me know in the comments. I would love to see your version.
