Logo - Bunnings Warehouse Festive - 2024

Sign in or sign up

No Bunnings account? Sign up
PowerPass customer?
Visit the dedicated trade website

Project list

Sign in to your account

A completed closet work desk with chair, small plant pots, laptop and books, with a large pot plant trying to photobomb it

Overview

When you don't have a room to call your home office, figuring out where to put a desk can be a serious challenge. If you can sacrifice some cupboard space, why not consider adapting one of your closets into a workstation? It's super easy to do.

Steps

1Clear out your cupboard and measure up

First thing's first – get in there and clear out your cupboard! Once you've done this, grab a tape measure all your dimensions. 

Tip: To fit your desk snugly, you might need to remove the closet doors first like we did.

The inside of a closet being measured by a Bunnings team member with a tape measure

2Cut your desk top

Once you've got your measurements, head to your local Bunnings to purchase your desk top – we're using a Beech laminated panel for ours. Use a measuring tape to mark out the right length, then use a clamp on a workbench and a hand or circular saw to make the cut. Use a set square to make a perfect angle, and a level to make sure everything's straight. Also – don't forget to use your protective wear for this bit, and ask a friend to hold the timber panel steady while you cut.

Two Bunnings team members cutting a piece of timber with a circular saw

3Sand your edges

Once you've made your cut, grab your 120-grit sandpaper and a block and sand back the edges so they're nice and smooth. Once you've done this, grab a microfibre cloth and give it a good wipe to remove any excess dust.

The surface of a desk being sanded with sandpaper wrapped around a scrap piece of timber

4Position your leg plates

Flip your panel upside down and position your leg plates in the desired location. Use a pencil to mark the location of your holes, so you know where to drill. 

Points on the underside of a desk being marked for drilling, with a leg plate being used as a guide

5Pre-drill pilot holes

Once you've marked out your leg positions, use a drill to create holes for your pilot screws. Remember, don't drill all the way through your panel – you don't want it to crack, or to be left with a hole on top. Not a good look!

Holes being drilled into the underside of a desk to allow for screwing down leg plates

6Fix your desk legs

Once the holes are drilled, grab your plates and fix into position using a screwdriver and wood screws – then you're good to simply screw in the legs.

Wooden legs being fitted onto leg plates on the underside of a desk

7Install a cable duct

Cables can often get in the way when you're working. Keep everything neat with a handy cable duct. Place it in your desired location and mark out its spot on the underside with a pencil. Once this is done, use an 80mm hole saw to drill a hole for the duct to go through, then place it in from the top.

A cable duct being fitted to a table through a hole in the desktop

8And you're done!

How easy was that? Now you're ready to work! And bonus – you can also hide everything away. Genius!

A completed closet work desk with chair, small plant pots, laptop and books

9Feeling crafty?

For more handy projects, check out the home office makeover by Kiera Rumble from Make It Yours season one.

Suggested products

Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer. You can also use a simple test kit from Bunnings to indicate the presence of lead-based paint.