DIY Home Office Furniture
When setting up your home office, you need four standard pieces of furniture: desk, office chair, file cabinet and bookshelves. If you're on a budget, search for used office furniture at the thrift shop, at yard sales or in the classified section of the newspaper or Internet. Discount stores also sell new office furniture that will typically need to be assembled. Does this Spark an idea?
Be Creative
Think outside of the box when looking for office furniture. If you can't find the ideal desk, it is possible to create a large office desk that is both attractive and functional. Begin by looking for a two-drawer file cabinet. If you can find two that match, buy both. Now you have the bottom half of a desk.
Desktop
The next step is finding a top for your desk. Use a door, or have a countertop made. Some home improvement stores sell sections of pre-cut countertops for a reasonable price. Or look for something at the thrift stores or yard sales that might work.
Assembling the Desk
To assemble the desk, lay the desktop on the two file cabinets, with a cabinet under each end. The top should be long enough so that a chair will fit in the center. If you only have one file cabinet, attach the end of the tabletop (without a file cabinet) to a wall. Do this by nailing a horizontal strip of wood on the wall, the same height as the file cabinet. Before laying the end of the tabletop on the strip of wood, apply an adhesive, like Liquid Nails.
Custom Look
If you found attractive two-drawer file cabinets, in a wood you like, consider customizing the desktop, by having similar wood trim added to the edge of the counter when you order it from the cabinet shop. The final product will look like a custom desk, for a fraction of a cost.
Bookshelves
There are many ways to add bookshelves to your home office. Individual shelves can be hung directly on the wall, using brackets. You can use the technique employed by decades of college students -- stacks of cinderblock (positioned under opposing ends of the shelf) with shelving sandwiched between each layer of cinderblock ends. You might also find the ideal free-standing bookshelf.
Desk Chair
If you plan to be spending a lot of time at the desk, take special care when choosing the desk chair. Inexpensive and comfortable new chairs can be found at discount department or warehouse stores, if you are unable to find a suitable used chair. If necessary, spend a little more to buy a comfortable chair.
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