Making and decorating a desk from scratch.
One morning, my Dad said, "Let's make you a gaming desk." I said, "OK." And so, we made an L-shaped desk. We likely did some things wrong, but I thought I'd share my experience with making this desk anyway.
In case it's helpful, below are the topics covered in this post:
Making the Desk
Before we bought the boards to make a desk, I decided on the layout and size I wanted for my room. I decided on an L-shaped desk with the long piece measuring 2' x 8' and the short piece measuring 2' x4 '. This would fit perfectly in the corner of my master bedroom.
Dad bought three 3/4" x 2' x 4' unfinished MDF boards. The store sold 8' long MDF boards, but the longer length wouldn't fit in my small car.
Dad adhered two of the unfinished MDF boards together using wood glue. This made the 8' long piece I wanted for the desk.
Since we didn't have clamps, Dad screwed down some scrap hardwood board pieces to keep the two board pieces together tightly while the glue dried for several hours. He removed the scrap pieces after the glue fully dried.
As a precautionary step, Dad screwed a metal plate over the seam on the underside where the two boards were adhered together.
Mockup Setup
Before we prepared the desk for an epoxy resin pour, we brought the board pieces into my room. I used a couple folding tables to place the boards where I wanted it attached to the walls.
I needed to plan where I wanted a couple holes drilled into the desk for cable management. To do so, I decided where I wanted to hang my monitor(s), install a DIY floating shelf, and set my desktop computer case.
I used a measuring tape, rulers, and a pencil to sketch my layout on the walls and boards. This gave me and my Dad a better visual of what I envisioned. It helped Dad identify what adjustments needed to be made to the board pieces before he proceeded with prepping the desk.
While Dad prepped the desk for the epoxy resin pour, I painted the walls blue to create a more calm and relaxing room environment. Since this was done in my master bedroom, I admit I've slept better each night with the cooler wall color opposed to the previous ochre color I had painted it. The LED lights seem to illuminate better off the blue wall in the dark.
Prepping the Desk
While I created the mockup setup, I realized my walls weren't straight, even, or level. The corner of the room wasn't anywhere close to a ninety-degree angle. The house likely settled a whole lot in its many years of existence.
Dad sanded the sides of the boards, so they appeared flushed against the wall, but it wasn't perfect. There were still gaps I worried about hiding the gaps between the board pieces and walls another time.
Dad installed wood 2' x 4' boards along the walls as a platform to rest the desk onto. I eventually painted them to match the wall color. This didn't seem to matter later the finished desk was installed over it.
Dad then installed seven heavy-duty metal shelf brackets to the boards previously installed onto the walls (three brackets to support the short part of the desk and four for the long part of the desk). Unfortunately, the brackets weren't level because of the walls, so he used a combination of scrap boards and washers to elevate the desk until it was leveled vertically and horizontally.
Once things looked good-to-go indoors, Dad took the boards outdoor to make changes. He then sanded the boards and rounded the edges. He drilled a couple 1-1/2" holes where I planned to feed cables through. Lastly, Dad applied a couple coats of white indoor house paint and primer to all sides of the boards.
We waited a few days for the paint to fully dry before I moved on with an epoxy resin pour.
Epoxy Resin Pour
I worked in my garage with the door opened for maximum ventilation. We elevated the board pieces that make up the L-shaped desk to allow epoxy resin to flow and drip over the edges. I didn't want the board pieces to accidentally adhere to anything touching it.
I selected three mica powders as accent colors to use on the desk: Pearl (a soft pink color), Magical Blue (mostly white with a hint of blue color), and Grey (or gray, however you prefer to spell it).
I recently learned that turning the mica powders into a paste allows the colorant to mix evenly into epoxy resin. This eliminates chunks of powder that sometimes remains when the powder particles didn't dissolve completely. I mixed rubbing alcohol with mica powder to create the paste.
Before I could use the pastes, I needed to prepare a base coat for the board pieces. I mixed a total of three quarts of a two-part epoxy resin. The brand I used required an equal amount of Part A and Part B to be mixed for several minutes. I mixed for about four minutes, adding Silver White mica powder halfway through the mixing.
After mixing, I let the epoxy resin sit for a few minutes before pouring. This allowed some (not all) of the bubbles to rise and dissipate.
I poured the epoxy resin mixture over the two board pieces and used my gloved hand to spread it evenly over the surface. I also made sure to cover the edges.
After a quick torch of the surface, I "attempted" to add veins using the three different paste colors I mixed previously. Unfortunately, the veins looked horrible and unnatural. I "fixed" the look by tapping my glove hand over the surface randomly and repeatedly until I was satisfied with the look of it.
When I was satisfied with the look, I left it alone for a few minutes, then torched the surface bubbles that formed during those few minutes.
Over the next several hours, I periodically slid my gloved hand, or a large craft stick under the boards to clear any drips. This wasn't necessary, but it eliminated the need to sand the underside of the board pieces after the epoxy resin fully cured.
We left the board pieces in place and untouched for twenty-four hours. After twenty-four hours, we propped the board pieces against a wall and left it untouched for a full week.
The more epoxy resin used on a project, the longer it takes to fully cure and harden. Even though a product states that a piece could be handled after a full day, there's a chance that it's still soft enough to leave an impression or dent if something is placed on top or against it too soon.
Unfortunately, small flying insects landed on the epoxy resin before it cured. I was able to pick out most of the insects with a toothpick within the first day. However, there were a couple that I missed.
While I could've sanded the surface to remove the insects and added a clear coat of epoxy resin, I opted to take the lazy approach by hiding them with my laptop or a drink coaster.
Installation
After a week passed, my Dad and I installed the board pieces in my room. He installed it onto the metal shelf brackets with long screws from the underside of the board pieces.
Dad made a couple wooden end caps to further support and level the board pieces. I was originally going to paint an image or pattern onto the end caps, but decided I liked the white frame and purple board insert as it.
I worried that the long board piece would eventually sag in the middle over time with the weight of my laptop and other devices, so I propped a board/leg under it as an extra precaution. I didn't screw it into place. The board/leg could be removed, but it's secure enough that I won't accidentally shift its position.
I adhered a couple corner molds to the tops to hide the awkward gap between the wall and the sides of the board pieces. I didn't originally plan to place LED lights on top of my gaming desk, but the corner molds were perfect for hiding the LED light strips. I adhered the strips in the corner molds, so it faced the wall.
Over time, I made a DIY floating shelf colored with epoxy resin and mica powder, created several Acrylic Pour Wall Plates, replaced my old monitor with a new super ultrawide monitor, and painted my desktop computer case. Eight months later at the time of sharing this post, my DIY gaming desk still holds strong.
My Thoughts
This project took weeks to complete, but it was an overall fun, hands-on experience. Having drafted a design for an L-shaped desk prior to gathering the supplies made the process easier for us. It was especially helpful in allowing my Dad to see how I envisioned the final layout and design.
There were challenges along the way that we had to address. We made several adjustments to the board pieces and hardware to ensure everything was level in all directions. My walls weren't straight, even or level. The corner where two walls meet wasn't close to a ninety-degree angle. Yet, these were minor challenges we were able to address easily enough.
Having done several large epoxy resin pours previously provided me with the experience and knowledge to complete this project. However, mistakes were still made. When I didn't like the look of my vein "attempt," I was able to change the design by tapping my gloved hand over the surface repeatedly.
I've used my desk daily for over eight months at the time of writing this post. Overall, I love my DIY gaming desk! It's still holding strong. I use the long part for everything digital. In fact, you probably saw a part of the desktop in past digital drawing videos I've uploaded to my YouTube channel.
The short part of the desk is a great space for writing. I love to write, even though there's a lot of room for improvement, and I do much of my writing at the desk. I've also setup my Cricut Maker on this part.
What's Next?
This project was so fun for my Dad and I to do together, he's thinking about doing something similar in his style for his room. If we do make a new gaming desk for him, I'll try to remember to document it so I can share that experience with you.
Have you made your own DIY desk? Comment below to share your experiences with making your own desk.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam