The Best DIY Closet To Home Office Conversion
The DIY Closet Office has risen in popularity over the past three years with more people working remotely from home. It’s by far one of the best solutions for those whose homes lack a dedicated study or home office. It has become especially important to find home office space. Those with a spouse and/ or children often have to compete to find appropriate study or workspaces. The closet office born out of necessity has become the perfect solution.
I, for one, was in that very predicament. We had one small bedroom, that doubled as a workspace and guest room. The underutilized closet in that room was the only place where an office and built-in desk could be placed. If you have even a spare closet ( I know an oxymoron that is) then you’re only limited by your imagination. Read below to see how I achieved given Closet.
First Step: Demo
You can see in the picture the limited closet space I was working with. At this point, I’d already taken down the bracket, bi-fold doors, and clothing rod. Before moving to the next step, you’ll notice that I removed the top shelf as it was unnecessary. Since I didn’t have a window in my closet, I knew I didn’t want to be staring at a blank freshly painted wall. I needed beautiful drama, so I decided a floral mural was in order.
Second Step: Locate and mark the Studs.
When planning any sort of built-in, like a built-in desk, it is crucial it is to locate the wall studs. You’ll need a stud finder. You can find one at any hardware store. If you can find a stud finder that also has a laser level, I promise you, you won’t be disappointed!
Mark your studs. In the picture below you’ll see I identified each stud with a bright red X.
Next, I attached a 1 x 4 base to the wall and screwed it into the studs that run vertically to the wall for extra support. The board was positioned to the optimal height I wanted my desk to be. To identify your optimal height, you’ll want to sit in an office chair. Once you identify a comfortable height then mark that position.
Third Step:
After you’ve identified the area you want your desk, you’ll need to decide whether to paint the area above your desk or identify your shelf placement. I opted to have a nice mural. I figured it would be escape from monotonous work. If that failed it would give my invited guests something to gaze at.
You can find an array of either peel and stick wallpaper murals on Etsy or Amazon. I opted for a vinyl stick and peel wallpaper mural from Etsy. It was very easy to install (with two people mind you). But I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.
You can also see in the below picture the desk top, I chose a 1 x10″ x 8-foot board.
Step Four:
Next, I consructed the brackets using sturdy wood screws. What you see in the picture below are the brackets for the side shelves. which are the bases for the floating shelves. I decided to do two on each side of the closet.
The brackets for the desk were constructed in a similar fashion however, 2 x4’s were used instead to give a little more support for the back of the desk and the base.
The bracket for the shelves was constructed by using 1 x3’s and was attached to the wall utilizing 10 x 1-1/2 inch wood screws.
In the picture below you can see the desktop. For both the desktop and bottom, I used a 1″ x 16″ x 8 ft pine board. I just laid on top of the bracket support to get a good sense as to coverage. (At this point it was not screwed in or attached).
I included this picture as I wanted you to see the reinforced supports, I built to support the weight of the desk, computer and other items.
So, what you can see is I have a total of (four) 1 x6’s that make up the sides of the desk and two compartment dividers for storage inside of the desk. If you look closely, you will see that I flanked the 1 x6’s by 2×4’s which were cut to approximately 6 3/4 inches and screwed into the back mount. It’s important to note that the 1 x 6 dividers were attached using a brad Nailer to attach to the 2 x 4 supports.
Now to secure the desk I not only used a brad Nailer to attach the (1 x 16 top), but I also used the screws to attach the bottom and sides which aren’t too conspicuous but provide great support.
If you look closely, you’ll notice the blue painter’s tape on the wall. I used that as a guide to mark below where my supports were to aid me in attaching the desk bottom to the supports.
Don’t forget the Stain!
Prior to attaching the desk to its support brackets, you’ll want to stain the wood pieces for your desk and shelves. For this project, after sanding and wiping down each piece, I used Minwax’s pre-stain wood conditioner. I found that when utilizing the wood conditioner I had better results with the stain application.
You’ll want to apply the wood conditioner and the stain of your choice with a cheesecloth for a consistent and smooth application. For this particular project I used Provincial mixed wth Gunstock both Minwax brands. I loved the brown tone of the provincial mixed with the reddish undertone of Gunstock. This mix was applied to both the desks and each of the floating shelves.
Step Five:
Next attach the brackets into the studs (that you previously identified) on the wall.
Step Six:
At this point you’ll want to be sure to sand the top and bottoms of the shelves and desk as well. Be sure to sand along the grain of the wood. Next, select a wood stain and apply to the tops and bottoms and allow to dry. You may need to apply 2 coats depending on how dark you’d your stain. I mixed Early American and Walnut stains.
Then attach the top and bottoms of your shelves and desk. For this step I used a brad nailer.
Step Seven:
You’ll want to attach the cover/lid for the desk itself. For this, I used a 1 x 8 ft board that I had previously stained and cut to the length of my desk. I carefully attached 4 soft close cabinet hinges to the bottom of the desk while lining up to the lid itself (see pic).
Once the desk was complete, I used a hole saw attachment to drill the opening of my power grommet to the top and bottom of the desk. You can see the top of the grommet and the power cord in the picture on the left.
Step Eight:
Finally, you’ll want to attach the cover/lid for the desk itself. For this I used 1 x 8 ft board that I had previously stained and cut to the legnth of my desk. I carefully attached 4 soft close cabinet hinges to the botttom of the desk while lining up to the lid itself (see pic).
Unfortunately, this particular closet did not have any type of overhead lighting, and I really could not justify the expense of hiring an electrician to install one. So instead, I found the perfect overhead/ceiling LED light solution! Which you can find here: I can honestly say these lights were the perfect solution as they came with a convenient remote control, came in a package of two, were dimmable and had the option of changing colors if you’re into that.
I love the way it came out as at first glance you cannot tell there is an hidden storage/compartments within the desk itself. Go ahead and give it try!
Check out the DIY Video Tutorial Below:
