Save Your Back And Some Cash With A DIY Standing Desk

The human body hasn’t quite evolved to comfortably spend 12 hours a day hunched at a desk. If long hours are taking their toll, it’s time to get vertical and build your own standing desk.

WebWorkerDaily writer Mark Hinton decided he wanted a standing desk as a workplace back-up, so he could move between sitting and standing throughout his day when his back needed a break. He opted to build his own for several reasons: he could build it the exact size and height he wanted, it was cheaper to build it himself, and he wanted a desk he could take apart easily when he was inspired to rearrange his office. The construction required only a simple 2×4 frame with a plywood top.

For the desktop, I chose a high-quality plywood sheet 4 feet by 8 feet, cut in half at the store. When I cut off one corner to create the front of the desk, my old saw mangled the edge of the wood. The rough edge of the wood led me to buy a couple of yards of soft vinyl at a fabric store to cover the wood. The result is a very nice work surface.

The vinyl probably has just enough give to make writing on it pleasant, which makes it a nice addition even if there’s no rough edges. If you’re not opposed to whipping up some 2×4 legs, but you’re not too keen on a plywood desk, check out this standing desk made from an Ikea coffee table. If you have a standing desk, or just a few experiences with one, sounds off in the comments below.