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Projects » Office in a Closet: Part 4
Office in a Closet: Part 4 of 4
By Paul Mayer
Photos By Author
Posted: Dec 27, 2011
Time to wrap this project up by finishing and installing the components.
Finish and cabinet assembly.
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Apply finish to all components. I used a water based poly acrylic product to provide a nice looking durable finish |
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Set cabinets in place. Be sure they are level, and use shims if necessary. Scribe your face frame to the wall for a custom fit. |
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Secure cabinets to walls with long screws. Pre-drill a hole larger than the screw into the plywood so that the screw does not bind in the cabinet side. Use a good stud finder to be sure you are anchoring the cabinet solidly. |
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Extend a line between the cabinets. Place a straight edge across the two base cabinets, and draw a line between the two cabinets. Alternatively this could be done with a chalk line. |
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Attach support cleat to wall. This will provide good support along the rear of the desktop to prevent sagging, and will accommodate a fastener to lock the top into place near the center. Be sure to screw it to the wall studs. |
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Set top into position. Don’t force it if it is too tight. Pull it out and use a block plane to tune the fit. Don’t be too aggressive here. Sneak up on the fit because if you over compensate you will have a bad fit. |
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Attach the top from underneath. From inside the cabinet, run 1-1/4” drywall screws through the cabinets’ top braces and into the desk top.
Hardware time. Install all hardware components, including drawer guides, hinges, and pulls. |
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Tidy up the installation. I like to run clear, paintable caulk around the perimeter, and then use a small art paint brush with some of your wall paint to tie everything together nicely. |
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Variations There are many different ways that you could personalize this. Obviously, the size itself will vary depending upon your specific space. Also, you might consider adding a pencil drawer in the middle. As I said in the beginning of the article, I like having the leg room more than I would like this feature, but you might feel differently. Also, if you use a lot of file folders, consider adding a file drawer on one side rather than the shelf that I configured. A couple things that I added: |
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Grommets. I dropped in two grommets on the top to assist with cable management. I ran one into each base cabinet where I will have a printer, outlets for chargers, etc., which helps to keep the cables under control and not cluttering up the desktop. |
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Outlet access. I had outlets on each side wall that would have been covered by the base cabinets. To retain access to these, I cut access holes through the side walls of each base cabinet, and lined with thin strips of maple to edge the plywood. |
Final thoughts
It will be difficult to build this project exactly how it is laid out in this plan, so it is a good opportunity to “make it your own”. If you have a decent sized closet, you can do this, and you will reap the benefits of your ingenuity for years.
Do you have a spot for this project? Thinking about building something along these lines? I would love to hear about it, and I would be happy to answer any questions that you have. Please share some pictures with us on the WWGOA forum when you have completed the project!
