Kids Desk Plans

The kids desk plans are finally here and I’ve included space for a trash can, paper storage and a drawer for ribbon and tissue paper.

We are a couple of months into our newly renovated kids rec room and one of our favorite spots is the craft station. The crafts are finally staying organization! Wha??? Can you believe it? Part of the reason it’s staying organized is because of the desk and I’ve finally gotten around to writing this post telling you how I pulled it off. I am not the best at writing plans, but I’m getting there, so let me know if you use these and run into any hiccups…I’m here to help! The kids desk plans can be downloaded all at once, or you can follow along on this post.

Just a couple of notes before we get started. This area has some plumbing we need to get to occasionally. The main shut off for the back part of the house is here and there are a couple of lines that need to be accessed from time to time. So, the desk needed to be built on wheels and I needed to leave a little space in the back. You could adjust the plans as needed to make it work for you. Please read all the way through this post before starting, as there are some notes on the build you will need to know about before getting started.

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Materials List

Plywood – 2 4×8 sheets and 1 4×4 sheet*

Hinges

Pock Hole Screws (1 1/4″)

Soft Close Drawer Slides

Pull Out Trash Can

Plywood Edging

Paint

Stain

Wood Glue

Casters/Wheels

*I ended up not using plywood for the face frame (steps 15-17). I used 1×2 for these pieces.

Recommended Tool List

Circular Saw

Drill

Iron

Tutorial

Step 1

Cut your plywood pieces according to this chart. I mostly used a circular saw with a fence attached, but may have cut a few of the smaller pieces on the table saw.

If you decide to use 1x2s for the face frame, like I did just cut those pieces out of 1x2s instead of the plywood.

Step 2

Use your pocket hole jig to put pocket holes in the pieces like this.

I labeled each piece with a letter to help distinguish between them. I’ll use these letters throughout the plans to help guide you.

Step 3

Use wood glue and pocket hole screws to start attaching your boards together.

Step 4

*flip it around

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Step 11

Step 12

Step 13

Make sure to leave 3/4″ beneath the piece “C” to adjust for the face frame and roll out trash can later on.

Step 14

Step 15

For this step, I ended up going with 1x2s instead of the plywood. Mainly because I didn’t have a ton of plywood edging left and I did have some 1×2 scraps, so I used those.

Step 16

Step 17

Step 18

I used my concealed hinge jig to attach the door with the concealed hinges.

Step 19

Build the drawer.

Step 20

Step 21

Step 22

Step 23

Attach the slides inside the drawer space and then assemble the drawer. If you have trouble with drawers, like me…head over to Build Basic and read through her tips on building basic drawers.

Step 24

Use previously drilled pocket holes on the sides and bottom of the drawer to attach the face of the drawer.

Step 25

Put the top on and attach with the previously drilled pocket holes.

Finishing Details

Now that you are done building the kids craft desk, it’s time to finish it up.

Step 1

First things first, plug and trim any pocket holes.

*Step 2

Do this step BEFORE assembling these pieces. Stain the drawer front, door and top. I used Minwax Golden Oak. I designed the lines first in Sketchup and after the second coat has dried, I used a pencil to lightly draw the lines onto the boards. I did a few horizontal, vertical and angled lines. It doesn’t matter what angle you use on the angles, just make sure they are consistent from line to line. After I liked the way it looked, I went over the lines with a Sharpie and then Polycrylic to seal it all in.