Back To School Project: DIY Wall Desk

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases (more).

To the relief of many a parent, it’s back to school time. It’s not that these people dislike having their children around them 24/7, per se, but we can imagine it must be annoying the resumption of the school schedule can bring welcome order to the household.

But not all is idyllic: with school comes homework and the classic battles of Essay vs. TV and Algebra vs. Playstation. In order for homework to prevail, a distraction-free zone is often a parent’s best ally. However, not every home has a nice, quiet den for focused attention nor does every child’s room have the space for a full-sized desk. If you’re short on space, consider installing a DIY Wall Desk in a room, kitchen, basement or hallway. A wall desk is installed (as you guessed from the name) on a wall, is compact, and folds up when not in use. It’s ideal for even the smallest areas and provides a tidy storage option to boot.

Sound good? Here’s a free plan to build one.

Skil Power Tools, a Homefixated sponsor, offers a free PDF download that includes a materials list, several photos, an explanation of what’s involved, and instructions for creating a wall desk. Their plans are for a desk that is approximately 36” wide by 18” tall by 12” deep when folded up and roughly 28” deep when the writing panel is down and open for use. If those dimensions don’t work for your space, you can easily use some handy math skills (and even have your kid assist in that as an impromptu homework assignment!) to adapt the plans to your needs.

You will need to have some woodworking skills, tools on hand and a free weekend, but the project is still easy enough for brave woodworking novices to succeed in.

We’ve suggested you use this as a desk for young pupils, but it’s obviously also handy for us studious adults short on space (there’s enough room to place a laptop on it) or for those who need a nice dedicated area to store and handle bills, mail and other business of the day.

Download the Skil Power Tools DIY Wall Desk plans now and let us know how you make do!

Photo of author

About Jen

Jen (but never “Jenn”) Byck, aka the Fix'n Vixen, is a Toronto-based freelance writer and communication consultant who is undoubtedly home fixated (she is also TV fixated, really bad TV fixated and donut fixated). Her approach to home improvement has been rather trial and error, the latter of which is evidenced by the amount of spackle she buys on an annual basis.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get access to free prizes, product sneak-peeks, reviews, how-to's and much more!

More Info | Email Privacy

13 thoughts on “Back To School Project: DIY Wall Desk”

  1. Sorry Skill is just kidding No Plans anywhere on the
    net for Back To School Project: DIY Wall Desk
    sure suckered me.
    Roger

    Reply
  2. Sounds like a great project for adults too – at least in areas like San Diego with overpriced real estate and not a lot of spare bedroom/offices floating around!

    Marc: Can you please build me one, my birthday is coming up!

    Reply
    • You’re right, this pretty much is an ideal San Diego desk. I’m surprised they haven’t started building micro-houses like have do in Japan. Then again, no one would actually buy one here. As to birthday project outsourcing, I’m pretty sure my significant other would love it if I pried myself away from the mile-long honey-do list here and custom-built/installed a student desk for you. Our house doesn’t technically need windows right? I’ll be right over! ; )

      Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.