How to Make a Unique & Cheap Kid's Desk

She'll really love working at her desk if you paint it her favorite color.

You believe that kids who are given their own study areas make better grades and succeed in many respects, but your budget is somewhere between "squeaking by" and "just when one bill is paid off, a catastrophe generates another." Use your circumstances as a badge of honor and put on your innovator's hat. Choose a unique idea that best suits your skills and circumstances.

Instructions

1. Remake a scrapped, garage sale or flea market find with elbow grease, paint stripper, sandpaper and a paint color that coordinates with your youngster's bedroom. Don't stop with the refinishing tasks: personalize the desk. Use stencils and paint to write: "Lindsey's Work Space: Hands Off" or stencil flowers or cars on the desktop so it represents your child's interests. Expect to be asked by PTA cohorts what you'd charge to make one for their child, too.

2. Place a door or a length of plywood atop two stacks of concrete blocks to create a work area for your child. This idea is a new take on the ever-popular "new couple starter bookcase" concept and you can tailor it to fit a smaller space within the child's bedroom. Sand and then stain or paint the door or plywood so the writing surface is smooth. Hang a wall lamp over the desk so the surface is well lit for everything from homework assignments to science projects.

3. Recruit a relative to recreate a child's desk design that's sold in retail stores. Everyone has one: the cousin who can't get enough time in Home Depot and Lowe's; capable of doing Herculean acts with a hammer and plywood. Purchase building plans on websites, in hobby magazines and library books. Spring for the supplies, then turn him loose to do his thing. Make sure you consult your mini-scholar on aesthetics: now's the time to pick colors he'll love.

4. Challenge yourself to make a corner desk for your child if you fancy yourself a competent carpenter. Have a home improvement store clerk cut five 26-inch pieces of lumber to make legs and one piece each of 54-by-30 inch and 26-by-30 inch plywood. The two sections form an interlocking desktop "V" that fits into the corner wall you've earmarked for the desk. Join the desktop with wood glue and/or nails. Position the legs (two each at the ends of the desktop and the fifth supporting the back juncture at the wall seam). Sand and paint it a cheery color.

5. Teach your child a thing or two about repurposing natural materials. Two thick tree stumps tall enough to balance a slab of wood makes a great-looking little desk, but you will have to make sure the trunk is thick enough to stabilize the desktop. Alternately, wood or plastic sawhorses are a quick fix if you don't know your way around a screwdriver. The great thing about wood sawhorses is that they're cheap and you can trim them down to kid height before placing the top.

Tips & Warnings

• Sand a child's desk thoroughly to be sure no splinters remain behind. Use successively finer grades of sandpaper until all surfaces are satiny smooth.

References

• Purely Home Decor: Kids Desk: Choose a Good One
• Kid's Wood Works: Create Your Own Custom Kids Desk
• Corner Desks!: Simple Guide on Making Corner Desk for Children or Kids