Shortly after starting the quest of finding THE perfect standing desk, I realized that I would have to build it myself since it’s almost impossible to find one that matches all my criteria:
- It has to have an up&down control panel for sit/stand position.
- It has to have a natural surface — preferably wood.
- It has to be high enough when used standing the elbows and the desk can be perpendicular.
- It has to have wire organization.
- The total cost has to be within $500.
And Ikea’s Bekant sit/stand desk($399) allows me to do all that. It came with a control panel which can be installed at any corner and a wire organization net under the table. In addition to the underframe, I also got a Gerton table top ($89.99). After a layer of wood stain and a bottle of polyurethane, I was very happy with the end result:
The desk can support up to 70kg and was very sturdy and smooth.
I was going after a retro, industrial style so decided to stain the Gerton table top. For me one layer of wood stain did the trick since I still want the grain to show through the color. However, applying polyurethane & waiting for it to dry probably was the longest part of the whole process. I’ve applied at least 5 coats each side — even though only top will be used I still applied somewhat same number of layers each side to prevent the moisture from getting in which will cause a warped wood — and it took me total of 1 day and drying overnight.
Finally, here is a quick video showing how it moves up and down. Enjoy!
