How to Build a Wall-Mounted Desk for Kids

Designing and Placing the Desk

• 1

  Measure the desired width and length of the wall-mounted desk, using a tape measure. Two feet wide by 4 feet long is an example size for a desk.

• 2

  Mark the height of the desk on the wall, using a pencil. Use your child to determine the correct height for the desk. Have her sit in a chair at a comfortable table and measure the height of that table from the floor. Mark the height at two spots, 2 feet apart.

• 3

  Level the marks on the wall. Use a level to draw a straight horizontal line between the two height marks. This line marks where to position the top of the desk brackets.

Make the Desk's Wall Brackets

• 4

  Cut four pieces of 2-by-4-inch wood to 1½ feet long with a compound miter saw. Adjust the measurements for a larger or smaller desk.

• 5

  Apply wood glue to the end of one of these pieces and lay it horizontally on the work surface. Stand another piece up vertically on the work surface and put it next to the glued end.

• 6

  Pre-drill two screw holes with a power drill through the side of the vertical piece of wood and into the horizontal piece. Screw two 2 1/2 -inch wood screws through the wood to hold it together.

• 7

  Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the other wall bracket.

• 8

  Cut two pieces of the 2-by-4-inch wood to 12 inches long. Miter the ends at 45-degree angles but in opposite directions. Apply wood glue to the ends of these pieces and slide it between the two L-shaped brackets to form a triangle. Screw each end into the bracket's two sides that form an "L" shape.

Cut the Desktop

• 9

  Mark the width and length of the desktop on the 4-by-8-foot sheet of 1-inch thick plywood, using a tape measure and a pencil.

• 10

  Draw straight cut lines along the desktop's width and length measurements, using a straight edge.

• 11

  Cut the lines with a circular saw or table saw.

• 12

  Sand the edge's rough cuts smooth with a sander.

• 13

  Cut the 1-inch decorative trim, using the width and length measurements of the desktop. Miter the ends of each trim piece to meet at the corners. Apply wood glue over the edges of the plywood desktop and nail the trim to the edges, using a pneumatic nail gun and brads or finishing nails and a hammer.

Assembling the Wall-Mounted Desk

• 14

  Line up the desk wall brackets to the wall marks with a flat side facing the wall and the other flat side facing up. Pre-drill two vertical holes through each bracket and screw them to the wall with 3-inch screws and wall anchors if off of a wall stud.

• 15

  Apply a generous amount of wood glue to the top of the wall brackets.

• 16

  Place the desktop on top of the wall brackets. Screw it to the wall brackets up through the wall brackets from underneath. Use the 2½-inch screws, which will not pass through the desktop.

• 17

  Sand the desktop work surface, edges and brackets to a smooth, splinter-free finish. Dust off with a cloth, and then apply stain and polyurethane or paint the kid-sized wall-mounted desk.