How to Build a Desk in a Knee Wall

Use a stud finder to locate the studs in your knee wall and mark their position in pencil.

Measure the length and height of the knee wall to determine the dimensions for your desk using a measuring tape. Decide whether you want your desk to be equal in length to the wall or use the measuring tape to determine a different length. Plan to build your desk at least 30 inches deep and at least 30 inches high.

Use a circular saw to cut a sheet of 1-inch hardwood to the length and width dimensions of your desk. Gently sand the cut edges of the desk smooth with fine-grain sandpaper.

Cut two sheets of 1-inch hardwood to a length 4 inches shorter than the height of the desk and a width two inches less than the width of the desktop. You will be using these boards as the side supports for your knee wall desk.

Lay the two pieces of hardwood you just cut flat on the floor so the shorter sides run horizontally. Measure and make a pencil mark along the right edge of both boards about four inches from the top right corner.

Use a ruler to draw a straight line from the mark you just made to the bottom left corner of the board. Cut along this line using the circular saw, removing a triangular piece of wood from both boards. Sand the cut edges of both boards using the fine-grain sandpaper.

Cut a piece of 2-by-2-inch hardwood using the circular saw to the length of the desktop, minus 6 inches to account for the thickness of the side supports and to allow a 2-inch overhang on either end of the desk. Hold the piece of 2-by-2-inch hardwood horizontally against the wall where you intend to install your desk. Position the hardwood so its top edge is one inch below the desired height of the desk.

Use a level to check that the piece of 2-by-2-inch hardwood is level. Drive 3-inch wood screws through the hardwood into the wall studs to secure it in place.

Cut two pieces of 2-by-2-inch hardwood to the same width as the side supports, minus 2 inches to account for the piece of 2-by-2-inch hardwood already installed along the wall. Use the circular saw to cut two more pieces of 2-by-2-inch hardwood to a length of 20 inches.

Lay one of the shorter and one of the longer pieces of 2-by-2-inch hardwood you just cut on top of each of the side supports. Place the shorter piece along the top horizontal edge of the side support. Align the end of the 2-by-2-inch hardwood board with the shortest edge of the side support. Align the longer piece of 2-by-2-inch hardwood with the longest vertical edge of the side support, positioning it two inches from the top edge of the side support.

Drive 2 1/2-inch wood screws through the pieces of 2-by-2-inch hardwood you just put in place into the side supports to attach them. The pieces of 2-by-2-inch hardwood should be positioned so there is a 2-by-2-inch space left in the upper corner along the longest edge of the side supports.

Place the two side supports you cut earlier against the wall on either side of the piece of 2-by-2-inch hardwood you just installed. Position the side supports so their longest narrow edge is flush with the wall. The 2-by-2-inch gap in the top corner of the side supports should fit over the 2-by-2-inch hardwood board already installed along the wall.

Drive 3-inch wood screws through the vertical piece of 2-by-2-inch hardwood attached to the side supports into the wall studs. Drive additional screws at an angle through the horizontal piece of 2-by-2-inch hardwood attached to the wall and the two smaller pieces screwed to the side supports.

Lay your desktop flat on top of the frame you just completed. Adjust the desktop so its back edge is flush with the wall and it overhangs the hardwood frame by about two inches on either side. Drive nails from a nail gun down through the desktop into the frame below.

Paint or stain your finished knee wall desk to match the decor in the rest of your room. Apply a coat of clear varnish or polyurethane to protect the surface of your desk from minor wear and water damage.