The IKEA Desk Hack never fails! New Office is looking SICK!

[@death-by-ego]

Just a reminder to the kiddos. Home Depot/Lowes is a thing. The reason you hear a lot about sag with these Ikea countertops is that they aren't solid wood. Jay keeps talking about "solid" and "density", but they aren't. They have a thin veneer (strip) of actual wood with most of it being a particleboard core. This doesn't really matter when using it as an actual countertop since its supported completely underneath by cabinets, but as a desk, it is completely unsupported in the middle. And the bigger space in the middle, the more area it has to sag and bend. You can instead get actual solid wood butcherblock countertops from Home Depot for a little more than the particleboard Ikea ones. Depending, you are looking at $50 to $100 more. They will come unfinished, but all you need is some sealer, stain if you want, and a rag to finish it. To put it in perspective, I got an actual walnut butcherblock (same size) for $50 more than Jayz veneer one and add an extra $15 or $20 for some poly to seal it. Finished ones can be cheaper too, but those you typically need to order (and deal with possibly returning and waiting again if it turns out something is wrong with it).

[@nonstopper]

$50 to $100 more AND you have to seal and finish them yourself. Tough sell my man.

[@Zaevia]

@@nonstoppermy butcher block was actually cheaper than an ikea top

[@trentonmorecraft5325]

@@nonstopper50-100 more expensive and you will never have to buy another and wont have to worry about stuff dropping in the middle of the night

[@JDS-Dalton]

Was just looking, and i can get a 5 foot long, 30 inch deep finished and sealed butcher block for only 10 dollars more than the Ikea Karlby, 30 bucks cheaper than the karlby if i want to finish it myself.

[@_Helios_]

@@JDS-Dalton from where can you get a finished and sealed butcher block?

[@stephenbeyer4315]

As a shorter guy myself, I like how you genuinely are concerned about Phil's comfort and ergonomics without being demeaning about it, as so many other people would. It shows you are a good bloke and great boss. And that space is looking fantastic!

[@Jelpronir]

Smoll.

[@PegLegManlet]

I’m also a manlet at 5’7. I would like to know how the IKEA setup works with someone at my height.

[@SmellyBodega]

backpain recognize back pain

[@ceepuck1511]

The question I want answered is, Can Phil use Jay's sitting desk, as a standing desk???

[@fred_derf]

Yes, if he has a small platform to stand on.

[@Fuzzout]

@@fred_derf Why would Jay need to stand on a platform for Phil's test of Jay's desk?

[@Mr.Hatchet_]

Well i rather would want to know if jay can use phils standing desk as a sitting desk 😅

[@grizzleebair]

@@Mr.Hatchet_ If Jay sits on the floor, hahaha.

[@grizzleebair]

I literally was going to post this same comment but I read forst to see if anyone else had already done so. Kudos! Hahaha!

[@mrjackson2k]

You have a 3D printer, model up a circle with screw holes on te outside, matching the legs, screw it into the bottom of the desk and use it as a positive stop type mount. You can still lift the desk off but it won't slide.

[@elkomander3510]

You legit read my mind, this is exactly what I was thinking. Jay, try this out bud

[@ledoynier3694]

why 3D print such a basic part? he can cut that easily in plastic or wood and make enough parts for all the office in the time it would take to print one pracket :P Still, nice idea!

[@mrjackson2k]

@@ledoynier3694 It's easier to be more accurate, and you can do other things while it prints.

[@fred_derf]

They make rubber pads for the bottom of chairs, etc. to keep them from scratching the floor that would work and cost less than the plastic used in the 3D printer.

[@RJRukavina]

Another easy solution could be simply the earthquake putty, or a dab of construction adhesive.

[@alexk.1168]

If you don't place the PC for the height-adjustable desks on top of the desks, you could mount them under the tabletop. Advantage: The distance between tabletop and connectors on the back of the PC is constant which means you need less length for the cables and it helps with the cable management. That is what I did with my PC when I bought my height--adjustable desk and never regret it.

[@Ehren1337]

im sure he knows about under the tabletop, top is just better for dust/dirt/lint prevention.

[@michaelwmcdonald]

What about the cables going to components on the desk?

[@alexk.1168]

@@michaelwmcdonald I use 3 wire grommets in my desk to bring the cables from my PC onto the tabletop. The Advantage for a PC mounted below the tabletop is the following: The length required for cables going from the PC onto to tabletop is fixed therefor shorter cables can be used compared to a PC standing on the floor (for this scenario you need cables long enough for the max height position of the desk). Having my power strip and PC mounted under my tabletop, I have only 2 cables running from the floor to the tabletop: 1x power, 1x ethernet.

[@michaelwmcdonald]

@@Ehren1337 and don't forget the most important part, RGB.

[@xorinzor]

Can I just say how nice it is that even though you don't use the metric system; you at least add it to the video. Very refreshing.

[@mrnboden]

Love the new office. My own personal thought would be to change out the white outlet covers for a gray that blends in

[@joefowble]

Or Jay can make a video about painting them as filler some week.

[@AK90]

@@joefowble OH thats a sick idea!

[@kaldogorath]

@@joefowble I don't think painting some socket covers is a video

[@jemiebridges3197]

I think if your gonna paint em, might as well go red and make them pop and accentuate

[@Eric_Fate]

Instead of 3M tape, for stuff that I need to stop slipping that will have a decent amount of weight pressing down on them -- I just get a kneaded rubber eraser from an art supply store for less than $2. Tear it into chunks, roll them into balls, and put them on top of the pressure points. Works great, and easy cleanup if you need to move your pieces around later.

[@agenericaccount3935]

Sounds like blue tack with extra steps.

[@Brunsas73]

Yeah, some rubber feet must be a better choice right ? (instead of 3M)

[@ronwolenski-n8wcr]

Or better yet, get that rubber kitchen drawer liners, the kind that are meshed type. They can then be cut to fit anywhere.

[@OhSoTiredMan]

You could purchase rubber desk bumpers that could do the trick

[@Calamity_Jack]

Sorbothane disks would be great - they're tacky (but removable) and they deaden sound and vibrations.

[@CDPowell]

I went with the ultra-budget version of this hack for my desk. I went to a Habitat for Humanity ReStore and purchased two 30" kitchen cabinets and a used 84" x 32" solid-core interior door slab. The drawers are not as wide as the IKEA units but I got a huge working surface with 8 drawers for under $50.

[@donkeysunited]

Brilliant. That solid door slab will be an excellent purchase if you ever decide to use monitor arms. The standard IKEA desks are not strong enough.

[@Blacklands]

@@donkeysunited But isn't this the expensive desk top that Jay got? He specifically said he got the expensive one that's more solid wood because he doesn't want it to bow in the middle (which the cheap ones absolutely do if you don't add more support, yeah). Shouldn't that wood also be strong enough to have a monitor arm clamped to it? (If you get the cheap top that's just honeycomb material inside, don't try this or the clamp will likely crush the top.)

[@donkeysunited]

@@Blacklands Yes. I was approving of Christopher's purchase. You can also use monitor arms on the standard IKEA desks but you need to get a lot more creative in how you mount them. Having a solid wood desk of any kind (desk, door, kitchen counter) is a better idea overall.

[@joemorganti895]

Thanks to your home office videos, I made my own IKEA desk hack. Alex drawers, 2 in risers and a kitchen counter top that's been UV sealed from Home Depot. It's super sturdy and it's able to take any abuse I throw at it. I used Scotch Mount Double-Sided 30 lb tape to stick the top to the risers and it holds so freaking well.

[@blackraen]

7:26 My trick for that, Jay, is to get some of that "zip foam" toolbox liner and you can contact-cement it to your table. It provides good resistance to arbitrary movement if you're man-handling your desktop, but at the same time will lift off and reset no problem. Cheaper by the contact surface as well (You can make big pads on the desk's underside for easy/no fuss adjustments).

[@oxideous]

I also thought my sit/stand desk was a little too high on it's lowest setting, so I installed a custom keyboard tray. Bought some rails from home depot and wood intended for a shelf. It's been perfect, very stable, ridged and gets me space back on the desk.

[@freezingCode]

The Uplift Desk will go down to 22.6 inches. Almost low enough to floor gang with the desk!

[@AlphaMachina]

For my cable management, I actually just got a 2.5" conduit and cut a slot down the length of it, and then used a heat gun to spread the slot open about 1/2". Then I screwed it to the back edge of my desk with the slot facing upwards. All of my cables go into the conduit, and then along the length of it and out the sides. I also used a 1.5" hole saw to drill 3 holes in the bottom of it, one in the middle and two equidistant between the middle and the outside edges for cables to drop out of if needed. My entire desk is made out of a solid core wooden front door for a house with galvanized steel fence posts and Steeltek fittings for the framing/legs. Edit: btw, I got the door for $50 at Lowes years ago, and it's an 80x30 oak veneer, so it makes for an absolute beast of a desk that has a beautiful finish. I stained it with black stain, then years later sanded it back a bit and stained it again with vintage aqua. So it's got black in the grain and vintage aqua in the high spots, and it looks incredible.

[@matthouse99]

Pics or it didn't happen. Sounds really nice though.

[@sparkyenergia]

I used aluminium angle in a few different sizes with some epoxy to basically make the same shape as you described.

[@AlphaMachina]

@@matthouse99 KZbin doesn't let you post sites, but I'll try. Pull up Google Drive site and then add /drive/u/0/folders/1o2dWQCfTls8B751UJoGQxhFmnvacNx9p to the end of it.

[@AlphaMachina]

@@matthouse99 Check my About section for the Google Drive site.

[@JisMortal]

another hack for your desk hack, I highly recommend getting an anti-sag / table stiffener bar for your desk. theyre like ~$15 at a hardware store (v channel bracket?) and will help against sag.

[@TheOgres3DForge]

My trick was to pick up a solid core door blank to use as a desk surface, some sanding and staining later a nice custom desk :D

[@Signaworks]

J the Mortal could you elaborate in any way? Can't seem to find what you mean via googling. I was thinking about square/rectangle tube to stiffen my desk

[@guhbe385]

I've had a 8' butcher block with no support besides the smaller draws so even bigger gap for like 5 years now and no sag. Though I have the solid butcher block I know Ikea has some that are not solid as well that sag easier

[@JisMortal]

@@guhbe385 yea most of IKEAS kitchen countertops are the same as their desk tabletops, but with a thick layer of wood finished veneer. That’s why they’re cheap. I’m assuming 2 monitors worth of weight + stands. Sag will occur, it’s just a matter of when

[@paulhammond8121]

@@JisMortal .

[@Kajukota]

If you want a cheap desktop that's still very sturdy and very deep, go with a solid core door from your local hardware store. It will work great with the same drawer set Jay used, or the Ikea Kallax cube storage turned sideways. You can even do a longer kallax cube storage and get an L -shape desk. Edit: you can also purchase some stick on tile flooring from the same hardware store and use that to cover the desk. Adds a unique look and offers some protection. Mine looks like a concrete slab, which would otherwise be way too heavy of a desk top.

[@jmhgaming7155]

Hey man, interesting ideas. Is there a way you can link a pic of your desk?

[@DeanVarney]

The other "hack" to using a door as opposed to a countertop is that most doors come with a hole or two already for the door knob and deadbolt which are also very convenient for cable management.

[@lallison2825]

Ok if there's architectural salvage that 's a good place to look. I have a friend who lucked out on a fancy door, got self leveling clear acrylic to cover it. It looks awesome. Also you can use the knob hole as cable management.

[@caseclosed2519]

Yeah give us pics that idea sounds so good

[@NIGHTSTALKER0069]

Love how you take care of your guys. Not everyone knows or cares about ergonomics.

[@matthouse99]

Someone either sneezed or tried hard to hold back a laugh when Jay said Phil's feet don't touch the floor. It got a laugh out of me either way.

[@JaimeWulf]

It was a snort/laugh lol...

[@xemphios]

Was wondering if anyone else noticed. Came to comment the same thing lol. Def Nick laughing

[@xpyr]

It's at 13:42 for anyone wondering.

[@ambientnaturally]

yeah... I kinda think it could have been edited out... but then again, it does seem like a group that jokes and has fun together.

[@joshuadillhunt8707]

Thank you for this video. After 15 years my current desk is finally falling apart and I've started looking at new desks and haven't seen anything I like. The setup you made here is amazing. I'm stealing it for my own desk.

[@odhinn9]

Just a heads up, that barkaboda countertop will still bow a bit on each end of the sit/stand desks if it's hanging over the edge of the frame too far like they are in your setups to accommodate the ikea Alex drawers fitting under. I had mine set up that way, with even less overhang actually and they started to bow at the ends with very little weight on them.

[@DKarkarov]

Yeah I got curious about this and checked out Ikeas details on the tops and it says the same thing for karlsby and barba whatever. They are particle board with veneer covers, not solid wood, and the max distance between "legs" is 32 inches unless you add some form of center support. So Jays desk is way beyond a 32 inch gap.

[@odhinn9]

@@DKarkarov Yeah I readjusted the legs on my sit/stand desk so that they sit on the ends of the barkaboda countertop and I have the center support going down the middle. Seems to have fixed the sag that was caused from before and I just have my Alex drawers at each end of the desk, not underneath anymore.

[@NYCKrash]

I have to tell you, when I was looking to re-do my computer desk I came across this video and watched it about seven times, showed my wife and shared it with my tech friends for their thoughts. I did end up doing something very similar and used a lot of your suggestions. I used the Ikea standing frame, the cable management trays from your video. Aside from that I went to Lowes and found a counter top that was 72" by 30" as I wanted the depth of a big desk. I mounted everything and put it all together with a monitor arm to hold up my 38" Alienware ultrawide and the set up was amazing. I can sit, stand, and have plenty of space to show off all my toys. If I had not come across this video, I probably would not have gone this route. Thanks.

[@flavaflave15]

Not crappy content at all. I have loved watching your office come together. It is nice to see your office coming together and it gives me ideas of how to make my office cleaner and better organized. Thanks for including the links to the products you used. I need to order me some of those cable management trays now. You guys are awesome! keep up the vlogs!

[@HalfUnder]

As someone who is over 6 feet tall and mostly legs I have to use a foot rest to raise my feet up as well. I bought the comfilife foot rest. Surprisingly comfortable for the price. Keep up the content Jay and crew.

[@theomnyist]

Office is looking amazing. Loving this for you Jay!

[@ancydazy1034]

All that commission money from telling his fans to buy GPU's before the price drops of course.

[@pingu99991]

One cable management hack I like is using guttering as a cable management tray. It's cheap, easy to cut to your preferred length, and you can get it same day from home depot while you're getting the hardware you forgot to order.

[@Sossingro]

I did a similar thing a few years ago, bought one of their really cheap kitchen countertops, it's a way better option (if you like the full white look). It's way more solid and the front too edge is beveled which feels much nicer than square edges.

[@Jon95McC]

The LILLTRÄSK countertop?

[@Sossingro]

@@Jon95McC I can't remember specifically but I had a look at this product just now and it seems like it probably is :)

[@aanderson1991]

Something I've been adding to my desks lately is a flush mount power Jack with usb charger. Comes in real handy when you need to plug in random accessories quickly

[@SubdueOG]

Love seeing the progress, the space looks incredible. Hope you’re doing a full review of the ROG desk I’ve been looking into sit stand desks for a while and the best I’ve come across is from a company called Desk Haus in Michigan but it this desk can compete that would be cool to see!

[@ancydazy1034]

All that commission money from telling his fans to buy GPU's before the price drops of course.

[@leoneverest]

I bought a sit stand desk from Uplift Desk a year ago and I love it. Solid as hell with my self built over sized desktop(35" x 92"). For the size I did buy the $1k commercial desk but it can lift me with my entire setup and still be stable.

[@trickycoolj]

I just got a DeskHaus Apex Pro it's a TANK compared to the ones we have in the corporate office I work in and is leagues above Ikea. I went to my local Ikea and all 3 of their motorized sit-stand desks had a lot of side to side wobble, the cheaper ones had a lot of front to back wobble too. I actually knocked a little privacy screen off one of the cheaper ones when I was *gently* wobbling the desk. Not willing to put my newly built gaming rig on that! The up-down range on the Ikea desks also didn't go low enough for me at 5'5", I like my desk around 27" sitting. The really nice thing about the DeskHaus desk is that all of their tops are solid MDF or real wood. Ikea's are all hollow in the middle even the Bamboo look and the butcher block in the kitchen section. That was actually quite disappointing for me since I had built in an 8ft kitchen counter from Ikea 10 years ago in my previous house (had to leave it built in when we sold the house) and the counter was really solid and safe to put a drink on since a kitchen counter is meant to get wet. DeskHaus' laminate top is similar to that old kitchen counter I had. I went deep down the sit-stand desk rabbit hole around the 4th of July so it's all very fresh in my memory still!

[@DrivenKeys]

I love the gap the risers make between the desk and drawers, perfect for flat stuff. If anybody is looking for a smaller, but extremely sturdy sit/stand, I use Home Depot's Husky adjustable work bench. It's super beefy, an actual work bench that's pretty inexpensive. Mine is 46" wide, they also come in 52" and 62". It's a manual crank, which some don't like, but I use the handle as a headphones hook. It comes with both adjustable feet and big casters, and the rectangular bar that joins the legs can be mounted in the rear position, turned upside down to make a cable management tray that also holds my g27 pedals in place. I just looked, they're 250 bux, totally worth it. With the feet installed, it may be low enough for Phil. I lower mine to touch my lap with my secretlabs chair at its lowest setting.

[@robs2415]

You have a 3D printer, you could design you some cups to bolt on the bottom of the desk top, that would cup over the feet screwed on top of the drawers. This would keep the top from sliding.

[@44R0Ndin]

Always love it when the "just 3d print something" idea comes up. Quite frankly that "I need a piece that does this specific thing" problem is the one that 3d printers are best at solving. That's probably why they have one on the ISS (go look it up, it's true). I'm thinking any future space station will have one or more 3d printers as standard equipment, since it's worked out so well for the ISS. And for that similar reason, I'm considering buying one myself. IDK where to look for advice or a comparison guide tho.

[@TheDessum]

lol you guys are just so naturally funny, it's cool watching people hang out while still being informative

[@douglasslayback3441]

Ikea has some great stuff, did my sons streaming room with their heavy desks. A fun store to wander through for ideas too 👍

[@xaniphus]

A little over ten years ago, I did the same desk hack with a door and a dozen cinder blocks. It was cheaper, but that desk looks much nicer. The new space is looking great.

[@MeAmMelonLord]

Learn from my mistake when it comes to hacking Ikea furniture; do NOT use large pieces of double-sided silicone tape until you know everything is how you like it. I used 2x18" sections to secure my desktop to my Alex units but didn't do my due diligence in placing everything. Cue several hours of prying, cutting, and general struggling to break the adhesive. Also need to take some caution when buying a desktop from Ikea because many of their desktop options aren't solid particleboard now, instead they're a few layers of laminate/veneer with a "honeycomb structure paper filling". I ended up buying a butcher block countertop from Lowe's

[@erin.anderson]

That's why he didn't use a desktop here, and uses one of their countertops instead. It's not just "many" of their desktop options; literally ALL of their desktop options are that way. There are no solid wood desktops, which is frustrating if you don't want that type of wood grain.

[@C76Caravan]

Yeah, had one of the large normal desktop tops (IKEA Linnmon line) and just a week ago a friend came over. I let him experience some VR flight simming, but my joystick has a desk mount. He pulled hard, and it started pushing into the bottom of the desk and popping off the side border plastic cover. Not really his fault, because the internals of the desk is just this honeycomb structure paper that doesn't really allow pressure from the bottom. The issue is that the top I have was an older version of the Linnmon desktop with a nice depth of 30 inches, but nowadays, you cannot find a desk-top or counter-top with that depth.

[@_GntlStone_]

I prefer the standoffs that go under the IKEA base kitchen cabinets. The contrast of the dark brown and stainless is impactful.

[@djrt8179]

You know what I'd do with this to bring it up a notch? I'd figure out the diameter of the elevated legs and then get a grommet cutter of the same size to put slight holes through, then use a rotary bit to shave the spaces flat so the desk sits flush on the legs. I'm personally not a fan of just letting them hover over the top, I'd want that extra sturdiness. But I always love that setup, even if it's one of the most popular ones out there, very popular for a good reason.

That would weaken the contact points tho, would be better to cut something out of aluminum or steel plate and bolt it to the top instead.

[@GermanMaterialScientist]

I use the IKEA hack at home. I got one of the narrower Alex drawers on the left and two adjustable legs at the right. I positioned the drawer like on Phil's desk, but screwed it to the top on the inside of the drawer. The extra room in the back of the counter top is used for cable management. I bought the widest cable duct I could find (about 10cm wide and 5 cm thick), cut it to length (approx 15cm shorter than the length of the top board) and screwed it to the top. I cut several holes on the back of the duct to pass the cables through as needed. Looks very clean and my kids can not pull on the cables.

[@LockOn-ed4od]

Makes me want to redo my office. Watching now as we speak. Ty J!

[@LiLBitsDK]

watching office setup/desk setup videos is DANGEROUS ya get new ideas and such :D

[@toxxie2810]

THANK YOU! I'm rebuilding my office and I've been looking for desks... its so frustrating. These look so much better than the prebuilds.

[@Sir_Bini]

Why not use little velcro tape patches on a couple of the feet under the desktop? That way desktop is stuck to the drawer units but not permanently so. It just gives you more protection against accidental moves (mainly lateral) but, since they're velcro, can easily be taken off.

[@matthouse99]

They also make some rubber pads you can stick to furniture (like a couch) to keep it from sliding on a hard floor and prevents damage. I bet those would work.

[@guyman1570]

@@matthouse99 Yeah I use non-stick rubber circles myself. Just need to lay out a series of them in a grid for each drawer section I use.

[@Sir_Bini]

@@matthouse99 I thought of velcro because it provides ever so slightly more resistance than rubber pads in vertical movements, just enough to be compliant for intentional movement but enough to resist accidental ones.

[@thumper8128]

Im gonna be very honest. I never thought of looking at Ikea for a new desk for myself, and I love the Jay hack desk!

[@SwivelIanJ]

The drawers are something I'm looking into doing when I build my new desk, I'm going to use a door as the desktop though also way way cheaper then that Ikea top.

[@xtantaudio1]

This is an AMAZING IDEA !!!! I cant believe I didnt think of this earlier !!!!! I have been looking for a deeper desk top option ! THANK YOU !

[@phydeux]

This reminds me of the desk my mom made for me when I was a kid (mid-80's). The supports were literally a 5-sided rectangle box with adjustable shelving tracks, then you'd clip in the shelf supports and put a square wood shelf on top. And the desktop was a hollow-core door. And of course she'd stained and lacquered everything nicely. This was long before PCs were common in homes, but it was awesome and cheap. I only wish I'd had a desk chair. I got a wood dinette chair finished to match.

[@justaskin8523]

Sounds like you have a great mom!

[@phydeux]

@@justaskin8523 - You'd think so, but no. It was one of her rare good moments.

[@dustinhanna381]

Loving how the channel is evolving. Also would love to see more of how y’all are putting the office together. Y’all should totally do more vids on it.

[@callofmasterchief]

If you are afraid of your top sliding, a tiny hack is to 3d print a small pocket for the inside back leg to fall into to. That way you wont see it while still securing the top in a way that it cant slide around. We did that with the desk of a friend of mine and worked amazing.

[@mostdavestdave69]

How did you know??? I've been looking at desks. Even considered making cabinets into a desk kinda like you did. Like the idea of the little legs between table top and cabinet.

[@bothellkenmore]

I feel like you could tuck some thing in that space you don't want on the desk or a drawer like a USB hub/memory card reader. I think Jay has something like that at home because he was having some connectivity issues with his wireless mouse/keyboard and wanted to get the receiver as close as possible.

[@mostdavestdave69]

@@bothellkenmore I was thinking it's useful for something like that. Even if you hid some cable management in there. Can coil it up and tuck in back. Keeps it from behind cabinets and hanging under desk.

[@katherinelangford981]

That cable management thing is neat. I've built like at least 3 shops all using Ikea cabinets and counter tops and we just drilled a hole in the tops, dropped cables down, then ran them either through the drawer cabinets or straight under the cabinets to plug in. The power strips sit on the ground under the cabinets in most cases. I'll keep those cables management systems in mind if we redo or built another. We didn't use Alex cabinets. We bought kitchen cabinets. You can get ones with doors or drawers. We had gloss red, and a gloss blue shops. One store we had the cheapest counter tops clad in stainless steel. We've made 10x10 mall kiosks from ikea, and also full 1000sq/ft shops. Would recommend.

[@kostaskotoulas6542]

No matter how crappy my day is, hearing Phil's laugh makes me forget it.

[@syienth1]

Got the 98 inch unfinished butcher block from Home Depot. Finished it with dark walnut stain and a few coats of polyurethane. It's been a year and there is no bowing with the alex drawers. Really love how sturdy this desk is.

[@markusburkhard5712]

Shocked to learn that some of your PC towers are going to be placed on the floor. This should be made illegal in a company that does true artwork in PC builds 🙂 Love your building/furnishing videos!

[@valkaielod]

I got the desktops on some heavy duty wheeled transporter boards. About 12 euros a piece at Lidl.

[@gbenselum]

PC is a tool in an office space. Not an art piece.

[@timberw1lly]

I did this for my setup and my wife's. We went through Home Depot and picked up two of their 70-some odd inch butcher block countertops, Alex Drawers, and the 2in stainless furniture legs. Both desks came in just over $600. You legitimately cannot beat the cost effectiveness and storage.

[@csabauri351]

Too bad Ikea does not make proper desk tops for computer desks (160+ cm long, 80cm deep ) + 80cm deep Alex drawers would be also good .These 63cm deep tops are too narrow .

[@mrbmp09]

What's an Alex drawer?

[@cyberwomble7524]

They do make quite deep desktops (TROTTEN for example) but they're made of particleboard - no good if you attach a heavy monitor arm, as it wobbles and creaks alarmingly.

[@crwoodjr]

I love the videos that show how it was put together. Everyone else just show the finished product

[@lordmalachi6]

Does anyone have alternatives to IKEA for these desks? I've never been able to find drawers as deep as the Alex's for the base, but I do know you can use stuff like doors for the tops.

[@RDCEAGLES10]

I made my own desk out of 2 kitchen cabinets minus 4 inches off kick plate, then mounted a 28" wide solid door blank, works and looks great. 150 total price.

[@DecanFrost]

you actually mounted the cable managers backwards. you're supposed to use that long opening to stick your hand in to plug and unplug and the "teeth" are for all the cabled coming into the organizer.

[@peddipartha]

Thank you for sharing this hack. This prompted me to get myself 2 Alex cabinets and Trotten top 63x31.5 with the 10cm adjustable metal legs. This will remove clutter from my current diy computer desk.

[@GreenLycan]

judging by the comments, you should create a new channel and start doing office makeovers lol

[@megamanx2395]

The new office setup looks awesome! As an aside, I love the inter-scene bossa nova music you guys use, it cracks me up every time; please don't get rid of it!

[@xFrozenxSnowx]

Never understood using drawers for legs. The amount of leg space taken up by drawers makes the legs feel cramped. I guess it uses less space than having legs and drawers

[@donkeysunited]

You'll get good use out of a good set of drawers in your computer room, useful for cables, USB sticks, CDs, books, etc. Put a wider desk on top of them and you've got great stability. I can confidently put a heavy PC on the desk above the drawers where I'd be less confident having it above 2 skinny legs. The usual layout is the Alex drawers on one side (5 drawers, 14" wide, 2' deep) and 2 legs on the other side, as the legs and drawers are the same height. With a 60" wide desk that gives me 40" of width for my legs which is more than enough, along with the excellent stability and storage space from the drawers. If you have a wide enough room, it's then a no-brainer to get a wider desk and replace the legs with another set of drawers on the other side. And if it's a really wide desk, put a single leg in the back middle for extra support for your monitor(s) while still maximising your leg space.

[@xFrozenxSnowx]

@@donkeysunited if storage space is of no concern then much rather have the space below the desk to mount stuff to. Depth of desks should be 30in or the big monitors simply sit too close to your face. Everyone's requirements are different.

[@Jayztwocents]

You realize that what you are describing here is a difference in subjective opinions right? Obviously you do you

[@xFrozenxSnowx]

@@Jayztwocents 100%. Everyone has their own needs and setup to suit their needs. 👍

[@donkeysunited]

@@Jayztwocents Yup, not saying one is better than the other, just talking about the options. It's great to have the choice.

[@13blackg]

For cable management on my IKEA desk setup I got some of those picture frame ledges and mounted them to the wall under the desk. They're deep enough to hold any bricks/routers/control boxes I've thrown at them and they're dummy cheap

[@jondonnelly3]

I did the same, 3 sets of Alex Drawers and 2 long ass tabletops. Loads of drawers (took ages to do 18 drawers). Get all the drawers level with each other took a while. IKEA rocks.

[@blackbeardthepirate7467]

4" or so adjustable legs on top of the alex drawers minimum makes a lot more sense to me, you're effectively adding an extra tier of storage by still being able to utilize the top of the alex drawer units. Perfect place to store your headphones, controller, a USB hub, card reader, etc etc without cluttering up your work space. Also makes a really nice lighting above and below bleed thru for light should you want to mount lighting to the back edge of your chosen table top, rumor has it its better for your eyes to have ambient light when staring at screens. Good looking setup Jay and team.

[@samdickinson8212]

I have the exact same setup but with a custom butcher block (from home depot - I cut, routed, sanded and finished it myself)! Instead of tape, I used rubber pads on top of the stands and it has worked perfect. Table doesn't move at all because of the weight on the rubber pads and it also protects the bottom of the table.

[@ianemery2925]

I used Ikea IVAR 50cm shelving for my daughter's PC desk; starting from when she was age 3 or 4. The 1 1/4" adjustable shelves mean it can be matched to her height as she grows. I was so impressed with how it worked, I threw away my expensive old Ikea PC desk, and created a larger version of what I build for her. The main limitation is the size of the monitor that can easily be used inside the 80cm bays, but it will take a 32" widescreen display with no issues; the room I use for my PC is pretty tiny, and 32" is about all it could take anyway. I also added an additional 80x30cm IVAR shelf on 12cm stands to raise up the monitor; and another 50cm, just below the main one, as a keyboard shelf; using Amazon shelf runners, so the monitor is around 85cm away from my eyes when I am typing or gaming, and 100cm+ when I am relaxing and watching a film. 6mm wooden dowelling is a perfect fit for the shelf mounting holes, so a few strips either side turn the higher shelves into a bookshelf (daughter's set-up), or use IKEA Kallax boxes for keeping spare PC parts in, for mine. I'd post a photo, but that doesnt seem possible here 😕

[@Immortal-Headcase]

Done this before in an old job, used an old solid wooden wardrobe door though, and the hole from the handle made for convenient cable access, plus it was free because we saved the door from a Skip as well as two kitchen cabinates. We then used rubber matting inbetween the door and recycled kitchen cabinates. Only thing purchased was the matting, later the matting was switched with self adhesive velcro strips because the matting wasn't cutting it. The business burned down a decade ago, about 3 years after I left, good times.

[@westleerhodes9616]

If you get yourself an interior door for a your house and give it a quick stain its alittle more labor intensive and cheeper then the counter tops. ive got one and love it also the door handle hole can be used to run wires. Office is lookin great cant wait to see the new content with the new set up

[@anonymous4298]

I’ve done virtually exactly this years ago. Another trick is to buy two table tops and you can cut one into thirds (longwise) and trim the length down and use PL glue on both of the unfinished sides and glue them together (offset). This now will increase the strength and it will also give you the PERFECT (hidden) channel for your wires

[@NFT2]

The video at your house of this desk hack was actually one of my favorite JTC videos and I remember it from time to time when I think about how I'd like to do my future setup. Nice to see it back on the channel.

[@maciasj04]

I just moved into the new office at work and had a sit-stand desk and it greatly motivates me! I can relate with Phil and Nick when just moving, I can't seem to sit/stand still!

[@Zodacknight]

I have had my Barkaboda for about 5 years. It finally started to bow a bit, so I am replacing with an solid wood Butcher Block from the hardware store, and adding a standup desk. HIGHLY recommend the butcherblocks, they aren't much more expensive than the ikea tops, and much more sturdy.

[@Tyler_Shaw]

The Ikea table tops work on a budget. You can Google how they have a solid frame on the edge, but use a honeycomb of cardboard in the middle. (PSA don't cut or put holes in them. Use a solid countertop. If doing butcher block, shop around as they can be bought at home centers and hardwood suppliers.

[@northbeatzz8569]

i would love to see more of you putting together more setups like this thanks. This gives me more ideas for how i want to start mine

[@billgaudette5524]

Instead of messy double-sided tape, you could use squares of the non-slip shelf fabric (the netted rubberized stuff) between the "feet" and the desk surface. We use it under the wheels for hospital beds so they don't slip on slick floors. Works great!

[@Luscious3174]

My desk is A LOT deeper than that - probably closer to four feet in fact. But that's because I keep a lot more stuff on it than just a keyboard + mouse. I have my optical DAC, large 2 way speakers, all my phone chargers, headphone stand, a desktop cooling fan and a place to rest my 72oz Bubba Keg. And that's all without getting in the way of a 34 inch monitor. Admittedly I don't have drawers on mine, but going deeper versus wider also made everything fit in the space I have better. Another great hack that you can do with these table tops is run a pair of 1in x 1in aluminum L beams across the bottom to prevent sag. Back to back L beams also gives you a T beam for even stronger rigidity. Similarly if you wanted to join two table tops together to make a really deep desk you would use L beams screwed in from the bottom. Aluminum saves weight, but black painted steel would work well too 👍

[@chadgrieser8021]

look at you guys, getting all professional looking with your matching desks. love these videos of the office upgrades.

[@jasonluvisi]

Love to see that you have your desk in the same room as the crew. I would do the same solo offices are boring.

[@Jayztwocents]

I've never had a solo office

[@JDuBz815]

those Edifier speakers keep getting better and better, both in terms of sound quality and aesthetics.

[@robertgates5164]

This is likely one of my favorite videos you've done. IDK why but I really enjoyed it.

[@Cobb]

I might have to do this. The adjustable table height is nice to make sure the chair fits under properly, it looks nice and if it ever has to be moved its a hell of a lot easier than moving a solid desk.

[@KobraTrading]

I also have an ikea hack as a desk, however I didn't put feet on the bottom of the drawers and used 4in on the top. It's the SAME standoffs as you just taller. On Amazon they sell "anti-slip" pads in the same diameter for cheap, and they work well. For cable management I used black plastic sticky cable-trays, and also installed LED strip lighting with a track & diffuser.

[@bitmau5]

Dude, I remember when you were tripping over boxes in your hallway at home. Good luck with the new setup!

[@rooklunary790]

A recommendation I have for keeping the floating top in place. If you have the tool or can rent one that does it, try boring a hole shallowly into the bottom that will fit over the legs. That way the legs will be partially into the bottom of the table and it can't casually fly away. No screws or tape needed.

[@Condor_]

I'm saving this video for when it's time to make my own Ikea hack desk. Thanks for showing this off! It looks great. And this new office renovation is looking amazing!

[@JR-dk4lb]

I did the same thing for my home office/gaming setup. 4 Alex drawers in an L shape, 4x 4 inch legs into the counter top. Went into the counter with my screws as it's a snug fit in the L shape. Also added additional legs in the corner to support my beast of a cooler master h500m. Went for a slightly higher leg so I essentially had another shelf space on top of the drawers.

[@GrackAlaciN]

I had a blood clot 3-4 months ago, and the doc thinks that it's probably from sitting too much in front of a computer. So I upgraded to a sitting/standing desk from IKEA which is actually pretty good. I especially like the added depth of the table that I didn't even realize made such a huge difference.

[@ViciousXUSMC]

My desk hack for years and years is used file cabinets and a wood top, the file cabinets hold tons and are made to handle lots of weight, and its a deep desk to hold my 4 monitor setup with all my streaming/recording gear no issues.

[@AshStorm09]

It's to see you care enough about Phil and your employees to make sure they are working comfortably.

[@bergatrolle]

Phil I appreciate that you put the cm/Celsius convertions on screen for us Europeans.

[@fi5ke]

Keep showing us more! This is sooo good content! The ROG with the tops looks so cool. You guy’s work space are going 1000% up in XP 🐐

[@dankgamer1300]

Why are these office makeover videos making me giddy? Love the new offices and spaces you guys got. Would love to get something like this for me in the future. Videos entertain and teach me what to do for offices in the future. Thanks Jay and friends!

[@Robmeisterflex]

Even if this is a well know IKEA hack, I definitely did NOT know about it and I am so glad I do now! Those desks look sick lads!

[@jeffrichmond6399]

Like the desk tops . All ready have a simular standup desk and changing to that top would make it even nicer looking and in certain ways better , but my current standup is deeper . Gonna check this hack stuff out . Nicely done Jay ....

[@Ziogref]

I prefer just a sit desk, however I just purchased a sit/stand desk and it's amazing just being able to set the desk at the correct height. I found 80cm (31.5 inches) is the ideal height for me. My chair height I maxed out so every joint in my body is at 90°. Purely from ergonomics point of view it's awesome. I have used the stand function a couple of times, generally this had been when I'm doing something on the computer and doing something else at the same time and walking to and from my computer.

[@NeverlandSystemZor]

That table-top for your desk is gorgeous! I love a good kit-bash of ANY sort. I love this idea.

[@cyclicm1622]

A long piece of 2x2 heavy wall square tubing makes for a great center support with those feet on top.

[@IllTygerKing]

I saved this a year ago because I don't know why. Now I want to lower my desk down to 70cm from 76 because I'm short and my back has started hurting from not being able to reach the floor. Thanks for this tip!

[@detritus23]

You could also stick floor protector cups under the table top to prevent it from sliding off the legs easily. Use double stick tape and done. Also, a long 3-5 mm thick steel strap screwed to the underside of the tabletop will prevent bowing.

[@RMJ1984]

Or put some mounts on the underside which those legs fit into, that way you can lift it off, but it cannot slide anywhere. of course this is will the height of the table ever so slightly.

[@stevenatkinson2393]

Thanks Phil for the temp conversions that's better than me giving up on looking it up and not caring

[@jplflyer]

You could make little corrals on the underside of the desk top that the feet fit in. That would take care of sliding without permanently attaching the top to the drawers.

[@ultimatezero117]

6:30 this is my favorite part of this video. A man of culture.