Corner & Extra Tall Standing Desks

Materials: Expedit shelves, Vika Amon corner desk top, Capita legs, Capita brackets

Description: I've really wanted a stand-up desk for sometime and although there are lots of great Ikea hacks posted for this, they either didn't have enough storage room for me, were the wrong height, or just weren't my style. So, after looking through the Ikea website for HOURS, I came up with my own hack.

Materials:
2 Expedit 4x2 shelves - $59.99 each
1 Vika Amon corner tabletop - $47.50
3 packs Capita legs (4 legs/pk) - $10 each
3 packs Capita brackets (2 legs/pk) - $14.99 each
6 3/8" x 3.5" bolts - <$3.00

Instructions:
1. Put the Expedit shelves together following the included instructions
2. Add the legs, 6 on each Expedit
3. Put the Expedits in place in a corner. There are obviously a few ways to do this. They can either meet at a point so that all 8 openings on each shelf is visible/usable, or like in my case, one of the walls was not long enough to do this so we ended up covering up 2 of the openings for a more flush L-shape.
4. We did not fasten the Expedits together, although this can definitely be done using some brackets from a hardware store. We used some tie-down straps to hold the 2 shelves taut while we completed the project.

5. You'll need 2 people - one person to hold the tabletop in place and the other to mark where the 6 Capita brackets should go. A NOTE ABOUT THE BRACKETS, WASHERS AND BOLTS: The bolts that come with the brackets are not long enough to go through the top of the Expedit shelves. You'll need to pick up six 3/8" x 3" bolts from a hardware store and either some washers to replace the silver ones that are welded to the bolts that come with the brackets OR like my husband, you can hammer the bolts out of the washers and use the original ones.
6. Once you've got your marks made on the Expedit shelves, you need to drill pilot holes. We used a small bit first to get the hole started and then used a 3/8" bit to finish the hole.
7. Install the Capita brackets onto the Expedit shelves.
8. Set tabletop in place and finish installation of Capita brackets.
9. Stand up, work, ENJOY!

~ Julie U, Austin

Simple L Shaped Standing Office Desk

Materials:
1 x Expedit 4x2 shelving unit (501.030.86)
1 x Expedit 2x2 shelving unit (801.352.98)
1 x 59" Vika Amon tabletop (800.711.64)
1 x 47 1/4" Vika Amon tabletop (601.170.16)
1 x Lack shelf (101.590.99)
3 x Ekby Tore brackets (101.687.20)
5 x Expedit casters (601.699.77)
10 x "L" brackets (available at the Ikea stores)

Description: I wanted a standing desk for my office, but all of the decent ones seemed pretty expensive. I found a decently-priced and simple solutions by hacking together a couple of Expedit shelves and Vika Amon tabletops.

1. Put together the Expedit shelves, but do not attach the casters yet.

2. Take the 59" Vika Amon tabletop and place it upside down on the floor.

3. Turn the 4x2 shelf unit on its side so it sits horizontally. Position it in the middle of the 59" Vika Amon talbetop.

4. Use six of the "L" brackets and screws to secure the Expedit shelf to the tabletop.

5. Attach three casters to the bottom of the Expedit (which is currently the top of the unit).

6. Repeat the same process with the 47 1/4" Vika Amon tabletop and 2x2 shelf Expedit, using the remaining 4 "L" brackets and 2 casters.

Turn over your completed desks and arrange in an L or any shape you see fit.

7. (Optional) I created a shelf on the smaller of the two desks using the Lack shelf and the Ekby Tore brackets.

I've used this desk for about 6 moths, and it's the perfect height for me (I am 5' 10") when typing at the computer, etc.

I also bought some faux leather magazine boxes that I stick into the shelves for added storage space. I'm not sure IKEA sells these any more.

~ MDS

Extra Tall (but Adjustable) Standing Desk

Materials: Vika Artur trestle, Vika Amon desk top, Ekby Alex wall shelf/drawers, Lack wall shelf, Capita bracket

Description: When we moved into a new office this past summer, I had a chance to Ikea hack the perfect standing desk. I've been using this set up for about 6 months and it's been ergonomically sound and I'm quite happy with it. I'm taller than most people at 6' 5" so it was a bit more of a challenge to get the exact height I needed, but this desk is adjustable so will work for nearly anybody. Here's my desk and some of the thought that went into building a desk with my perfect working height 1 of 45 inches. For ideal ergonomics, you need to have your elbows bent slightly greater than 90 degrees. To get this height, measure from the floor to where your wrists wrest when your elbows are slightly obtuse of 90 degrees

The most important part of a standing desk are it's legs. Being much higher than a standard table makes it tough to find something solid and adjustable. The Vika Artur trestle has a max height of 36 5/8" and a wide base which makes them surprisingly sturdy for how lightweight they are. The shelves help structurally but also give organizational space. The trestles are adjustable and can work at a variety of heights including a normal sitting desk if you find yourself needing to go back to sitting.

The table top I went with is the Vika Amon that is 59" wide by 29 1/2" deep. Don't go with anything smaller since the trestles have a depth of 27 1/2”, but you could likely get away with going larger. I would recommend a solid wood top like the Vika Furuskog over the Vika Amon since it's extra weight would provide more stability and the solid top will allow you to securely screw, drill, or attach anything into it -- which I did.

I had to add a small hack to get just a few more inches to my ideal keyboard height. I found some decent looking doorstops at the local hardware store and used them in between the trestles and the table top to add a few inches. I screwed the end of the doorstop into the table top and, after removing the plastic cap on the doorstop, put the metal piece that remained in the holes in the top of the trestle, which fit perfectly and was secure enough to hold the top in place.

I added the Ekby Alex wall shelf on top of the desk for storage room as well as to gain a few extra inches height that I needed for my perfect vertical keyboard position. The size of the shelf provides just enough depth at 11" to comfortably host a keyboard but isn't quite long enough to store a piece of 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper lengthwise inside the drawer, which is frustrating. The shelf just sits on the table and isn't fastened because on long days, I can slide the shelf back on the desk and move my keyboard and trackpad down onto the table top which is the perfect typing position for when I pull up a stool.

Between the 36 5/8" tall trestles, the 1 3/8" thick table top, the 4 1/2" drawers, and the 2 1/2" doorstops, I had my perfect working height of 45 inches. Now I needed to get my monitor high enough.

I wanted to have a solid, functional riser that could work with any monitor configuration even though I was planning on getting the yet-to-be released Apple Thunderbolt Display. I made the riser with a Lack wall shelf on top of the Capita bracket. This gave me enough clearance that I would have decent monitor positioning and wouldn't strain my neck looking down at a display.

This build gave me adjustability to get the ergonomic working height I needed, the stability to pound away at a keyboard all day without the desk wobbling, and all together a great looking and functional standing desk.

See more of the extra tall standing desk.

~ Nick Wynja

Compact Besta Standing Desk

Materials: Besta System, Vika Amon Table, Capita Legs

Description: Inspired by all the existing hacks on this site, I also wanted an Ikea Standing Desk.

I didn't like the fact that with existing hacks, the folders and other stuff were visible. Fitting a complete Expedit shelf with doors and drawers would have been to expensive. So I used the Besta System.

Items Used:
Besta Legs (3x) 15 €
Besta Bench (2x) 80 €
Inreda (2x) 24 €
Besta door (2x) 20 €
Besta drawer (2x) 14 €
Besta push opener (2x) 10 €
Vika Amon 150x75 29 €
Capita Legs (2x) 32 €

224 €

I especially like the small compartment at the top. The fully extending drawers would have been easier to access, because the table top is a bit in the way.
The table top is placed on the Capitas, so that the back Capitas are matching with the reinforced part of the table top. Therefore screws could be used. The front Capitas are glued with double-faced adhesive tape.

~ simon, germany