How to Make a Trestle Desk

My friend and longtime reader Malin wrote to me:

"Help me find a desk like this:


I like the legs. ...everytime I go on Craigslist I can't find anything."

Lemme see...

To start, you probably won't find this exact desk on Craigslist. As the NY Times article (the source of the photo) says, it's custom - made from an old door (and set atop some nice sawhorse legs). That's the bad news. The good news is that you can easily re-create this look on your own with a little help from the local hardware store (that would be Cole Hardware for you) and some creativity.

In no particular order:

You can source an old door (or even just get a nice piece of wood, such as a slab of Bamboo or the Numerar countertop from Ikea) and sand/stain/paint it. A local source of "old" and reclaimed wood: Urban Ore in Berkeley.

To make a nice, smooth writing surface you can go super custom and get a piece of glass custom cut to order.

The sawhorse trestle legs are SO basic. You would need to buy sawhorse brackets:

(A pair like these shown are only $4.49 at Ace Hardware)

Snap/screw in some 2x4s (have them cut to the correct height, usually ~30" for a desk/table) and you're good to go.

To really make this desk your own, I would advise sanding and staining each piece of wood, from the tabletop to the 2x4s, in your color of choice. (In the photo above it looks like a darker walnut color stain. I'd ask JJ about this though, as he is the wood pro in our family.)

Other "trestle" leg desks you might like, especially if you aren't feeling very D.I.Y-ish:

Braxton Table (from Target):


Madison Table (again, from Target):


Workstead Table (from Workstead - this is de-lux-e!)



Or you can source some interesting trestles from Ikea's Vika line and use some sanded/stained planks:





Hopefully this inspires you to keep your eyes open for a suitable slab of wood because if you find that, the rest is easy!