DIY Mid-Century Desk Wall Unit

Hello, my vintage vultures! You ready to build your own mid-century inspired wall unit? These kind of units typically cost an arm and a leg. I've seen a few DIY variations, so I figured it shouldn't be too hard to Dab-It-Yourself. The whole unit ended up costing about $230 with tax. It's like a statement piece for your statement pieces. I think the best thing I did was spray paint the tracks and brackets gold. It looks moneeey. Everything can be scooped up at Home Depot. I was torn about what kind of boards to use. Initially, I wanted to buy 2x4 plywoods and stain them myself but Rubbermaid has pre-maid particle boards in all the right sizes and in different colors, so I settled for those instead. I know they're cheap looking but you end up saving time from all the sawing, sanding and staining. I'm all about quick and dirty. You feel me? I think they still look awesome. I did have to stain a piece of plywood for the desk.

It feels great to have a little workspace, plus some shelves to house my accessories. And by accessories, I mean plaaants. I need more. Can't stop, won't stop! I'm slowly building a new collection of tchotchkes in my New Orleans home, which includes Buddha statues now, because my heartmate likes them. I'm actually digging that little altar. The styling isn't 100%. I need planters asap. It still needs some work but I wanted share the progress.

TOOLS

Hammer

Power drill

1/4 inch Drill bit for the anchors

1/8 inch Drill bit for the shelves

Level

Tape measure

INSTRUCTIONS


STEP 1

Spray paint tracks and brackets outside. I applied a layer of primer first then two layers of gold. They dry pretty quickly but be gentle with them as they can scratch.


STEP 2

We're gonna mark all the holes for all the tracks first. I think this will make it easier. I'm starting with the left track. Place the track vertically 21 inches off the floor. Use a level to make sure the track is straight. Then, use a pencil to mark the seven holes.

Moving on to the next track. Now that we have the holes marked from the first track. Use a tape measure to measure 22 inches from those marks. Now, place the second track vertically (and 21 inches off the floor) with a level to mark your holes. Repeat this two more times. 


STEP 3

Use a 1/4 inch drill bit to drill into all the marked spots on the wall. Don't let the size of the bit intimidate you. You can easily patch it up later on.

Gently hammer anchors into the wall. Did you know that each anchor can hold up to 50lbs! 

Finally, line up each track over anchors and then screw it in. 


STEP 4

Pop the shelf brackets into the tracks to your desired shelving configuration. Then, place your wooden shelves on them. To get to standard desk height, measure 29 inches from the floor. There are countless ways to configure the shelves, so it's really up to you if you wanna include a desk or just shelves. They also have 72 inch boards that goes all the way across which is something I might consider later on. That's the fun part about these wall units!

Be sure to use screws to secure brackets to shelf. I had to use a 1/8 inch drill bit first to create a hole for the screws. This part was a little tedious. You can also spot treat the screws by dabbing some gold paint with a brush.

And that's it! I hope that wasn't too confusing. It took a couple hours doing this alone but if you have help, then it'll be quicker.

OLD BRAND NEWdab it yourself, diy, interiors60 Comments