Home Office Desk With Glass-Topped Storage Space

We recently showed you how to make a craft or hobby centre on storage cubbies or shelves. In this project you can take the design one step further by adding a storage shelf and glass top to the storage shelves.

Make up a pair of storage shelves for the base and then build this glass-topped storage to add to the top. This basic unit them becomes so stylish you can even use it in a home office.

You will need:

• 1 of 16mm SupaWood* cut to 740 x the length required for your top
• 4 of 70 x 740mm 16mm SupaWood – frame edge and dividers
• 1 of 16mm SupaWood cut to the length required for your top
• 10 x 10mm square pine dowel or quarter-round to fit around top edge of frame
• Sheet of 10mm glass cut to fit
• Wood glue
• Wood filler
• Plascon Double Velvet
• 180-grit sandpaper or fine sanding sponge

TOOLS:

• Drill/Driver + assorted bits
• Clamps
• Paint brush and foam roller

*Make sure to specify PG Bison SupaWood for this project for a smooth finish that is easy for painting.

Here’s how:

Pre-drilling pilot holes through the base for mounting the side and divider sections is essential. If you don’t, the board will end up splitting. Draw a line 8mm from the edge to guide you for drilling 2mm pilot holes to mount the outer frame and inner dividers. Secure the frame and dividers to the top of the base using 3 x 30mm screws.

Glue the 10mm-wide strips on the outside edge of the frame. Secure with clamps for about an hour or the glue has dried.
The strips form the outer frame for the glass top.

GOOD TO KNOW:

It’s not always easy to find 10 x 10mm strips but as an alternative you can use a small quarter-round as a substitute.

Fill any gaps with a small amount of wood filler. It helps to use a paint scraper or putty knife to remove any excess filler, and it dries much faster

Once completely dry all round, sand the edges smooth with a fine sanding sponge or block wrapped with 180-grit sandpaper.

Paint the entire top and sides with Plascon Double Velvet. Use a paintbrush to cut in around the edges and then continue with a foam roller for a smooth finish. If you find there are small air bubbles after rolling on the paint, spread it out more and the bubbles with disappear. Accurately measure the inside length and width to allow for a 10mm-thick sheet of glass to be mounted onto the top.