I need a new desk for my home office. I don't need anything real fancy, but it seems my choices are something needlessly expensive or something of depressingly poor quality.

If I wanted to be spartan, a simple table would work, but I'd like something with a few more features. For instance, I'd like to have my desktop computer under to work surface but off the floor. Something with some features to minimize cable clutter would be nice.

Any suggestions of things I should look at? Anyone have something they like?

4/19/2016 6:36:52 PM

My hubs is a computer geek, and he keeps all his cords banded together and labeled so they don't get all tangled. He uses a desk he got from Goodwill. An older solid wood desk might be nicer than any of the paperboard crap you could find at the store.

4/19/2016 8:49:02 PM

Not sure if you classify this as depressingly poor quality but ikea has some desks that are reasonably priced that have some of those features or add-ons. I've worked with a couple of different desks they sell and the quality is fine- at least for the price.

4/20/2016 10:35:09 AM

How big of a desk?

4/20/2016 12:14:12 PM

?

4/20/2016 12:17:11 PM

I'm looking for something in the 48" - 60" range in terms of width and in the 24" - 28" range in terms of depth.

I've looked at Ikea's desks. The price range is good but they're not solid wood desks. I don't have first hand experience with them so I'm skeptical about things like their durability and rigidity.

4/20/2016 2:31:56 PM

Definitely go the used route. I got mine off my neighborhood buy/sell/swap FB page for $75. Fairly simple/standard solid and somewhat heavy wood desk (it's at least 60"x24", though I didn't really measure it) that wasn't too old with plenty of room down below for a deskotp PC. I'd check out your local FB pages (if your neighborhood has one), Craigslist, maybe even NCSU surplus?

4/20/2016 9:44:10 PM

NCSU Surplus would intermittently have the old solid wood desks when I was there regularly. Perhaps they still do, if all of them haven't been gotten rid of yet. Cheap, sturdy, heavy, and if you don't mind some refinishing could look quite nice. Or Craigslist/thrift stores. I picked up an old (probably early 1940's) solid wood desk at a thrift store late last year--it could use a full refinish, but with a good cleaning/polishing and repainting the metal drawer pulls, it looks pretty damn good for $140 delivered.

[Edited on April 21, 2016 at 12:06 AM. Reason : s]

4/21/2016 12:06:11 AM

yeah, the NC State Surplus has desks for like $5-$10

4/22/2016 4:07:37 PM

what's your price range?

personally I like this one $80


https://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/5530806048.html

this is $65

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/5537869780.html

Very standard nice and nice looking $40


https://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/5535037575.html


here's a cherry wood desk for $100, probably can get that price down if you wanted


https://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/5536512955.html

a big one for $125


https://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/5538521629.html

a big somewhat fancy "custom" desk

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/5551806049.html

here's some fancy ass mahogany thing $625


https://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/5526089883.html

[Edited on April 22, 2016 at 5:08 PM. Reason : .]

4/22/2016 5:07:05 PM

I kinda like the vibe of that first one. None of the other are acceptable.

I'm toying with the idea of building my own at the moment.

4/22/2016 5:39:09 PM

Unless you're an experienced woodworker, building a desk from scratch is probably quite an undertaking. However, it might not be too hard to take an existing older desk (solid wood/ply and veneer) and repurpose parts of it to fit your needs. For example, if you want a place to stash a desktop computer, and if you have drawers on both sides, you could probably remove the drawers on one side, cut off the drawer fronts and trim, and make a door out of them hinged to one side. Now you have a computer cubby instead of three drawers. Use a hole saw as needed for cable management. Mine actually has something like that from the factory--what looks like a pair of drawers on the left side are actually a door with a typewriter platform behind.

4/23/2016 3:07:12 AM

If you're looking online, I would caution against Cymax. Had to resend the first desk back due to damage and just a lot of time wasted with their customer service before eventually getting my desk.

4/23/2016 8:28:56 AM

this one is free



https://raleigh.craigslist.org/zip/5552852643.html

this one definitely is a fixer upper, but it would be pretty easy to sand and finish this one

$50


https://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/5539168679.html

I love natural wood $25



https://raleigh.craigslist.org/fuo/5549093219.html

4/23/2016 11:55:49 AM

Quote :

"None of the other are acceptable."

Your grammar is not acceptable.

4/25/2016 12:08:07 AM

You should definitely go to the State Surplus Building and take a look there. My brother works there.

We bought my dad a nice solid wood desk for $3. It might not have been exactly what my dad was looking for, but for $3 was totally satisfied. A lady from work went and bought two of the 2-drawer file cabinets, and built a desk using those with recycled wood on top. Her project cost her about $6.

Their inventory changes pretty quickly, so if you don't see what you like, check back in a couple of days. Or ask the guys that work there when they expect to get in more. Dont forget to bring cash.

6501 Chapel Hill Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-854-2160
Store Hours: Monday – Friday
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

4/25/2016 8:16:23 AM

^that, or NCSU surplus.

4/25/2016 4:42:59 PM