Expedit Shelving & Computer Desk Hack

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Materials: EXPEDIT

Please find instructions on how I created a computer desk from a Expedit shelving unit.

Besides purchasing a Expedit shelving unit, I also bought shelving supports, melamine board to make a keyboard shelf, keyboard brackets, white hardwood cupboard backing roughly 70.5cm width x 185cm height. Panel pins.

1) Purchase a 185cm x 185cm Expedit shelving unit.

2) Start constructing the item as described in the instructions, with slight amendments. To create this hack, you will find that the intended base of the shelving unit will now become one of the side panels, and the original side panels will now be the top and base. This will become apparent why when building the item.

3) As you can see from the photos, one of the supporting columns has been taken out to make space for my computer desk. I have also recreated two separate box shelves above the monitor. I will describe how this was achieved later on.

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4) I followed the instructions on building the item but not installing one of the supporting columns, this can be any depending on where you want your desk/shelves. I wanted the desk to be set to the left. Therefore I installed 2 supporting columns to the right and 1 to left and missing the middle one out.

5) Start putting the shelves in as instructed by using the wooden dowel rods provided. Because the dowels are long and designed to hold two shelves. When it comes to the middle column where I have taken out the supporting column and don’t intend to have any shelves, you will find the dowels to stick out. I took 8 dowel rods and cut them in half and used those instead to give a neater finish. See photo for example.

6) Once all the shelves has been installed along with the base. This is where most of the hack is begins. The unit may seem a little wobbly but once the monitor shelf and the shelf above is put in, this will reinforce and strengthen the unit. Stand the unit up, this is best done with some help. Do take care as it is heavy.

7) Next, I measured the distance of the gap for the above box and monitor shelf, this is roughly 68.5cm. I took the supporting column I didn’t use and measured and cut two shelves from it. The shelves were cut from each end of the supporting columns, this results in the shelf having two holes in the middle. See photo. This is useful for the shelf above the monitor as you find out later.

8) The monitor shelf can be set at any height you want, this is down to personal preference. The above box shelf I placed in line with the other shelves. Originally I intended to leave it as a shelf but decided to put the divider back in. It is best to install the top box shelf first.

9) I used one of the many dividers that I had left over to create my top shelf divider. You will find that there are two holes already in place to put wooden dowels in to support the divider in the top and in the bottom, from the way shelves has been cut as described in stage 7. And once again to support the bottom of the divider I took a wooden dowel and cut it in half just to give a neat finish.

10) The monitor shelf and shelf above is fixed by using shelving supports/support blocks which can be bought at DIY stores. See photos.

11) I bought a small piece of melamine to use as a keyboard shelf, this is connected by a keyboard bracket which I purchased at my local DIY store. They can be purchased online also.

12) The last thing to do is to simply place the white hardwood cupboard backing in place and use panel pins to nail it in. As you can see from the photos, I have cut circular holes out of the hardwood backing so cables can be fed through.