If you’ve shopped around at all for treadmill desks or under-desk treadmills, you know that they can get pretty pricey. Spending upwards of $500 on an adjustable height desk might get you running the other direction – and not on a treadmill.
Yes, experts recommend adjustable desks for proper working posture, and sit-stand workstations offer more flexibility, however, what if you just don’t want to spend that kind of money?
You can build a door desk for under $50.
And it’s not hard. You’ll need a saw to cut your wood and a drill plus screws, but that’s about it. And if your local home improvement store will cut your 2×4’s to size for you, you will not even need a saw to complete this project.
DIY Standing Desk Materials You Will Need:
- Sawhorse Bracket 2-Pack (2) 2-packs for about $15
- 24″ x 80″ Interior Door Slab for about $20-25
- 2″ x 4″ x 8′ lumber (about 5 pieces) for about $10-15
My First Door Table Desk…
I made my first door table years ago when I came across an old door at a thrift store for $15. I set it up on 2 sawhorses to use as a desk, and I still have it. I liked the concept so much that I have since built coffee tables and end tables out of smaller cabinet doors.
See an example of what your $50 DIY standing desk could look like:
Why Use a Door for a Treadmill Desk?
When it comes to treadmill desks, interior hollow-core doors work great because they provide a large flat work area. In addition, they are cheap. A potential downside is that you need the space in your office to accommodate a 24″ x 80″ slab.
Another factor to consider is that when you use sawhorses, you need a wide enough desktop to still fit a walking treadmill underneath (since the 2 x 4 legs are stand diagonal). Thus, the reason why the 80″ doors work so well. (FYI: Allow a 3′ wide area for your treadmill to fit under your desk and that should be plenty.)
Something I really like about this diy standing desk is how easily you can disassemble and move it. The finished desk adds up to just 3 pieces, and a hollow core door weighs typically about 20 lbs. One person can easily pick up the pieces and carry them. There are not many other desks you can say that about.
Some Tips on Sawhorses for Desks:
Finding sawhorses is easy. Plus, you can buy them instead of make them. However, they will not be tall enough to build a standing workstation. They are also more expensive.
If you want to add more stability to your “legs”, feel free to add wood supports in between the sawhorse legs as shown in the photo.
You can see some examples of standing sawhorse desks below. In addition, you can see how paint or stain them to dress them up a bit. The tables shown are not actually doors. Therefore, they are smaller, but you get the idea.
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