Furniture

Simple 1-Hour Child Coloring Desk

Build this simple coloring desk for your little one in about an hour with these easy plans!

Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 2–3.8 hours
Cost: $$

About this build

Build this simple coloring desk for your little one in about an hour with these easy plans! This is designed to be a standing desk for toddler heights, or sit-down desk for youth with a child sized chair.

Tools

Essential

Circular Saw
Drill / Driver
Miter Saw
Pocket Hole Jig
Random Orbit Sander

Materials

Item	Qty
Plywood, 1/2" Thick Half Sheet	1 board
Select Pine, 2x2 96"	3 board
1" Kreg Pocket Hole Screws (coarse thread)	40 each

Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.

Cut list

Part	Qty	T × W × L
Desk Legs	4	1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 17"
Desk Legs (Long Sides)	4	1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 25"
Desk Top	1	1/2" × 21" × 34"
Desk Leg Support Pieces	2	1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 33"

What to buy

Buy 4 boards at 8 ft.

1 1/2" × 1 1/2"

3 boards

33"33"25"
25"25"25"17"
17"17"17"

1/2" × 21"

1 board

Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →

Start building →

Instructions

1Drill Pocket Holes In Desk Legs
Drill two pocket holes in either end of the four 17" leg pieces, and the 33" leg pieces.
2Assemble Legs
Create two rectangles by connecting the two 17" leg pieces to the two 25" leg pieces. Be sure the pocket holes are facing outward, and the edges are flush.
3Attach Support Pieces
Attach the two sets of legs using the 33" support piece between. Place the second 33" support piece on the opposite side.
4Attach Legs to Desk Top
Place the assembled legs on the desk top (pocket hole side down), with a 1/2" overhang on all sides. Screw through the legs into the desk top to secure in place.
5Paint, Stain, Or Seal
- Sand all the edges very smooth (no splinters for your little ones!), and optionally route the edges of the desk top.
- Finally paint, stain, or just seal the wood if you choose to leave it in it's natural finish.
- Then enjoy!