Solid wood desk top FAQs
- Concerned about placing a custom order request online?This post discusses what could be holding you back from placing your custom order request and how we can help.
- What is a solid wood finish? Which finish is best for your desk/table top?View suggested wood finishes, and what you might want to consider when choosing the best finish for your project.
- What is an edge profile? Which edge is best for your desk/table top?There are many options for the profile or shape of the edge, this post gives a run down of some popular choices.
- How to order samples for your solid wood projectThe phrase measure twice, cut once applies to every decision you make when placing your order request; not just the dimensions of your desk top, monitor stand, (picture) shelving or kitchen island converter! Before committing to a bespoke piece of… Read more: How to order samples for your solid wood project
- Perfect fit & finish wood grommet hole coversWhat is a grommet hole? A hole drilled through the desk top to allow cables (think power cords, computer cables, and other connectors) to pass through the desk surface in a tidy way. You may have heard them called a… Read more: Perfect fit & finish wood grommet hole covers
- How we pre-drill solid wood table top holes for Ikea desk framesWe accept order requests for solid wood table tops for all Ikea legs: from the ‘cheap as chips’ OLOV legs to the timeless Bekant (review), from the perfectly functional Rodulf or Trotten (discussion, review, previously Skarsta), to the deceptively well… Read more: How we pre-drill solid wood table top holes for Ikea desk frames
- How to arrange your own courier to deliver your desk topA major reason Solid Wood Tops appeals to customers and partners alike is that we can often match enquiries to local businesses. This is great for many reasons: supporting local trade, less environmental impact, better ongoing support which all ultimately… Read more: How to arrange your own courier to deliver your desk top
- How to commission a custom sized, solid wood L-shaped deskL-shaped desks can be a great way to maximise space in an office, and can be perfect for setting up a workspace for 2 people. L-shaped desk tops and frames are bigger, more complex, and therefore more expensive than standard… Read more: How to commission a custom sized, solid wood L-shaped desk
- How to water proof a solid wood desk: polyurethane, lacquer, OSMO, wax & oil finishesSome of our customers when researching their solid wood desk top purchase are keen to make it impervious to water damage. This post will discuss the finishing options with water resistance in mind. Can you “water proof” solid wood? We… Read more: How to water proof a solid wood desk: polyurethane, lacquer, OSMO, wax & oil finishes
- Is drilling pilot holes required when attaching a solid wood table top to a desk frame with wood screws?We used to offer a pilot hole service when we delivered our solid wood desk tops to fit frames with adjustable cross beams like Fully, Flexispot and Flytta or custom legs, at present we are not offering this service, so… Read more: Is drilling pilot holes required when attaching a solid wood table top to a desk frame with wood screws?
- How to order a custom shape solid wood table topSometimes a standard rectangle or square desk/table top just won’t work for a space. Maybe it physically can’t fit or it impedes a doorway. Maybe it needs to fit into a specific alcove or bay window. Maybe it should look… Read more: How to order a custom shape solid wood table top
- How much should you spend on a sit/stand desk frame?In recent years more desk frame options and brands have flooded the sit/stand market. Even cheaper sit/stand desk frames can represent a considerable investment, so it’s natural you want to make the right decision. We are not affiliated with any… Read more: How much should you spend on a sit/stand desk frame?
- How to repair a damaged area on your solid wood desk topSix easy steps to help you repair a damaged area on your solid wood desk top, keeping your top looking great!
- How to choose the right solid wood for your deskWe currently offer four solid woods: Oak, Pine, Walnut and Asian Hardwood. What are the pros and cons of each? In this post we discuss some key factors that could help with your decision making.
- How to fit a desk top (without pre-drilled holes) to a desk frameMany desk tops do not come with pre-drilled holes. Why is that? How can you attach a solid wood table top to a desk frame? Which desk frames cannot be attached by means of wood screws? And what about non-sit/stand desks?
- Introducing Asian Hardwood: a light weight solid wood great for sit/stand desksIf you are looking for a solid wood top, at a budget price and quick turn around, Asian Hardwood could be the right choice for you.
- How thick does a solid wood desk top need to be?Is desk top thickness just about the price tag? Find out which is the best thickness for your project in this blog post.
- How to look after your solid wood desk topOur solid wood desk tops, monitor stands and shelving are by their very nature robust and hardwearing. That said, your product’s potential lifespan is huge, so considering its maintenance is time well spent, paying dividends in years to come. For… Read more: How to look after your solid wood desk top
- Solid wood desk/table top options explainedOur jargon buster to help you make the right choices about the finer details of your solid wood desk top.
- How to order a specific IKEA ‘article’ on the new IKEA websiteStruggling to buy just 1 article, i.e. a desk frame, from IKEA? This ‘how to’ guide will give you step by step instructions.
Desk Frames
Sit/Stand Desk Frame Comparisons
- The shallowest and deepest desk top options for sit/stand desk framesFilling an office space with standard desks is generally a simple equation. Having a dedicated space, often open plan or at least specifically designed for working, means the standard desk top depth (typically 800mm) is ideal. However the home office… Read more: The shallowest and deepest desk top options for sit/stand desk frames
- MillerKnoll retires the Fully brand, introducing the Herman Miller JarvisMillerKnoll are a huge player in the furniture sector. They operate a number of brands, particular interesting to the sit/stand desk frame space were ‘Herman Miller’ and ‘Fully’. These two brands were perhaps a useful way of segmenting their customer… Read more: MillerKnoll retires the Fully brand, introducing the Herman Miller Jarvis
- 5 key factors to consider when buying a sit/stand desk frame“Which sit/stand desk frame would you recommend?” As long as we have specialised in making solid wood tops for height adjustable desk frames we have been asked that question. It is easy to see why. In recent years this decision… Read more: 5 key factors to consider when buying a sit/stand desk frame
- 6 length adjustable sit/stand desk frames (comparison table)Height adjustment is not the only important aspect of adjustable desks. Length adjustment is also key, because space under the desk can be just as important as space on the desk.
- ‘L’ Shaped/3 Leg/Corner Desks & an alternative that could save £££sNavigating the L-shaped desk frame market is tricky, here we present an alternative that could you save you £££s.
- Small desks for home offices & tight spacesSmaller desk top sizes are becoming more common, in this post we list 4 ways you can get the perfect sized desk for your home office.
- The best minimum and maximum height desk framesBeing a little bit taller or a little bit smaller can make working on a standard sized desk a pain in the neck, literally! Find alternatives to fit your home, office and budget.
- IKEA Idåsen alternatives (Flexispot/Furna/Yo-Yo/Fully/ConSet) – comparison tableFor one reason or another, the popular Idåsen sit/stand desk frame seems to be entirely out of stock in the UK as of early September 2020. The website suggests some lucky locations will start stocking again as early as October,… Read more: IKEA Idåsen alternatives (Flexispot/Furna/Yo-Yo/Fully/ConSet) – comparison table
Sit/Stand Desk Frame Reviews
- IKEA Skarsta/Trotten ReviewsA collection of reviews for the IKEA Skarsta sit/stand desk, plus how we make it better.
- IKEA Bekant ReviewsThe IKEA Bekant is the grown up cousin to the IKEA Skarsta, but is it worth the extra cost? Read reviews and some thoughts about the IKEA Bekant here.
- IKEA Idåsen ReviewsThe IKEA Idåsen positions itself as cooler cousin of the IKEA Bekant. It’s industrial look and colour combinations distinguish it from the budget student desk feel, the Bekant now has a lower price price, now sitting at £55 less than… Read more: IKEA Idåsen Reviews
- Karlby & Alex Review – Using IKEA counter tops as desk topsInfo: this post contains affiliate links. A recent trend with Ikea hackers is to use an Ikea kitchen counter top as a desk table top. The first time I saw something like this was back in 2015, someone fitted an… Read more: Karlby & Alex Review – Using IKEA counter tops as desk tops
- FlexiSpot Sit/Stand Desk Reviews for UK buyersWith many other budget sit/stand desks on Amazon etc, would you choose FlexiSpot? This post discusses the pros and cons.
- How good are the solid wood table tops from Solid Wood Tops?There’s only one way to find out… read our customer reviews. We offer no incentives for our customers to review us, so the 125+ reviews we currently have are posted entirely because they wanted to share their thoughts. We currently… Read more: How good are the solid wood table tops from Solid Wood Tops?
- Adding custom features to your desk top: trims, cable trays, drawers etcMany customers have grand designs for their custom sized solid wood desk top. Previous posts have discussed choosing the right wood, cutting the top to a custom shape, accessories to go with your solid wood desk top, waterproofing, and also… Read more: Adding custom features to your desk top: trims, cable trays, drawers etc
- Using sliders instead of an anti-fatigue mat – 2 years onIt’s been nearly 2 years since I wrote about how those of us who work from home can save some serious money, and office floor real estate, by using sliders instead of a full size anti-fatigue mat. (You can enter… Read more: Using sliders instead of an anti-fatigue mat – 2 years on
- Birch ply
Home Office Accessories
- Perfect fit & finish wood grommet hole coversWhat is a grommet hole? A hole drilled through the desk top to allow cables (think power cords, computer cables, and other connectors) to pass through the desk surface in a tidy way. You may have heard them called a… Read more: Perfect fit & finish wood grommet hole covers
- Solid wood picture ledge – premium & hassel freeThe famous white Ikea picture ledge debuted a few years ago at a remarkable £5, undeniably good value. This post discusses what makes the picture shelf such a great household item, when does upgrading to solid wood makes sense, and… Read more: Solid wood picture ledge – premium & hassel free
- Solid wood shelves for alcovesMake the most out of alcoves with custom sized solid wood shelves in oak, pine or walnut. This post discusses some key factors before starting a project
- Accessories to go with your solid wood desk topOur customers can send us accessories/peripherals to attach to their desk top free of charge before delivery. Here are a list of our favourites.
- The best office chair isn’t a chair, and is only around £15Find out how using an exercise ball as an office chair could help your posture and save you some serious cash!
- The best anti-fatigue standing-desk mat isn’t a mat, and is only around £18Check out why I think the Adidas Adilette Slip-On Slides are the best choice for when at a standing desk.
- Making IKEA desk tops play nice with monitor mounts and camera clampsIf you are looking into upgrading your display set up to allow for 2 or 3 monitors, you will likely be doing some pretty intense research on which monitor mount to use. Or maybe you are getting into podcasting or… Read more: Making IKEA desk tops play nice with monitor mounts and camera clamps
Sit/Stand Health & Posture
- Standing desk posture tipsStanding poorly could negate all the benefits of your sit/stand desk, this post contains tips of how best to stand to alleviate negative symptoms.
- Don’t forget to sit at your sit/stand deskA common problem once you start getting used to standing whilst working is actually forgetting to sit. One of the major benefits of a sit/stand desk is not just standing, but being able to change your posture regularly. “The best… Read more: Don’t forget to sit at your sit/stand desk
- Stand a day in my shoesYour tolerance to standing will increase the longer you have a standing desk. Great! If your posture is correct and you frequently take breaks/change your stance then you might have noticed that some niggling back pains and wrist aches are… Read more: Stand a day in my shoes
- Maintain an “active” stance – How to stand at your desk: 1 of 5Why does standing so easily fatigue? How can we stand better, to ensure we get the most out of standing whilst working? I remember my first mini music festival, it was Evo Fest, up in Newcastle, circa 2009. Despite the… Read more: Maintain an “active” stance – How to stand at your desk: 1 of 5
- Movement breaks – How to stand at your desk: 2 of 5This series is looking at why standing is much more fatiguing than walking. When queuing at a theme park, or as mentioned previously, when standing all day at a music festival, my feet used to hurt so much. Since following… Read more: Movement breaks – How to stand at your desk: 2 of 5
- Tech Neck – How to stand at your desk: 3 of 5Our series continues with a third instalment. We are taking a broad look at why standing can be more painful that walking or even running for a prolonged period of time. The good news? It doesn’t have to. In fact,… Read more: Tech Neck – How to stand at your desk: 3 of 5
- Stretching Exercises – How to stand at your desk: 4 of 5The fourth part of our ‘how to stand’ series. Why think about how to stand? Because if you are working at standing desk, you can do some damage by maintaining poor posture, perhaps even more damage than if you were… Read more: Stretching Exercises – How to stand at your desk: 4 of 5
- Train – How to stand at your desk: 5 of 5The previous article about effective stretching highlighted the “One Stretch”, developed by notable Kiwi Robin McKenzie. In this article we could take the pithy words of fellow New Zealander, Arthur Lydiard as the basis of the fifth and final instalment… Read more: Train – How to stand at your desk: 5 of 5
- The key to creating an ergonomic workspaceEnsure your investment in a sit stand desk is not wasted by how you arrange your peripherals. Learn the key to creating an ergonomic workspace in this post.