Standard Finish 23mm Oak (Small ‘Karlby & Alex’) Dark (Walnut) Finish 27mm Oak Standard 30mm Pine (Alex Drawers) 24mm Walnut Karlby & Alex styleĪ real benefit of this approach is how adaptable and flexible the whole premise is. With the support from the Alex drawers, a solid wood top would not need an additional support, giving you more leg room under the desk. They also take the strain of monitor arms and camera clamps well. Below: the chip board found inside the Karlby counter top.Ī solid oak or pine desk top like the ones we make would not warp, sag or bow, even at 23mm. Above: the cardboard inside a Linnmon top, similar to many of the other Ikea desk tops. Both videos below highlight sagging of Karlby counter top, despite the only weight being their peripherals! One of the reviewers below also noticed sagging even though he had installed a support beam (using the >2m top). If you are planning on loading your desk a monitor or two (and maybe a monitor stand), a monitor arm or camera clamp, or even just planning on putting any kind of weight on the desk, be very careful. Will this cause you any issues? It depends. Standard Ikea table tops are not even MDF, they are cardboard inside, the Karlby is veneered chipboard, as shown below. It is not solid wood, but is it better than a standard Ikea desk top? Yes. The Karlby countertop is a veneered unit. Karlby Kitchen Countertop/Worktop Quality Adding furniture legs to the Alex drawer unit to increase the height of the desk The first video at the bottom of this page gives you a quick how-to. Again, you could shop around for taller desk drawer units, or you could implement this hack of using furniture legs to prop the desk further. What if you are pretty tall? 70-74cm is likely going to be too small for your needs. Does this mean the Karlby & Alex set up is not for you? Not necessarily, other draw units from Ikea and other furniture retailers could have a draw unit the perfect size for you. Ergonomically, for the average female height in the UK, you might want to be considering a desk that goes down to 60-65cm. Is this ideal? Remember the Karlby 3.8cm deep, so that means your keyboard will be resting at about 74cm heigh. Their sit/stand desks often go down to 70cm. The Alex drawers are 70cm high, the same height as pretty much all Ikea desks. Remember though, why don’t standard desks have such substantial support under the desk table top? Because it eats into your under desk leg room, so bear that in mind if you are thinking of using a smaller length that the 186cm counter top. The top is not fixed to the Alex drawers in anyway, but the Alex drawers are 36cm wide by 58cm deep, double that up and the surface area your desk is resting on is way bigger than most desks. The second reason for the superior stability is the ‘desk frame’… I have never heard anyone say they are worried about knocking the top, one reason is the Karlby top is heavy, about 39kg (of course, a solid oak desk top would be heavier and more planted still). The centre of gravity is low, as it is not a sit/stand configuration.
The Ikea Alex set up with a decent size top from a stability point of view is ideal. Video reviews – 2 particularly useful and honest video reviews.Endless configurations – This hack gives you a number of options to play with, but at only 2 lengths, could a custom sized desk top be right for you?.Cost – The Karlby & Alex desk set up is an Ikea hack, but are you actually saving any money?.Quality – Ikea kitchen counter tops are better quality than most of the desk table tops, but be careful if wanting to use with monitors or camera clamps.Stability – A heavy top and sturdy base make it a stable option, but is the height right for you?.So, would we recommend it? Here are some factors to consider: Grab a kitchen counter top, and plonk it on two Alex drawer units.Īs Ikea desks became more and more difficult to buy from March to May 2020, this idea seemed to gain in popularity. In the last couple of years, you may have come across Karlby & Alex desks, this hack is even simpler. It was something that got me thinking about the idea of solid wood desk tops. The first time I saw something like this was back in 2015, someone fitted an Ikea kitchen butchers block to their Bekant. A recent trend with Ikea hackers is to use an Ikea kitchen counter top as a desk table top.
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