Nothing is worse than leaning on a short desk for hours each day. The height of our desks shapes our posture during work time.
While a proper desk height and desk depth can help you maintain a proper posture, a short desk will ruin your posture and also negatively affect your body in the long term.
So here,
1- First, we’ll discuss the standard desk height for YOU (relative to your height).
2- And then, we’ll explain 8 methods you can use to make your desk taller.
Standard Desk Height
The standard desk height is between 28 and 30 inches (71 to 76 cm). This is the perfect size for people with average height (around 5 ft 7″ or 170 cm).
However, A single desk size doesn’t match all the people with different heights.
If you are taller or shorter, you can find your proper desk height using the calculator below:
or you can simply sit on your chair (as shown in the image above) and test how much extra desk height you would need to be comfortable.
Now, let’s discuss 8 easy methods to raise desk height.
How To Make A Desk Taller?
To make your desk taller, you can install leg risers or bun feet by making holes underneath the legs and screwing the bun feet or risers into them. Additionally, you can attach wheel casters or replace the legs with height adjustable models.
Now, let’s discuss each option in more detail:
Desk Leg Risers
The most common solution is using Leg Risers. These legs are made in different shapes and materials and can add a few inches to your desk height.
You can easily find various models on Amazon, but before ordering, make sure to check your proper size (as mentioned above) and try to pick the ones that are height adjustable.
Also, do NOT forget that some leg risers come with screws, so you need to make holes and drill them into the legs. While these models tend to be more sturdy, they might not work on some desk legs.
Desktop Risers
If you have your desktop installed on drawers instead of legs (like the image below), Desktop Risers are a great option.
Unlike Desk risers, desktop risers are installed on top of the legs, between the desktop and the legs (in our case, between the desk and the drawers).
In addition to raising your desk height, these desktop risers not only create a useful storage area below the desk but also make your setup aesthetically beautiful.
Just like the Leg Risers, desktop risers can add a few inches to the height of the desk, and they are usually adjustable for different heights.
Check out the video below to see how desktop risers exactly work:
Bun Feet
Bun feet or furniture feet are another option to increase the height of a desk.
Bun feet are pretty easy to install. Usually, they have screws attached to them, and they can be installed by simply rotating them. Remember that you must make holes into your desk legs for bun feet screws.
They are mostly made of wood and can add from 2 to 10 inches to a desk height.
Wood Extensions
This option is helpful for wood desks. If you are hands-on and don’t mind a few hours of work, you can create wood leg extensions to increase your desk height.
If you have the tools, you can do it at home (following the instructions in the video below). Otherwise, you need to ask the carpenter to do the job. Just make sure to measure the extra height required correctly and then start cutting the wood extensions.
The upside of this method is that it is customized for your desk, so firstly, it’s sturdy and will fit the legs perfectly (if done correctly), and secondly, you can add the exact height you need for your desk.
On the other hand, the downside is that installing and detaching can be a bit complicated.
For more details, follow the instructions in the video below:
Install Castor wheels
I personally don’t like casters because they make the desk unstable; however, to cover all the possible options, I kept it on the list.
Just like Leg Risers, these castor wheels should be installed on the bottom of the legs, and considering their size, they can add a few inches to the desk height.
Although we are using them to add extra height to the desk, they’re mainly used to make the desks movable. Therefore, once they’re installed, the desk becomes less sturdy and shakes with the smallest touch. So I don’t recommend them if you already have a wobbly desk.
Before purchasing a new set of castor wheels, make sure to check their height and also the weight they can support so they stay intact.
Standing Desk Legs (Height Adjustable)
Well, if none of the options above are applicable to your desk, you can consider changing the legs completely.
Most desk legs are attached to the desktop by screws, so you can easily detach them and install new taller legs instead. This way, you can choose the proper height for the legs and raise your desk height.
But a smarter option is to replace the legs with height-adjustable legs and to create a DIY standing desk:
You can find dozens of sturdy height-adjustable legs on amazon or other places. Using these legs and the desktop that you already have, you can easily convert your desk into a standing desk.
This way, you can change the height (both for sitting and standing) with a push of a button.
The other benefit here is that your desk will be very sturdy and stable, but on the other hand, it might be a bit more expensive to get new legs instead of Leg Risers or Bun Feet.
Now, let’s say that you are stuck with a short desk and can’t make permanent adjustments to it. You can follow the next two methods to use the desk:
Desk Converters
Desk converters do not actually increase the desk height; they sit on the desk and raise all the equipment that you are using, including monitors, laptops, keyboards, and so on.
Desk converters are mostly height adjustable and can raise your workstation from 5 to 20 inches, which means that you can use them both while sitting or even standing.
The other benefit is that they can be easily mounted or moved. So, you may need them to work while standing, but other times, you can just put them away and use your normal desk.
Again, there are different models of desk converters. Before purchasing a new desk converter, make sure to check the height and weight limits.
Adjust The Chair Height
Let’s say you’re stuck with a short desk, and none of the options above can help you!
In that case, in addition to the desk converter (discussed above), the only remaining option is to use a height-adjustable chair and set it to a lower position.
Most desk chairs are about 18 inches (45cm) tall. However, if you have a height-adjustable office chair, you can lower it down to as low as 14 inches (35cm).
Remember that, by lowering the chair, your feet might be a bit inclined. This is not the optimum position for knees, but still less harmful than leaning on the desk.
FAQs:
Here are 3 main questions you might have about increasing the desk height:
What Tools Do I Need to Make a Desk Taller?
For most of the options I mentioned in this article, you’ll need to have some basic tools to make holes and screw the attachments. Here’s a list of the tools:
1- Drill
2- Screw/Screwdriver
3- Tape Measure or a Level (to make sure the legs are level)
4- Handsaw (If you want to add wood extension)
How Tall Should a Desk Be?
Ideally, a desk should be between 28 and 30 inches (71 to 76 cm) tall. This size is perfect for people with average height (around 5 ft 7″ or 170 cm).
However, if you are taller, you’ll need a taller desk (or a shorter chair) to match your stature.
How to Make a DIY Height-Adjustable Desk?
You can build your own height-adjustable desk by installing standing desk legs under your desktop.
Simply remove the old legs using screwdrivers, and follow the new legs’ instructions to properly install them.
Since these legs are different in size and shape than the old ones, you’ll probably need to make new holes into the desk as well. And that’s it. You have your own standing desk.
Conclusion
Most desks have a standard height of 28 and 30 inches (71 to 76 cm). This is perfect for most people (with average height); However, if you are a taller person or have a shorter desk (than standard), you might want to make it taller.
So, here’s how you can raise your desk height:
- Use desk leg risers
- Install desktop risers
- Use bun feet
- Install wood extensions
- Install caster wheels
- Replace the legs
- Use desk converters
- Adjust the chair height
I hope you can increase your desk height using one of the methods discussed in this article.
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