Tips And Tricks To Get Used Office Desks To Sit At The Right Height For You

Have you ever noticed how office furniture never seems to be high or low enough to suit you? Whether you find this comical or just plain frustrating, the fact remains that most office furniture is designed with the average person's height in mind. If you are not of average height, but are petite or very tall, you may find it difficult to sit at your desk and conduct your work as usual. If you go out and buy used office furniture (e.g., desks), you may be able to make some of it work for you. Here are some tips and tricks to get a used office desk that sits at the right height for you.

Economy Desks with Adjustable Pinhole Legs

These economy desks are not beautiful, but they are very functional and you can adjust their height rather easily. Most often, schools use these desks as teacher's desks because they can adjust them to fit each teacher's height. If you buy an economy desk from a used office furniture store, flip it onto its top and then use the pushpin or pull-pin buttons in each leg to move the desk legs up or down.  You should be able to sit at the desk and rest your elbows on it without hunching over or reaching up.

Adjusting Wooden Desks

Wooden desks are another story, but that does not mean you cannot adjust them for height. If you find a wooden desk you love, but it is too high for you, you can either saw a few inches off each of the legs (after all, it is used furniture and does not cost a fortune) or buy an adjustable office chair that pushes you up to the correct height. If the desk is too low for you, there are leg extenders you can buy that will elevate the desk a few inches up or you can use cinder blocks or hardwood scrap blocks to elevate it too. If you have some woodworking skills, you can add extra height by adding more leg or adding another layer of wood to the pedestal feet underneath (e.g., a roll-top desk has pedestal feet to which you can attach some thick pieces of lumber to add some height to the desk).

Adding a Work Station Lift

More recently, there are desks and desk accessories that allow you to add height to just your work station (i.e., your laptop or desktop is elevated above the the height of the top of your desk). You may pay more for desks that already come built this way than you would if you bought the station lift accessory. However, if you just buy the accessory, you may want to buy a relatively inexpensive used desk first so that, if you choose to bolt the accessory down to the top of the desk for added stability, you will not feel guilty for ruining a more expensive or newer desk.

Check out stores like Boss Office Products Inc to get started searching for the perfect desk.