*** Desk and Room Gallery***

Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2015
Posts
4,549
Location
Earth
@Radox-0 Just about to get a new desk... starting from no knowledge on smart lighting at all, can you link me what I need for that Hue lighting.. looks awesome..

Should be okay to link I believe as Hue not sold here, but mod's please remove links if they fall foul!

Anyways,
Prices are expensive which is the norm, but I picked up bits during Xmas, Black Friday and other special days. Prices can drop significantly around then for Hue bits, otherwise RRP is a tad expensive. The Hue stuff also comes into its own if you have more Hue items IMO. Likewise would check out other solutions now, AFAIK NZXT has similar sort of options, in a way more powerful as they are addressable or on the other end, can get loads of LED strips on the cheap from Amazon which are controlled via IR remote.
 
Associate
Joined
20 May 2009
Posts
246
This is where I come to escape having to sit with the wife watching EastEnders and somewhere I can keep tidy (unlike the rest of the house #IHaveA2YearOld)

Final additions were the Fanatec gear and I custom made the seat base and pedal stand from MDF.

Still need to get around to putting some of the speaker cables in trunking but other than that I'm happy with it :)




 
Soldato
Joined
25 Mar 2004
Posts
15,746
Location
Fareham
I have made a few changes to my desk setup lately. I would like to do something about the external cable management though.

Cable Management

Can anyone recommend some sort of under-desk adhesive/velcro cable management system I could use? I want to avoid drilling into the desk as it's solid oak, and I may wish to flip it over some day to use the other side.

There are tons of options of things to buy, but I am looking for something I can effectively stick to the underside of the desk.

Lighting

Currently using the Hue Bloom lights, they are OK but they suffer from actually displaying slightly different colours to eachother.

I was considering a new Hue Lightstrip for the back of the desk, but there are a couple of downsides to this. One is that the monitor arm will get it in the way of some of it. Two is that the cables will have to traverse over it and could cause weird shadows.

I am seriously considering getting the Hue Play lights as they should give a more consistent backlight colour, and they are very portable.

Has anyone tried the Hue Play lights in their setups?

Setup

New things I've added/changed lately:

Case - Lian-Li PC-O11 Dynamic Razer Edition Mid Tower Case
Mouse - Razer Deathadder Elite
Keyboard - Razer Huntsman Elite
Monitor - Dell AW3418DW
Monitor Arm - AmazonBasics Single Monitor Display Mounting Arm (appears to be a rebadged Ergotron LX)
GPU: MSI 2080 Ventus 8G

2LtlJoih.jpg

Internal cabling job is not bad:

Np07ZuUh.jpg
 
Associate
Joined
8 Apr 2011
Posts
338
I have made a few changes to my desk setup lately. I would like to do something about the external cable management though.

Cable Management

Can anyone recommend some sort of under-desk adhesive/velcro cable management system I could use? I want to avoid drilling into the desk as it's solid oak, and I may wish to flip it over some day to use the other side.

There are tons of options of things to buy, but I am looking for something I can effectively stick to the underside of the desk.

Lighting

Currently using the Hue Bloom lights, they are OK but they suffer from actually displaying slightly different colours to eachother.

I was considering a new Hue Lightstrip for the back of the desk, but there are a couple of downsides to this. One is that the monitor arm will get it in the way of some of it. Two is that the cables will have to traverse over it and could cause weird shadows.

I am seriously considering getting the Hue Play lights as they should give a more consistent backlight colour, and they are very portable.

Has anyone tried the Hue Play lights in their setups?

Setup

New things I've added/changed lately:

Case - Lian-Li PC-O11 Dynamic Razer Edition Mid Tower Case
Mouse - Razer Deathadder Elite
Keyboard - Razer Huntsman Elite
Monitor - Dell AW3418DW
Monitor Arm - AmazonBasics Single Monitor Display Mounting Arm (appears to be a rebadged Ergotron LX)
GPU: MSI 2080 Ventus 8G

2LtlJoih.jpg

Internal cabling job is not bad:

Np07ZuUh.jpg
Nice setup! could you tell me where you got your desk from?
 
Soldato
Joined
25 Mar 2004
Posts
15,746
Location
Fareham
Nice setup! could you tell me where you got your desk from?

Yes it's a standard "IKEA hack" sort of desk. Definitely not the first person to do it! :D

Hammarp worktop in Oak: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products...accessories/hammarp-worktop-oak-art-70273799/
2 x Alex Drawers: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products...cabinets/alex-drawer-unit-white-art-10192824/

Desk just sits on top of the drawers, nothing is drilled/screwed together. The desk is heavy/solid though so doesn't really move unless I move it. Not noticed any sag in it even with a 7.5KG monitor mounted in the middle on a monitor arm that is not that light.

Worktop is unfinished and needs a bit of sanding/oiling to prepare it for use. If interested I can detail more about that process.
 
Associate
Joined
8 Apr 2011
Posts
338
Yes it's a standard "IKEA hack" sort of desk. Definitely not the first person to do it! :D

Hammarp worktop in Oak: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products...accessories/hammarp-worktop-oak-art-70273799/
2 x Alex Drawers: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products...cabinets/alex-drawer-unit-white-art-10192824/

Desk just sits on top of the drawers, nothing is drilled/screwed together. The desk is heavy/solid though so doesn't really move unless I move it. Not noticed any sag in it even with a 7.5KG monitor mounted in the middle on a monitor arm that is not that light.

Worktop is unfinished and needs a bit of sanding/oiling to prepare it for use. If interested I can detail more about that process.

thanks i really like your desk been looking everywhere for it! i didn't realize it was bought separately its such a good idea im definitely going to do it so if you could tell me what to do that would be great :)
 
Soldato
Joined
25 Mar 2004
Posts
15,746
Location
Fareham
thanks i really like your desk been looking everywhere for it! i didn't realize it was bought separately its such a good idea im definitely going to do it so if you could tell me what to do that would be great :)

Sure thing.

The Alex Drawers come with some small sticky feet that you put on top (one in each corner), stops the worktop resting directly on the top of the Alex Drawer unit and scratching it.

For the worktop, first of all you'll want to sand it. I didn't bother sanding/oiling the underneath. I actually used my Alex Drawers as a make-shift stand (back to back) for the whole process! See: https://i.imgur.com/QtLNmT1h.jpg.

For sanding you'll want a few things;
  • A sander, I used a Black and Decker mouse sander. Started with a rough P80 grit, then a P120 grit, lastly used P240 grit.
  • Some kind of floor covering. I got some cheap plastic sheeting from Screwfix.
  • A dust mask, can't remember what I got, but worth investing in a dust mask that is good for stopping you breathing in the sanding debris. Screwfix sell these I think.
  • Consider getting some safety goggles to protect your eyes.
Once sanded, you'll want to oil it. I used Danish Oil. For oiling I got a few more things:
  • Danish Oil - I used Colron Refined Danish Oil.
  • A small paint roller tray to put the oil into. Screwfix should have.
  • A small brush to spread the oil onto the worktop. I didn't get the cheapest brush as I wanted one that would cover a bit of a surface area, and wouldn't shed hairs. Agin probably Screwfix.
  • Some Lint free cloths to wipe off excess oil after applications. Probably Screwfix again lol.
I gave the oil about 12 hours to dry after applying it for each coat.

I used 3 coats of oil in total. The first coat needs extra oil as the worktop seems "thirsty" for want of a better term. The later coats don't need anywhere near as much.

The most important thing is that you need to wipe the excess oil off the worktop pretty soon after applying it using the lint free cloths. If left too long it goes "sticky". I'd say you want to remove excess oil after 5-10 minutes tops after putting the oil on.

To keep the brush from drying out, I wrapped the bristles in cling film between applications. You could maybe get away with applying the oil directly using lint free cloths, but you'd need more cloths, however you wouldn't need the roller tray or paint brush.

Most things you need should be found at somewhere like Screwfix.

P.S. I think IKEA does worktops that don't require finishing, the "Karlby" is popular too but it's veneer not solid wood - pretty sure it doesn't need finishing. For longevity solid wood should win. For ease of installing the Karlby must win out.
 
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