Having a desk of the incorrect height can be a burden to your workspace. Desk height is a core feature that can make or break the ergonomics at your desk.
In our article on the average desk height, we looked at tons of desks and found that most desk heights were typically between 28 and 30 inches. This is fine for some people, but definitely not for everyone. If you are relatively tall, you will need to raise your desk to get the best fit.
Taller folks shouldn’t just accept desks that are too low for comfort. You don’t want to make working at your desk a chore.
Let’s talk about five simple ways you can make your desk taller.
Key Takeaways
The simplest and most affordable way to raise your desk height is to use desk riser blocks. These blocks slide under your desk’s legs and easily add a couple of inches with very minimal installation effort.
These risers are made of plastic (wood grain appearance) and support up to 2200 lbs. They easily elevate any furniture you need to raise, including desks.
What Is The Right Desk Height?
Before we dive deep into the solutions that make your desk taller, you should know what desk height you need. Without knowing your ideal height, you could be lifting your desk too high, or not high enough.
A little more thought up front will give you a much better end solution. Not to mention, it is way more satisfying when you do things right the first time around.
So how do you know what desk height you need?
The first step is to get your chair in a comfortable position and height. Ideally, your feet should be flat on the floor and not be extended very far.
Now, your desk height should ideally be just under your elbows when in this seating position. If you want more information on proper seating positions and posture, check out this article by Healthline.
You can also use the calculator below to find your ideal desk height. This calculator also outputs the estimated ideal chair height and monitor height!
Calculate Your Desk Riser Size
Now that you know your ideal desk height, we need to calculate how much height you need to add to your desk.
Measure the height of your current desk, and subtract that from the ideal height output from the calculator above.
For example, if you calculated an ideal desk height of 29.5 inches, and your current desk is 25 inches tall; 29.5 – 25 = 4.5 inches. You need a 4.5-inch increase in desk height.
Great, now we’re ready to pick one of the 5 simple ways to make your desk taller. Keep your “desk height increase” number in mind!
Ways To Make Your Desk Taller
1) Desk Risers
Furniture risers are simply blocks that you place under your desk legs.
There are a ton of options on the market for different leg styles and materials. Using these furniture risers will be the best choice for most of the readers here. They average around $20 for a set, more or less.
These interlocking risers are made of solid oak wood and offer customizable height options (1", 2", or 3"). They feature a non-slip recessed hole to securely hold furniture feet up to 2.6 inches wide and come with 8 risers and 8 connectors for multiple combinations.
The stackable furniture risers offer a customizable height design for various furniture legs, with each riser holding up to 12000 lbs. They can raise furniture anywhere from 0.59 inches to 4.49 inches.
Some of these come in stackable configurations. When they are stackable you actually have a few heights to choose from. This is great if you still don’t have a concrete idea of what your desk height needs to be.
Some of these furniture risers also come with leveling feet. That is perfect for those of you who have uneven floors or a wobbly desk. You can finely adjust the feet to dial out the wobble.
What Are Bun Feet?
Bun feet are essentially a type of furniture riser. They typically have a threaded stud attached to them, and they thread into your furniture to increase the height.
A bun foot can also be a more aesthetic solution to a furniture riser. They are known as bun feet because they are usually round in nature, depicting a bread bun. They give a smoother transition to your furniture when compared to a block riser.
2) Simple Wood Blocks
If you want a dead simple solution, sometimes a simple block of wood will do.
Sections of wood are readily available at your local hardware store. Hobby woodworkers might even have some around the house. Even in the scrap pile, you can find a nice section of 2×4.
Most stores also cut wood to length for free! Measure the width and depth of your desk feet. Have them cut the blocks of wood to be a bit larger so you don’t have to worry about them falling off.
You can also use strips of wood that lift both the front and rear legs of your table in one piece.
This solution is best if you can’t see the feet of your desk very easily. That way you don’t have to worry about material and color matching. Out of sight, out of mind.
3) DIY Leg Extenders
If you have some tools at home and love a good DIY project, you can make some fancy custom risers yourself.
In the video below, they add 6 inches of height to their work surface. You can follow this video, but simply change the lift dimensions to one that works for you.
With the DIY approach, you can get the most unique and custom solution. When you build to your own specification, you can really make a seamless extender for your desk.
4) Change Your Desk’s Legs
One method that I don’t see being talked about much is swapping your desk’s legs if possible. You can either swap your desk’s legs with longer table legs or swap them out with some furniture of the appropriate height!
Hear me out! This is a great option for those of you that would love some additional functionality out of your taller table.
If you remove the four table legs from your desk, you will be left with just the top plank of wood that is your work surface.
Now instead of putting this on another set of legs, we can place this on some super useful furniture that is also a bit taller than the legs we removed. Potential furniture includes drawer sets, short bookshelves, and other items that you could find useful.
This is exactly what I do with my ALEX Drawer desk. Check out my ALEX drawer desk setup here.
You can combine the ALEX drawer with riser blocks to get even more desk height, and now you have a desk with drawers on one side! A huge increase in functionality!
Learn more about why the ALEX drawer’s dimensions make them such good desk drawers. We also have an article on some ALEX Drawer alternatives if you are too far from an IKEA.
5) Standing Desk Converter
This last solution is a new perspective on raising your desk, and probably the most expensive, so it is last on our list.
This adjustable height desk smoothly transitions from sitting to standing, with a 2-tier design for a spacious work surface and removable keyboard tray. This can raise and lower your working surface, promoting a healthy balance between sitting and standing.
A standing desk converter is a system that is placed on top of your desk and is able to go up and down so you can sit and work, or stand and work. This way you get the standing desk benefits with your non-standing desk.
The system itself has an inherent minimum thickness, so it lifts whatever you place on it. This solves two problems at once if you have wanted to try out a standing desk! You get the increased height at your desk, and you get standing desk functionality!
It is best to get the desk riser that lifts your keyboard and mouse as well. If it only lifts your laptop or monitor, that won’t solve the desk height ergonomic issues.
This option above has an operating range of 4.7 inches to 19.3 inches. This means if your ideal height increase was between these numbers, this desk converter would work for you!
If you are a dual monitor person interested in standing desk converters, check out our article on the best dual monitor standing desk converters.
Before You Go
Making your desk taller is basically just a fix for a current desk. Check out our article detailing the approach to finding the best desks for tall people.
