Lack Lazy Susan Coffee Table

Materials: Lack Side Table Legs and Lazy Susan Table Tops

Description: This creation was inspired by the 24 left over Lack Side Table legs I had after I created a headboard for my King size bed (See the post entitled "Headboard fit for a King-sized bed" for more details on that project).

This table took a couple of sequential steps before finally assembling each piece to form the final table.

First I designed three "+" shaped legs using five Lack Side Table legs, per leg and used double sided carpet tape to hold each "+" shape secure.

For each "+" table leg, I cut out a 7" diameter piece of MDF and attached each "+" leg to the MDF using 14 x 1" flat head screws after pre-drilling with a countersink bit. I used metal brackets on the opposite side of the "+" legs to secure the whole leg together.

I designed the table base as a double layered, offset "T" shape using eight table legs (four sections grouped into twos).

I slotted the "+" legs into the "T" base and used 14 x 3 1/2 " round head screws to attach each section (I also spray painted 1/4 washers with a flat black spray paint and bought black screw caps to mask the round head).

I then turned the whole structure on its head, and slid the Lazy Susan tops underneath, attaching them to the 7" diameter MDF.

This project used a total of 23 Lack Side Table legs and three Lazy Susans. The reason I used 14 (width size) screws is because the pre-drilled holes in the Lack legs were sized at a 14 width.

It took a lot of preplanning and forethought to assemble this coffee table, but being my first ever built piece of furniture, I'm very proud of it.

Hope you enjoy.

~ Doug Lu, Ontario Canada

A headboard fit for a King-sized bed

Materials: Lack Side Table

Description: I built a headboard out of eight (black/brown coloured) Lack Side Tables. I attached them four wide by two high and turned all the table tops so the wood grain lined vertically. I then attached some of the table legs onto the structure to support the whole structure.

If I were to do it again, I'd probably wall mount it, but it is fine wedged between the wall and bed. Attached you'll find pictures of the actual headboard as well as figures 1,2,3 which show an illustration of the wood grain orientation, the back view, and the back view with the brackets, respectively.

I then recycled the unused table legs and a few Ikea Lazy Susans to create a coffee table. Please see the post entitled "Lack Lazy Susan Coffee Table" for more details.

~ Doug Lu, Ontario, Canada

IKEA Place Mats to Pillows!

Materials: IKEA Solbrand Place Mats

Description: Turning 2-sided IKEA Solbrand cloth placemats into pretty pillows!
1. With a seam ripper, take out the stitching along a short side of the place mat.
2. Fill with Cotton Batting.
3. Stitch.
4. Done! Easy Peasy!

See more of the placemats turned pillows.

~ Jo-Anna, Suburbia Canada

Ikea Lack table into Lack floating shelves!

Materials: Lack table, brackets (Dormer type probably or any other), L brackets, screws, saw, drill

Description: We wanted two side-tables for the bedroom, but we thought that it would be more convenient to be the floating type like the IKEA Lack floating shelf. So the next day I visited IKEA store, and tried to find one that would be matching the space in size. Unfortunately I realized that the Lack shelves are only made 110cm and 30 cm long and there is nothing in between, which would fit for my needs. So I had a brilliant idea! Why not make my shelves by cutting into half an IKEA Lack table which only costs 5 euros!

So on my way to the cashier with a black Lack table, I stepped in to the "as is" department and the exact time there was a batch of ex-display tables for half the price, 2.50 euros! So I grabbed one at half price, and left the other. I was so anxious to get in my workshop in the morning I couldn't wait, to start chopping that little table!

So as you see in the pictures I split the table into two halves. And then I picked some brackets that are similar to the Broder shelf brackets, and made some difficult for the average hobbyist machining, sawing and bending to have four "L" brackets with drill holes, so they can hold the shelves in total disguise like the original Lack Shelves.

They fitted like charm, and now I couldn't wait to go home and start the installation! Oh this was a very bad time so I had chosen a time that my fianc� was absent, a total mess!

First I took meters, and draw the points to drill. Then I started installing the "L" brackets. As you may notice under the "L" bracket I slipped a small L shaped bracket so I can use it to lock the shelf in place. After all this mess I had the two shelves installed and checked the alignment. Success!

That's it. Go on and chop those tables!!!

See more of the floating Lack bedside shelf.

~ mikenuke, Greece

Broder turns into kitchen workbench

Title: Materials: IKEA BODER, Koskisen Koskidecor (finnish birch plywood), IKEA BREDSK�R etc

Description: Wanted to have a functional kitchen system which can grow easily on demand and has a flexible working height.

~ Bruno Schulz, Bad Kreuznach - Germany

Lack Book shelf

Materials: Lack

Description: To construct the bookshelf I took several Lack shelves. The challenge was to cut them to the right size. Therefore, I had to remove the end-caps by heat and, after cutting, replace them.

To allow precise assembly I installed first a chipboard wall.

To achieve a higher weight tolerance of many books, I used aluminum pipes, placed as seen on the pics.

~ Alex Mildner

Expedit standing desk

Materials: Expedite shelving units

Description:
Overview:

A large standing desk using Expedite shelving parts. At 48" high, it's high enough for a tall person to rest their elbows on. At 73" width, it's large enough to hold a bunch of gear AND eat meals on. At ~$250 in parts, it's a great value for the size.

Ikea items:

2 x 2x2 Expedit shelving unit (801.352.98, $40 each)
2 x 5x1 Expedit shelving unit (201.162.74, $60 each)
1 x 73"x10" Lack shelf (601.037.50 $30)

Hardware store items:

- 8 x metal braces
- 96" 4x1.5" board cut up for shelf supports (can substitute for Capital legs for class).


Instructions:

1) Lay both fully constructed 2x2 units across from each other.

2) Lay fully constructed 1x5 unit across back of top (one step ahead of construction photo 2)

3) Lay partially constructed 1x5 on front of top. This partially constructed shelf should only include three pieces: two short sides and one long side. This leaves enough space underneath to slide a high chair or bar stool underneath.

4) Bolt pieces together using braces and screws.

5) Attach lack shelf, supported by Capita brackets or cut up boards.

See more of the Expedit standing desk.

~ Peter Marks, Portland, OR

Hoop art

Materials: Needlework hoops, Ikea fabric scraps

Description: Repurposed needlework/embroidery hoops painted and used as frames for beautiful Ikea fabric leftovers. (All frames were charity shop finds.)

See more hoop art.

~ Tilly

How To: Give an inexpensive door mat a welcoming modern makeover

Materials: TRAMPA door mat, contact paper, spray paint

Description: After a winter of salt and snow, my hardwood floors had taken a beating. So, once I got them scrubbed down, I vowed to keep them in better shape with a door mat at every entrance. So I did what most DIYers would do - went to IKEA. I snagged a basic, large coir mat for $8.00, and picked up a can of spray paint on the way back. Add an hour of work, and you've got a custom, mod mat that you whipped up yourself.

Get the full how-to on the welcome mat modern makeover.

~ Chris Gardner

Bekvam + Fullen Solve 3 Problems

Materials: Bekvam, Fullen, Ekby Valter, Saw, Drill, Rotozip

Description: My family and I recently moved to a new apartment. We brought with us a 3 year old Bekvam kitchen cart that simply did not work for our new kitchen. Rather than sell or throw away the Bekvam, I decided to make use of the wood and hardware.

Our bathroom had a sink mounted on the wall with no storage underneath. This was a problem for us, so I decided to go out and buy a new Fullen cabinet. Fullen's do not have tops, but the top of the Bekvam was just the right size. Using my Rotozip tool, I cut a large "U" shape out of the Bekvam top, sanded it down a bit and attached it to the Fullen using a couple of angle brackets. I finished it off by sealing the gap between the wood and the sink with white silicon.

There's an odd gap in our kitchen between a couple of built in closets/cabinets. It turned out that the two Bekvam shelves would fill that gap perfectly. Using a few mending plates, I attached the two shelves together at the bottom and then attached them to two new Ekby Valter angle brackets. After mounting them on the wall, we had a new home for our microwave.

I was left with the Bekvam legs, part of the top and the apron. Using my circular saw, I cut the remainder of the top into two rectangles, which became the new top and shelf. After trimming the Bekvam's apron pieces down to size, I attached them to the new Bekvam top using the original hardware and reattached the legs (which were also shortened by 6 inches). Using a band saw, I cut rectangular notches out of each corner of the new Bekvam shelf, stuck four old wooden dowels in the existing holes in the legs and rested the new shelf on top. We now had a new end table and cat perch.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the results. I'll probably end up painting the table, but for now, it's fine as it is.

~ Doug

Air urchin

Materials: regolit lamp shade, yarn and crochet hook

Description: With some left over yarn I started a circular geometric crochet pattern with a globe shape and applied to the lamp! Simple, cheap and super cute!

~ Raquel, Porto (Portugal)

Custom painted Snudda

Materials: Snudda lazy susan, acrylic paint and urethane finish

Description: My inner 1950's mom came out and I purchased the Snudda about a year and a half ago. I wanted to paint it and do something, but needed some time to think. After being held hostage for a week in the snow I painted. I decide to draw upon the scandanavian prints that I'd seen before and create a chaotic, whimsical piece that quite possibly only a mother could love.

The Snudda required sanding to get the basic finish off and several coats of acrylic paint to get the saturation just right. After it dried I sealed it with a urethane finish since it would come in contact with liquid and kids. That was that.

See more of the hand painted Snudda.

~ Annie Page, Indiana

Forhoja Side Table

Materials: Forhoja wall cabinet; Capita 6" legs

Description: Looking for a small side table with some storage space. Couldn't find one I liked.

I found the Forhoja wall cabinet, part of the kitchen organization section. It's just an open cube, to which I attached 4 Capita legs. I like the way one side looks like a robot.

~ Rebecca, NYC

Built in BESTA Home Theater

Materials: 3 BESTA shelf units, 4 BESTA VARA drawer fronts, 6 Lack wall shelves

Description: We wanted to have a built in entertainment center for our basement home theater, it was currently sitting on some wire shelves. So we came up with a plan using parts from IKEA for this project plus a bunch of lumber and paint.

We started by building a base out of 2x4's to set the BESTA shelf units on. This was sized to fit the convenient setback in the wall in the basement.

Next we had to size the three IKEA shelf units were about 1.5 inches to long in total, so we happily voided any warranties and I modified the unit that would go in the middle.

After the modification were done, the bases of the shelf units were screwed down to the 2x4 frame and then they were fully assembled. All the wiring was run for audio, networking, and power hiding it in a gap behind the shelf units and in the walls.

We painted the back wall an accent color. The doors were installed on the unmodified units and we build a custom top to go over the BESTA shelf units to get the television the correct height. We also filled in the wall using the LACK shelves. Oh and we played some RockBand to test all the wiring connections.

We finished by installing the trim and painting the new countertop white to match the BESTA shelf units.

See more of the built-in Besta media unit.

~ Jason Whittenburg, Atlanta, GA

Bedroom Litter Box

Materials: Stolmen Chest with 2 drawers

Description: We share our bedroom with the cat's litter box, which is the only suitable space in our apartment. I came across this site a few months ago and was inspired to make a hack that would hide the box and allow us to use the space above it. There were a few obstacles:
- the size of our Littermaid Automatic litter box (25"x20") - larger than many others.
- I wanted a drawer so that I could clean it easily without having to pull out the litter tray.
- I wanted something inexpensive, enclosed and attractive for a bedroom.

The Stolmen 2 chest drawer is $100, very large and seemed perfect for our room. I wanted a nicely finished hole for the cat so I purchased a interior small pet door from the pet shop for $19.

The hack was simple. We cut a hole that matched the pet door in the top drawer, assembled the unit according to the directions except that we attached the 2 drawer fronts, sides, bottom and backs with metal brackets (hardware store)and only put in 1 drawer bottom.

It's been about a month and we are very happy. We ended up using a standard deep litter box as we were having trouble with the automatic one and this one seems to work better for our cat.

This site is amazing. Besides this hack I have made a coat rack from the Stolmen similar to the vertical pot rack posted here. And I've refinished a Rast dresser (stained and new knobs) to store our gloves and hats by the door. My 10 year old son is also a big fan. He has asked me to add a Lack shelf as stair to a cat bed above the Stolmen chest (seen still in the box in the pictures).

~ T. Anna, NYC