LACK table lamp

Materials: 2 x Ikea lack tables, drill, led tape,

Description: Hello,
I have to remove my current ceiling lamp because it block out TV projector. I need something flat. Because using sheetrock makes a lot of dust I didn't use them.

I found Ikea lack table would be great stuff to put on the ceiling :)

Here are step by step instructions:

I used one 55x55 Lack table as a base, and 78x78 as the visible part.

1. Set up small table over the big one. Please make sure it is centered. Glue them together.

2. Make 4 holes for GU10 frames (or more if you want), but those 4 are needed to mount lamp to the ceiling. You need to make them in both tables

Make one hole on the center of the top table - this will be the place to connect all cables to the ceiling wires.

3. I put up led RGB tape to make some light while watching tv on the projected screen, this light is very delicate, ideal to see eg bottle of beer :)

4. Put some metal bindings inside the top tables (smaller one), look into the pictures.

5. Make internal connections, just drop out some paper from inside - this can be done using some long knife.

6. Screw whole table to the ceiling and connect it. I screw the 2 long screws to the first metal binding, so the lamp was curved a little bit from the ceiling allowing me make connections.

7. Because Lack furniture are not painted but there is foil on them they are not white enough. I painted it using same paint used for ceiling.

See more photos of the Lack lamp.

~ wiking, Poland

Islands aren't just for kitchens!

Materials: Ikea Groland Kitchen Island

Description: We are experienced do-it-yourselfers, and in a down-to-the studs bath remodel, we searched all over for unique vanities until we saw the Groland Islands at Ikea in Frisco, TX. We had a less than 8' wall to use and purchased two islands. We left one island full size and, to fit the wall, on the second island we carefully measured and cut about a foot off the length of the butcher-block top as well as all the supporting pieces of the two long sides. We also cut four inches off the four legs because I'm way shorter than my husband.

We had to VERY carefully measure and re-drill all the holes for bolts, etc. on the new, cut, ends of the support pieces. We also had to cut an even amount from either end of the lattice shelf that sits below. The legs had to be routered off at the bottom so the little aluminum cuffs would slide on. We took our time and it worked out well. To seal the vanities, we added five coats of Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish from Home Depot. We cut drain and faucet holes in the tops according to diagrams included with the sinks and we added big baskets underneath to hold our stuff.

~ Gary and Linda, Rowlett, Texas

Counter height built in desk

Materials: Ikea Door and Shelf brackets

Description: I was looking to install a counter height desk in the odd space in my sunroom. I looked into the price of wood and paint and brackets and it seems to be a bit much for what I wanted.

I ended up at Ikea and found a cabinet door, covered in white veneer (perfect for a desk-top) that was even the perfect measurement. I installed 4 large wall brackets to the wall using heavy duty wall anchors and then used construction adhesive to mount the door on top of them (this was to avoid having screw holes on the desk top.

I am so happy with the outcome!

~ Brittany

Oleby airing your clothes

Materials: Oleby shoe rack, wood glue, saw, small clamps

Description: I decided that I wanted to create a simple set of shelves to air my clothes in the boiler cupboard. Suitably polished wood of the right size size is surprisingly expensive so I decided to take the IKEA Hacker route and bash a flatpack into my designs. Here's how:

1) Purchase 1 Oleby pack for each shelf you wish to create
2) Open 1 pack at a time

3) Cut through the support dowels 2 bars from one end, remove these bars and down portions - these will be used as the shelf supports
4) Place the two shelf portions wide edge together and glue the two removed bars at 90 degrees to secure the shelf together
5) Turn the legs upside down and trim the base to achieve the desired height
6) Slide the legs onto the shelf and place in the desired position

7) repeat steps 3 - 6 for each shelf, gluing the legs in position above the previous ones

Note that due to poor tolerances and large difference in the position of each bar it may be necessary to enlarge the gap in the legs to better position a straight upright

See more of the Oleby airing rack.

~ Andrew Williams

Front Hallway Bench - work in progress

Materials: Benno television bench, Vippa hooks

Description: My children would come home from school and dump their book bags and jackets on the floor in the entrance way. I tried setting up a wardrobe, but they simply dumped their items in front of the wardrobe. (BTW, I have good kids. They're just happy to be home from school.) Our local IKEA had Benno t.v. benches on sale for 29 Euro and an idea was born. If the back is strong enough to hold a flat screen television, it will surely hold three back packs and jackets. Plus, for that price, I had nothing to lose trying to create a hallway bench/storage system.. I also bought Vippa wall hooks because they seemed the sturdiest.

Step 1: Assemble Benno t.v. bench.
Step 2: The back of the stand is three panels. Install one Vippa per panel. Each panel is approximately 16" wide, so I sited the location for each hook 8" from the edge on the outside panels then found the middle of the center panel (8" mark). We used a laser level to them line up, but used that mostly because we like to mess around with the laser. I didn't bother to place anything over the hole in the middle panel since it will be covered by a book bag/jacket, but I may change my mind later.

I put hat/gloves/mittens/scarves in the drawers below - one side for boys, one side for girls. I didn't install the shelves to make more room in the drawers.

Future hack ideas: 1) Now I'm trying to think of a way to hack the sides and back of the drawers to make them as tall as the drawer face. Any ideas as to how to do that out there in IKEA Hacker land?

2) I may have a cushion made for the bench part. I like the idea that if they don't hang up their book bags, they may at least throw it on the bench. I don't want to discourage that.

3) I originally bought two Benno since they were so cheap. But since they were an impulse buy, I hadn't actually measured the front hall space. Two won't fit side by side at our place. If your hallway has the space, having two side by side should work. It looks wicked cool in my head, anyway.

4) I think I'm going to get an etched glass kit from the craft store and decorate the glass portion of the drawers. I'll post an update if that works out.

~ Tracy Lee, Vicenza, Italia

Coat rack

Materials: VIKA OLEBY leg

Description: I needed hat rack, but wall ideally suited for hanging it was very fragile. So I have to use perpendicular wall. I bought 1 VIKA OLEBY leg, striped varnish, painted and screw few hangers. It works.

~ Maciek

Perfekt Solution

Materials: 2 Perfekt cabinets and casters

Description: Storage and space were at a premium in my parents Victorian kitchen. They had a narrow fridge, leaving a foot+ at the side for a storage solution.

I suggested stacking the Perfekt units and we used ties along the back to stabilize the units together. We added rubber-covered casters and the whole thing can be rolled out to clean behind, or to retrieve the ball for the dog :)

This ended up being a 'perfect' solution for baking needs and an extensive spice collection!

~ Kate, Ontario, Canada

Side table for VERY small child's room

Materials: BEKVAM spice rack, screw hooks, paint, small buckets

Description: My daughter has a very small bedroom wherein the HEMNES daybed takes up nearly all of the floor space. To accommodate a bedside water bottle, books, hair clips and various treasures, I re-purposed the BEKVAM spice rack in the following way:

1. Paint BEKVAM shelf in the color of your choice

2. Use a hammer and a bit of pressure to screw 3-4 screw hooks to the underside of the shelf

3. Hang shelf on wall

4. Add small buckets (I used little buckets from the $1 spot at Target) to the hooks and fill with hair clips, jewelry, etc.

~ Caroline (aka Chicago Mama), Chicago

Glowing storage

Materials: Vestby + Dioder

Description: I bought a Vestby for bathroom storage, and Dioder for kitchen under-cabinet lighting.

Sadly, the LED lighting wasn't bright enough for the kitchen, but they proved an excellent way to light up the Vestby set of drawers.

The glowing drawers were my bathroom nightlight for years.

~ Brian Smith

Home Theater Coffee Table

Materials: Ikea Expedit Coffee Table, Alera Underdesk Keyboard/Mouse Shelf

Description: This hack was really simple, only two products needed and a screwdriver. I simply put together the Expedit Coffee Table as the instructions state (but didn't put the glass plate on yet), flipped it over and installed a keyboard slider tray. The tray is really made to be put under a desk, but I wanted sliding storage for my remote and my keyboard. I bought the Alera Underdesk Keyboard/Mouse Shelf in the Mahogany that measures 28 x 12. It was about $25 online. It comes with screws and the Ikea coffee table fiberboard is soft enough that you screw it in by hand.

See more of the home theatre coffee table.

~ Sean Coyne, Ohio, USA

IKEA Lack TV Hack

Materials: IKEA Lack TV stand, IKEA Lack End Table

Description: My HTPC (Home Theater computer) was to big to fit inside the Lack TV stand, so I had to make the shelf height a little taller. I bought a Lack end table and used the legs as supports for the top of the TV stand. All I did was take the four legs, tape them together, measure the height I wanted from the end that is supposed to attach to the end table top, and cut them as a whole with a hack saw.

I then took the steel pegs that are meant to hold the sides of the TV stand on, and placed them in the holes of the newly cut legs. The legs are secure to the bottom of the TV stand via the holes originally meant for the flat side pieces. The top of the TV stand simply rests on the four "legs" but you could easily use a little glue if need be. As a little extra I screwed two wire raceways onto the back of the TV stand to organize the cables from all my gear.

See more of the Lack TV hack.

~ Sean Coyne, Ohio, USA

Broder DVD shelf

Materials: Broder shelf, batten, threaded rod, clear PVC tube

Description: I need a lot of shelf space for my DVD collection and was going to go for a rather clean, "library shelf" look. When the Broder system came to my attention, I immediately fell for in. The hack is rather simple. I just screwed a piece of batten (Of course sanded down and painted just like the wooden boards) to the center of the 36.5 cm deep wooden Broder boards and the assembled the thing as usual.

To keep my DVDs from falling out, I screwed one eye screw on each side into each board and pushed a threaded rod through, which I covered with clear PVC tubing. This gives a nice effect, a bit like stainless steel and the PVC lends a good grip to them. The ends of the rods are covered with cap nuts. As my collection is sorted alphabetically, I used some magnetic letters to mark the boards.

~ Thomas, Koblenz, Germany

Mudroom storage

Materials: Hemnes two drawer TV console (two), or use one three drawer unit, drill, nail gun, various wood sizes

Description: I have described my hack on my blog...

See more of the Hemnes mudroom storage.

~ Erin from {A Charming Nest}, Indiana

Drift Wood Mirror

Materials: Ikea KOLJA mirror, drift wood, 1/4" thick plywood, jig saw, construction adhesive glue, glue gun, nail gun and nails*optional

Description: I found an amazing mirror that I was lusting for in the Domino book, but after a long time of searching I found it too pricey so I decided to make one myself!

Step 1- buy the Ikea Kolja 30" round mirror $19.99

Step 2- get as much drift wood as you can. I purchased a large bulk of it on Etsy.com for under $100 since we don't get it naturally here in S. Florida

Step 3- purchase a 1/4" thick sheet of ply wood and have it pre-cut and measured in the store to a 35" square.

Step 4- take a compass and measure a 34" circle around your piece of drift wood.

Step 5- take your jig saw and carefully cut your circle. It's OK if it's not perfect since this is simply used to anchor the drift wood.

Step 6- glue your Kolja mirror to your ply wood with strong construction adhesive. Let sit 24 hours min.

Step 7- Lay your drift wood pieces out and start to form a frame with them around the ply wood edge and secure with your hot glue gun, layer upon layer.

Step 8- Optional* nail your drift wood to the ply wood just in case the glue doesn't hold.

Step 9- get a heavy duty nail hanging kit and secure to the back of your play wood

Step 10- hang and wait for all your friends to shower you with compliments:)

See more of the drift wood Kolja mirror.

~ thecubaninmycoffee, Miami, FL

BILLY Bookcase overhead

Materials: BILLY Bookcase, BILLY extent units, saw, drill, ruler, level

Description: Afterwards we decide to installed a BILLY in a dead space in the rooms lobby; we bought a BILLY bookcase (200 cm x 80 cm x 28 cm) and 2 extended units, but the bookcase was 4 cm larger and 1,5 cm deeper that the space available to put it on; so the skillful husband cut the extra cm of the all bookcase, turned the BILLY height extended unit to frame it over the door and used the middle shelf to make the bottom exterior frame.

~ Marcia Silva, Lisbon, Portugal

BJURSTA cabinet with cutlery drawer

Materials: BJURSTA Cabinet, saw, drill, ruler, level

Description: The customized closet is not the first IKEA hack made in our home, the first hack was a BJURSTA cabinet that we reduced the feet so it look more proportional and installed dividers for cutlery and the drawer was reinforced to withstand the weight of the silverware.

~ Marcia Silva, Lisbon, Portugal

Vimpel Photo Booth

Materials: Vitaminer Vimpel

Description: Astrid shares how to make a photo booth with the Vitaminer duvet as backdrop. Minor hack but it's a cute and fun idea which can come in handy for some.

Here's what you'll need:
one twin-size duvet cover or flat sheet (IKEA Vitaminer Vimpel)
at least four clothes pegs
string and scissors
hammer and nails
two long thin pieces of wood, at least 7ft tall (Lowes, 8ft, $2.43 each)
a fence

Go to her website for more photos and instructions on the Vimpel photo booth.

~ Jules

Hacked Japanese panels for custom-made

Materials: 2 rolls Anno Inez, 3m * 60cm ; 2 rolls Anno Sanela, beige, 3m * 60cm ; 2 thin rods ; 2 swivel rods ; 1 sewing machine, white angledozer, white satin ribbon and white wire

Description: I really wanted the signs for my Japanese Anno Inez French window overlooking the street, hiding for their character and bright. Except that the leaf of the doors are narrower than the panels and I did not use the rail system Kvartal, too expensive for my taste. To maximize the window, the panels will be Japanese Anno Sanela mounted on swivel rods.

Step 1: Measure the window and cut the panels to Japanese Anno Inez corresponding height and width.
Step 2: Sew the angledozer around the panels Anno Inez tailored so that the fabric does not fray.
Step 3: Sew the ribbon to white satin ribbon around the thin rod. Finishes fixing sewing a button.
Step 4: Place the thin rod on window casements. Follow the signs to the window opening, no need to slide the curtains ;)
Step 5: Place the swivel rods in corners of the doors.
Step 6: Cut the Japanese Anno Sanela panels to length and sew the hems (the top one to host the rotating rod). Slide the panels to swivel rods and enjoy!

See more of the Japanese panels.

~ C�cile, France