Kitchen cart with drop leaf extension

Materials: F�RH�JA kitchen cart, EKBY TRYGGVE 47 7/8X11" shelf, three 1 1/2" hinges, left and right hinge supports, scrap wood

Description: First the EKBY shelf was measured and cut to 39 3/8" to match the cart length. The cart top and the shelf are different thicknesses so scrap wood was used under the hinges on the shelf to even the height.

Flip the cart over and attach the hinges near either end of the cart and shelf with the final hinge being placed in the center.

Left and right hinge supports were attached to the outside of the cart legs and the bottom of the shelf. Scrap wood was again used between the support and the shelf to even the height with the cart top.

~ Feifei and Josh

Forhoja For Bed

Materials: Forhoja + Sultan Florvag + lumber + castors

Description: We were inspired by the recent hack of the Kura bunk bed as our son recently outgrew his crib. Alas, Ikea Brooklyn had no Kuras in stock, so we left with only the mattress and sheet set.

Lying around at home, gathering dust, we had the shelves from a Forhoja kitchen table/cart/sideboard thing (though ours is an older version 3-drawers wide, and no wheels). We decided these would form the headboard and footboard of the bed, we'd get some 2x3s to use for the sides and we'd use pieces from the half-broken crib to support the mattress.

We cut the ends off the Forhoja shelves to make them flush, cut the 2x3s to length, and basically just drilled and countersunk the wood before screwing everything together to form a cuboid. We screwed the slats leftover from the crib in the sides of the upper 2x3s, and then added some more lengthwise for further mattress support. We'll make this a bit neater/more functional down the line (perhaps by using a sheet of 1/4" plywood instead?) but it was bedtime on Christmas eve and we needed to get 'er done!).

We decided we might as well re-use the castors from the old crib too, so we pulled those off, drilled and banged them into place on the new bed.

As for the big gap down the side of the bed: for now, we have a couple of big, shallow trays used for storage under the bed. At a later date, we may find a drawer or two from the chipped and broken aisle that fit, and engineer those in place. Or, we may simply add a filler piece for aesthetics.

~ Peter Campbell, NYC

Forhoja storage cubes with a difference

Materials: Forhoja wall cabinet, wallpaper, wallpaper paste

Description: 1. Cut chosen wallpaper to size of rear panel and use wallpaper paste to adhere. Pile books/magazines on top and let dry.

2. Finish assembling your storage cube and enjoy!

Too easy!

See more of the Forhoja cubes.

~ Lozza, Sydney

Stain retraining

Materials: LEKSVIK dining table, INGOLF chairs (my chair style is no longer available), F�RH�JA kitchen cart, water based polyurethane, foam brushes, 3 cans spray primer, 5 cans spray paint, craft paper, painters tape, orbital sander, 30 grit & 120 grit sandpaper, 320 grit sanding block

Description: I have had my kitchen table and chairs for about 6 years and they were starting to show their age. I've noticed that ikea uses a finish that becomes "tacky," marred, and discolored with use. Very few of ikea's products actually have the same stain and finish. I picked up the kitchen cart at the thrift store for $25 and wanted all the pieces to come together and look like an actual set of furniture rather than a hodge-podge of mis-matched pieces. I also needed to brighten the space in my kitchen to give it the illusion of more space.

I sanded the table top of the table and cart with 30-grit sandpaper on my orbital sander to strip off the old finish. Once I was down to bare wood, I changed to 120-grit paper. Once I had the tops smooth, I covered them with craft paper to protect them during the spray painting.

I hand-sanded the chairs, the base of the table, and base of the kitchen cart with 120 grit sandpaper to improve adhesion and applied spray primer. After priming, everything was coated three times to ensure a good solid finish. I used high gloss white.

The craft paper had protected the table tops and no additional sanding was needed. I applied minwax "ipswich pine." I purchased the 8oz size can of stain and used about 3/4. I left the stain on for 12 mins, wiped off the excess with a rag, and was satisfied with the color intensity. I let the stain dry overnight. The following day, i applied 5 coats of water-based polyurethane. Each coat was allowed to dry for about an hour with a fan blowing across the table tops then it was lightly sanded with a 320-grit sanding block. The dust was wiped off with a moist sponge and allowed to completely dry before the next application. I used glossy polyurethane and chose 5 coats because the table is a high-use surface.

Overall, I spent $55 on paint, stain, and polyurethane. I already owned all the other supplies.

Unfortunately, I don't have any "before" or "during" photos. This hack would look great in a variety of paint and stain colors.

~ Oriah, Charlottesville, VA

Chinese drawers

Materials: Forhoja


Description: I don't know how long I kept this piece instead of throwing it away. As I redesigned my hallway to a kind of 'New Asian Style', I had the idea to integrate this little wall-mounted chest.

I painted it to the same colour shade, that I chose for the wall. Wall paint for the wall, acrylic paint for the chest, off course.

Than I turned the drawers 180 degrees, because they have small fingerholes for opening, and I wanted to hide them.

At last I mounted the small door pulls. I bought them from Jatujak market in Bangkok.

~ Chris, Vienna (Austria)

Bedside-Table-Cabinet-Lamp

Materials: JANSJ�, F�RH�JA

Description: The IKEA Bedside-Table-Cabinet. Amazing in itself, but somewhat lacking functionality when darkness falls.

What we do is take the IKEA JANSJ� worklamp, and combine it with the F�RH�JA wall cabinet to create the amazing Bedside-Table-Cabinet-Lamp.

1) Remove lamp from packaging
2) Measure out where to drill holes
3) Drill holes (this means using a 5mm drill bit, and widening the hole enough to get a snug fit - a 6mm drill bit made the hole too big, so beware!)
4) Insert lamp
5) Insert screws
6) Plug in lamp, and enjoy!

See more of the bedside table with light.

~ Samuel Caesar Hav, Danmark

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