Closet system using Ikea Molger Bench

Materials: Molger Benches. 5/16 dowel pins and drill bit. Clamps and shims. Laser level.

Description: My closet drastically needed a make-over and I couldn't afford the expensive closet systems. My closet is 4 1/2 feet by 9 feet with clothes rods on each end. I wanted shelves in the middle that were deeper, and I liked the wood slats instead of the white coated wire shelves that I currently had.

before

While in Ikea, I noticed the smooth nice finish of the Molger bench, with slatted wood shelf and seat ($39.99 each. 31" wide, 14 1/2" deep, 19 1/2" high)

The plan was to stack the benches, dowel them, and attach to the wall studs. So far I have used 6 benches, and will use one more to create a shelf above the clothes rod. $280 for a nice closet system!

First we assembled the benches. The benches come with rubber feet that when removed, expose a shallow hole. We drilled the existing hole a bit deeper, for a 5/16" dowel pin.

Next, we inserted the dowels (halfway, as the other half would be in the bench above it) and placed that bench with dowels onto the next bench. We drew around the dowels to mark where the hole would go onto the top of the next bench. Using a laser level, we were able to drill a straight hole into the top of the second bench.

We stacked the two benches together, and repeated the process for all 6 benches.

We placed 4 benches on one side and 2 on the other. In order to screw them into the wall, we clamped them together and placed shims behind the bench/shelves as our wall was not square. We attached them to the wall studs with screws.

I like the asymmetry of the shelves, as there is 6 inches and 10 inches between shelves. However, if you want, you could change the spacing while assembling the benches and have 8 inches between each shelf.

I love the clean lines, the increased depth, and the amount of storage. They are incredibly stable, and will be easy to take down and put up again when I re-carpet and re-paint in a few months.

~ Nancy, Spokane

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Molger 2.0

Materials: For this hack you need 2 Molger shelves and 1 (or 2, I used 1) Molger benches. Saws, drill, screws, nails and "brackets".

Description: After moving we had too many Molger units, and to save space I decided to build a shelf that fit around my washer.

It would be sweet if the Molger bench and shelf could play together like Legos, but they don't. So you'll need a lot of screws and plugs. Good tools are a must (or at least makes thing a lot easier).

What I would have done different:
Make the "seat" first, I made the over washer shelf first, and it was difficult moving after.
Make the shelf in a room with a flat floor, (not the bathroom, like me).
Make more support brackets.
For a nicer finish use the remaining boards to make a "tile" like finish. It also hides inaccuracies.
Measure properly!
Allow space for the tubes on the side of the washer (also some space over he washer to avoid shaking). For me it was a tight fit.

~ Hanskro, Trondheim

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Toddler desks

Materials: Vika Amon, Molger

Description: We needed two desks for our toddler girls -- they were 2 and 4 at the time -- but no one makes anything simple at the right height. I didn't want anything with too much bulk to it.

This hack is really simple -- just use the Vika Amon top. It's $5.99, easy to clean, and cheap enough to even be disposable. Ours have been great for 2 years, the kids even climb on them.

After searching the entire web site for hours, I finally found a great option for legs -- the Molger sink base. These are typically used to support a porcelain sink. They are the right height. They were about $20 for a set of 2. I mounted them with simple wood screws. Unfortunately, Ikea no longer sells these legs. Instead they offer the Godmorgon steel post leg, which is a good alternative. These legs are $10 each, which is a little more pricey.

We added storage below with Trofast - the wall storage frame for $24.99.

The best part about these desks is that they are at a great toddler height, and they work well with the Mammut stools shown.

~ AdamB

Tub Caddy Medicine Shelf

Materials: 2 Molger bathroom organizers, several chunks of scrap wood, measuring tape or yardstick, 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, plexiglass, screws (molly bolts if needed), drill, hammer and a nail, screw driver, level, and adhesive rubber shelf stoppers

Description: 1. Lie the two Molgers next to one another on their long edges. You have the option of either creating shelving so that the inside "basket" of the caddy faces inward or outward. Just be sure to be consistent when drilling your holes. Using the drill, prep your Molger bath caddy by drilling two holes 8 1/8" apart on one of the long sides of the caddy. Repeat on the other caddy. I found it helpful to stuff some blocks of spare wood under the edge on which I was drilling.

2. Hold one of the Molger against the wall vertically and, using the level, mark where it will go. Don't forget to mark your hole locations on the wall! Hold the opposite Molger the desired distance away from the first marks, and mark where it will go, as well.

3. Drill holes into your wall. Insert molly bolts if they're needed.

4. Screw the screws part way through the holes in the Molgers and then line them up with the holes in your wall. Screw the Molgers into your walls. Be sure that they're facing the same direction ("basket" in or "basket" out)!

4. Once they're up, use your measuring tape or yardstick to determine how wide your plexiglass shelves will need to be and how many you'll want. You will want some of the plexiglass to stick out beyond the slats so that the shelf will stay in place. For example, from inner edge to inner edge, my Molgers are set 11 1/4" apart, but I opted for 15" shelves so that I'd have some overhang.

5. Regardless of how long you want your shelves they will need to be 4 1/2" wide. If you purchase your plexiglass at Lowes, they will cut it for you for free. Home Depot is not legally allowed to cut plexiglass anymore, but you can still purchase it there. I chose to have a Lowes employee cut it for me.

6. Once your plexiglass is cut, sand the edges with your 1000 grit wet/dry sand paper. First do it dry, then finish off with a wet sand. If your hardware store doesn't have 1000 grit, try an auto supply store (it's used for buffing headlights).

7. Slide your plexiglass shelves into the Molgers, resting them on the slats at their desired heights. You can stick the adhesive shelf stoppers to the underside of each shelf on either the interior or exterior, so long as you're consistent. This will prevent the shelves from randomly slipping out.

~ Stephanie

Fitting a Molger Under the sink

Materials: Ikea Molger Shelving Unit (brown) Article Number : 302.034.21

Description: I had an old tall 5 shelf Molger shelving unit from the Bathroom in my old flat but it really did not fit in the new flat.

So, I thought I'd modify it into a new under wash basin shelving unit.

After deconstructing the Molger Shelf; Cut the two side pieces to the desired height (around 55cm is good). This also leaves enough timber in the legs for extra support across the joined shelving units.

Then by using pairs of the original shelves and cutting out a few slats you can construct something that fits your washbasin.

Also two of the original shelves are doweled. This is quite handy and you can still use the doweling in the second shelf to hold the two together.

Tools and additional items;
- Screwdriver
- Drill
- Saw
- a few extra self-tapping screws.
- the original IKEA screws can be used for the top shelf.

~ Luke, London

Turnbuckle Table

Materials: 1 Molger table frame, 2 big slices of oak, 8 turnbuckles, 16 dome-headed bolts, 16 nuts

Description: I found a discontinued Molger frame in the As-Is section (best section EVAR!), and realized that I had to make a table out of it. So, I found a pair of beautiful oak planks at a local woodshow to add.

I assembled the Molger, then glued the planks together into a single surface and planed it smooth. I centred the Molger on the table, then drilled through the surface and into the tops of the Molger's corner posts. I glued dowels into the holes, connecting the two into a table and used a high-gloss varnish.

However, Molger wasn't made to be a rock-steady table, and was quite wobbly. To stabilize it, I got a set of turnbuckles at a hardware store. I drilled into the legs and lower horizontal rails, and secured the turnbuckles with the bolts and nuts, then turned all the turnbuckles firmly tight.

~ Andrew, Waterloo, Ontario

Molger and Kassett united

Materials: Molger bench, Kassett boxes (largest size)

Description: I do like the concept of open storage but was sick of the dust collecting on the actually not that attractive bottles of cleaning agents and rolls of toilet paper.

So I bought two Kassett boxes in the largest size available which would be able to accommodate everything stored on that bench easily.

Since they were to high to fit in between the boards I took the bench apart, drilled new holes in the legs and put it back together. A simple measurement which created a lot more, easier to clean, room for storage.

~ Nadine, Hanover, Germany

Shoji screen from Molger Bench

Materials: MOLGER BENCH, screws and other fasteners

Description: The wonderful 4x8 foot shower in my new house has 12 linear feet of window with a low sill that looks directly into an adjent park. If I had just frosted the glass, I'd be still have rather provocative shadows on the shades when I bathed.

In needed something more opaque, but that would still admit light. Something with an Asian sensibility.

My colleague/carpenter, Joe Kilbourne, and I took the latticed shelves from three Molger benches, spliced them together, attached short sections of the nifty legs with plastic feet to keep panels out of the damp. I did have the glass frosted behind the Molger lattice, which advances the Shoji motif.

Drilled holes in the ends of panels fit over stainless steel pegs epoxied in place on the end walls to prevent over turning. To remove, I can just shift panels from side to side and remove. The end window opens; I can rotate the short section upward to operate the window controls.

And, in the end, we had enough length of shelves to assemble a shorter bench that sits nicely in the shower.

~ Lynn Perkins, Seattle, WA

Molger legs turns into laptop stand and table lamp in one

Materials: Molger legs frame, Dioder

Description: This hack is very cheap and simple. I bought set of Molger legs on As-is bargain for funny low price (discontinued in Poland). One frame I left naked, just put Dioder on it. Second frame I assemble in different way, fixing two shorter parts with longer border, but only with one end of them (see photo)

It's very practical for laptop users, because it provides perfect ventilation. It's convenient to use in every environment, and it simply looks good :)

LED lamp also looks very simple, but has big potential if you like to decorate your home with lights. Look for inspirations on photos. :)

~ BR Bartosz, WrocLove

Kid's Desk from Molger

Materials: MOLGER bench, VALLA door, wooden stick (60cm), screws

Description: Inspired by this hack I got the idea to make a kid's desk from the MOLGER bench.

So we put the lower shelf outside the bench (a bit higher +-30cm), the legs are made of wooden sticks 3x3cm).

As the table top we used VALLA kitchen cabinet door 60x92cm, but it is a bit redundant, next time I would prefer 50x92cm.

It is simple, washable, stable, kids don't need to (and can't :) move the chairs, they have enough space... I am satisfied :)

~ zuzajda

Coat Rack with a bit of Wall Protection

Materials: Molger Floor Decking and Attest Knobs

Description: Normal coat hooks near the door have always had the problem of buttons, zips, etc. scrapping the walls so we wanted a different solution.

Our answer was to use four Molger floor decking panels with 10 (5 packs of 2) Attest knobs as coat hooks - other knobs are available!

Simply decide on the layout for the knobs and drill a suitable size hole for each knob - we did them in two rows so there are grand-children height hooks as well. The bolts to attach the knobs will need shortening as they are designed for a thicker board - just use a hacksaw and cut to required length. I put a nut on the bolt before cutting so that it helps clean the thread after cutting.

The Molgers are simply mounted on the wall using two butterfly or cavity wall fixings per Molger in the centre.

~ Greg Toland, UK

From the bathroom to the craft room

Materials: Expedit shelving Unit, Molger towel rail, molger toilet paper holder, drona boxes

Description: To set up my crafting corner I used some items that used to be in my old bathroom and for which I no longer had any use.

In this hack I used:

- An Expedit 2x2 shelving unit that I turned into a table with storage. I simply cut a 60 cm x 100 cm mdf board and screwed it to the expedit unit using small metal brackets. The I covered this board with fabric, using a staple gun. To complete the look I chose a fabric I liked, cut 50 cm x 55 cm rectangles and covered the front of 4 drona boxes, pinning the fabric in place.

- A Molger towel rail (it is an old one, this model is no longer on sale in Portugal) that I turned into a shelf. For this I cut a 85 cm x 14 cm board, covered it with fabric, again using a staple gun, and glued it to the molger towel rail, transforming it into a shelf.

- A Molger toilet paper holder, or should I say half of it, because I only used the parts that attach it to the wall to make a ribbon rail. For this I also needed a 82,5 cm wooden rod, with a diameter of 0.8 cm.

See more of the craft station.

~ Leonor Alves, Lisbon, Portugal

Kid's Bench

Materials: Molger Bench

Description: I purchased the Molger Bench thinking it would be perfect for my young boys to use for putting their shoes on, however once I assembled it, I realized that the seat was way too high for them. So instead of returning it, I took the top seat off and attached it to the back. The lower shelf of the bench turned out to be the perfect height for them. The beauty of this is that when they get bigger it can be converted to the original bench!

~ Aya, Bellevue

Molger for Music

Materials: 2x Molger benches (birch), Parts Express speaker spikes, 4x 5/16" dowels, glue

Description: I have been looking for a stereo rack for quite some time. It seems the size i was looking for is unusual. I was inspired by the recently featured Lack rack. Nice, but not quite what I was looking for. While researching, I came across a audio journalist that used Ikea Molger benches without modification as equipment racks. I figured with a little Ikea hacking I could get what I have been looking for.

This hack starts with 2 Molger benches. Each bench comes with 2 sides with legs and 2 shelves. With a circular saw, I cut 3" off the legs of one bench and cut off the top 6" of the 2nd bench. I attached the 6" section to the top of the 1st bench. I drilled short holes in the mating surfaces of that joint, and joined it with a dowel and glue for strength. Once the sides were dry, I assembled the unit as you normally would but with one extra shelf. Lastly I added spikes to the feet for a little audiophile cred.

I am pleased with how it looks. The wood looks much better than the picture on the website. More like maple than pine.

Note: the space for components is 30" wide, not enough for two standard components side by side but it works for what I have.

~ Danny, NJ