IKEA Socker window bird feeder

Materials: SOCKER, drill, screws, waterproof sealant

Description: There are a lot of feeders in the RainyDayGarden. While we get plenty of visitors, they were always a bit farther away than we would have liked. We have tossed around ideas of making a feeder which could be placed up close to a window. There are a few builds of such feeders floating around the Web. Some of them look like they work quite well, but they all seem a bit clunky AND more work than we were willing to put into such a project. The ones available for purchase are very nice, but can cost over $100.

IKEA's Socker greenhouse solved all of those problems in one stroke: unique light airy look, 10-minute DIY from start to finish, $20 overall cost. All the tools needed for this project is a drill, a few screws, and some water-proof sealant.

The basic steps are:

1. Remove one of the front plastic panels
2. Drill some holes in the tray for drainage and mounting screws
3. Mount the tray on the window ledge

See more of the Socker window bird feeder.

~ Wan Chi Lau, Boston

Read More »

Expedit kitchen and bar

Materials: Expedit, Expedit doors and drawers, Vika Amon table top, Capita, 4 baskets to use as drawers, a piece of MDF, white paint and cute doorknobs

Description: My husband and I live in a very small place, so we need all the storage space we can create. That is why we build an Expedit kitchen bar. It is perfect as a breakfast and dinner table and also creates loads of storage space in the kitchen.

Description:
Step 1. Put the Expedit together.
Step 2. Screw the Capitas on Expedit.
Step 3. Screw the Vika Amon table top on the Expedit.
Step 4. Put in all the Expedit doors and drawers.
Step 5. Make sure the MDF board is the right size, then paint it in the same color as the Expedit.
Step 6. Put the MDF board on the Expedit with a lot of small nails, using a hammer. Paint the nails when done.
Step 7. Find yourself fitting baskets to use as drawers.
Step 8. I didn't like the Ikea doorknobs, so I replaced them with little stones.

We are thinking about replacing the Vika Amon table top with an old door or something like that, because Vika Amon damages very quickly.

~ Dieuwke, Groningen

Read More »

New life for Old Poang!

Materials: Poang Chair, Fence boards, drywall screws

Description: Poang... That iconic chair from IKEA, what do I do when I see one on the side of the road that obviously has seen better days?

I throw it in the truck!!! I was looking at the frame and thought... I bet that could make a cool piece of patio furniture. So some light sanding, and cutting, and some cedar fence boards, Just cut the lumber to the desired width, and one by one screw them in with drywall screws. And voila a Poang Patio chair!!! Now to decide if I paint it or stain it...

See more of the patio Poang.

~ Rob, Burien, WA USA

Read More »

Steampunk-style Borrby display case

Materials: Borrby lantern, some wood and various odds and ends

Description: From another project I was left with an old and very beat-up mechanical clockwork. Because I like seeing a clockwork at work, I started looking for something that might function as a display case. The smaller Borrby lantern is inexpensive and seemed well-suited to my purpose.

Note: the galvanized version of the Borrby is constructed differently and I don't think it would work for this hack.

I bought two, because I couldn't find a single one without scratches on the glass (Hey Ikea, Borrbys are not adequately packed, they're just placed together in a box without any separation or protection between them). I ended up using 5 glass panels; one for the top as well.

First I removed all the glass panels. Then I pried off the top section of the lantern and sawed off the 4 supports flush with the bottom. I turned the lantern upside-down (so the top became the bottom). I fastened the top (now bottom) to a leftover piece of oak board - because the metal is thin and became a little deformed, I used brass L-brackets to clamp the metal down to the board (the brass echoes the clockwork metal). I was intending to put brass corners around the top too, but that didn't look like it would work out when I got to it (the screws would have ended up going through the glass).

The vent holes were covered up with leftover pieces of a LOBBO lampshade. Brass plate would have been nicer but I didn't find any.

The top cover is made of two overlapping L-shaped pieces sawn from what was originally the bottom of the lantern. These I glued together and re-painted black. The top is held in place by double-sided construction tape, In case I need to take it apart again.

I cut a glass panel to size for the top. I'm not very good at cutting glass, so starting from the panels of another Borrby limited the number of cuts I needed to make. Also, 3 chances to get it right...

My spare lantern is now missing its back glass panel, I intend to put a reflecting piece of metal in its place (perhaps cut from a cookies box) and turn it into a semi-directional lantern.

~ Eli, Belgium

Read More »

Faktum Storage Bed

Materials: Faktum (or equivalent) cabinets, Box Spring Bed (mine is Sultan Salhus), plywood, lumber for footing and inner structure, assorted tools, screws and various bits

Description: - Measure the space you have and figure out what size of cabinets to use and how to lay them out.

I used 9 Faktum cabinets in total: 4 x 80 cm wide, 1 x 60 cm wide (total width of the space was only 230 cm) and 4 x 40 cm wide, layed out as in the picture.

- Assemble all the full height cabinets. Leave the backing off one of the big ones - this will be the doorway to the storage space.

- Shorten the cabinets as needed prior to assembly. This is pretty easy to figure out when you look at the pieces, if you have prior DIY experience with tools. I'm looking into creating a tutorial for this, when I have the time...

- Lay out the cabinets. Optionally lay cabinets on a lumber footing, so they're easier to open. This also helps to attach the cabinets: you can screw them on the footing.

- Attach cabinets to each other and build an inner structure to reinforce them and to take the most of the weight of the bed and anyone laying on it.

- Optionally cover the tops of cabinets with plywood (or other material) for a sleeker look. Treat your chosen material (I waxed the plywood after sanding it fine) so it's easier to clean and will keep looking nice.

- Attach the bed on top of the structure. I used steel brackets (used them on a lot of places in the construction as well).

- Attach doors and handles. Line up the doors.

- Step back and enjoy! And then fill it up. There's more photos in my blog.

~ Nora, Espoo, Finland

 

Read More »

Glass top kitchen peninsula

Materials: two IVAR (80x50x83) cabinets, one TORSBY (180x85) tabletop,three Gnosjo doors (60x92cm) 1 gnosjo door ( 50x92) one Gnosjo plinth , 16 L-Brackets, 4 mending plates , 8 legs (9cm high), a piece of pinewood of 20x50x1,5, and a piece MDF of 180x85 finished with aluminium edging tape from hardware store

Description:
1.- Paint the IVAR cabinets and the piece of pinewood with transparent white glaze that reveals the wood grain.
2.-Assemble two IVARs as instructed and mount four legs each onto the bottom walls. Leaving the doors unassembled, makes handling a bit easier.
3.- Put the two cabinets side by side, leaving a gap of 20cm in between.

4.- Attach the pinewood piece to the bottom of both cabinets to fill the gap using the 4 mending plates, forming a very useful shelf to store the trays. Now you have the island.
5.- Attach the 3 Gnosjo doors (60x92) to the back of the cabinets and the 50x92 door to the peninsula side opposite to the wall with the 16 L-brackets.
6.- Paint the mdf countertop in white and screw it to the top of the cabinets. Put the whole in place.
7.- Put the Torsby tabletop on it
8.- Saw the Gnosjo plinth to get a piece of 180x9cm ant glue it to the legs at the front part of the peninsula.
9.-Fix the peninsula to the wall and put the IVAR doors in place

~ Teresa Aznar, Spain

Read More »

Portable workbench

Materials: Bekvam kitchen cart, Antonius 25L drawer

Description: I wanted some sort of mobile storage solution for when I want to work inside (or outside) instead of in the garage where my tools live. And a flat surface that I wouldn't have to worry about scratching would be a bonus. So when my local Ikea was selling the Bekvam kitchen cart for $20, I did some searching and was inspired by Jan Propok's drilling machine table.

I couldn't justify $100 for the Alex drawer unit when I only spent $20 for the cart, so I did some measuring and found that the Antonius plastic bins fit perfectly!

Like Jan, I assembled the Bekvam but without the centre shelf. I had some spare trim in the garage, so I cut it to size with a mitre saw and screwed 3 pieces onto the insides of the cart to act as drawer slides. The drawers only fit one way, so make sure you dry fit everything to make sure it works.

The trim I used is 3" baseboard at 5/8" thick (although you could easily use 1/2" thick). Be careful when you screw it together because the baseboard is very soft and the cart is very hard and you might break your screws... I pre-drilled my holes and I still had trouble.

I added a cabinet handle (Lansa) I had left over from my kitchen reno to hang rags or paintbrushes or anything else I want to keep handy.

~ Jen D, Canada

Read More »

Reclaimed Lerberg Etagere

Materials: 2 Lerberg Shelf Units, 4 Planks of Reclaimed Wood, 32 Screws & Washers

Description: This hack couldn't be simpler. In fact, I'm convinced I'm not the first person to think of this.

I picked up 4 planks of wood from my local salvage goods store, 2x6, each 6' in length. (These will replace the wire shelves that the units come with.) I also picked up 32 2" wood screws and 32 washers. I used the washers to protect the legs from the screws drilling too far into the metal frame.

before

My 2 Lerberg units gave me a total of 4 upside-down 'U'-shaped legs. You'll turn these legs sideways for this hack. (The Lerberg legs shift and move quite a bit. Their stability is created by the shelf. For that reason, it's best to measure and mark out your screw locations on your planks for even placement.) Screw the legs into place and voila - you have your new etagere!

See more of the Lerberg Etagere.

~ Rachel, New Haven, CT

Read More »

Billy Bookshelves Kitchen Island

Materials: Billy bookcases and Numerar countertop

Description: We took down a wall between our kitchen and living room and created a room divider/island with Billy bookcases and Numerar butcher block countertop.

We covered the back of the bookcases with beadboard and trimmed the whole thing with moulding from a big box store.

We allowed the butcher block to hang over the back side, supported by corbels. We now have a bar height seating area. On the kitchen side, we've added lots of open shelf storage.

See more of the Billy kitchen island.

~ Courtney Affrunti

Read More »

Variera panels on a Hemnes nightstand

Materials: RATIONELL VARIERA shelf insert, HEMNES nightstand, L brackets, spray paint

Description: We had a couple of old ice-cube table lamps from IKEA that didn't fit the style of our new bedroom, so I was looking to make something that would allow me to hide them, i.e. some kind of lampshade.

It turns out that the VARIERA shelf insert matches perfectly with the height of the shelf of the HEMNES nightstand. As perfectly as if someone measured them to fit into each other. The VARIERA can actually be jammed upright on the shelf of the HEMNES, creating a panel. To make it even steadier, I attached L brackets at the bottom part of the VARIERA. I used some of the shortest screws that come with the shelf, so they barely stick out on the outer surface.

I spray-painted the panels black to match the nightstand, and just jammed them in place. Now the panels hide the ice-cube lamps, baby monitor, phone charger and all their cords and the nightstands look much nicer, especially with the light on.

~ Annie, Greece

Read More »

Retro bed table

Materials: EXPEDIT (44x44 cm) white and black

Description: Our IKEA hack is very easy. As we have black&white bed, we were looking for something simple that would match in colour and both of us will like (and of course will not be expensive).

We decided for combination of dark and white EXPEDIT shelves. We followed the regular instructions from IKEA, but than mixed the material. And tadada.. :)

~ Spekulujeme

Read More »

Stereo System with 4 Bland Matt bowls and 2 Lack Shelves

Materials: The Loudspeakers: -4 Blanda Matt 28 cm Bowls -2 full band 4" speakers -4 binding posts -6 drawer knobs -Stuffing material ( optional ) -Electric wire. The Amp and Preamp: -2 30 cm Lack shelves -Amp board + 220Vac/12Vcc power supply -Stereo potentiometer 2 x 20 Kohm - Binding posts, RCA connectors, blue LED + R 820 ohm

Description: I'€™m talking about a pre-amplifier, a power amplifier, and 2 loudspeakers (music source: my MP3 player).

The loudspeakers were built by using 4 28 cm Blanda Matt bowls.

The power amplifier is fit inside a 30 cm emptied Lack shelf.

The passive preamplifier, a simple 2 x 20 Kohm stereo potentiometer to regulate the music volume, is fit inside another 30 cm emptied Lack shelf.

You can find step by step building instructions for loudspeakers here.

file : casse monovia semplici, economiche alto WAF.doc ( one way, simple, cheap, high Wife Acceptance Factor loudspeakers )
Sorry, it'€™s written in Italian, but is full of pictures ;-).

Amp and preamp here. (this time in English!)

Thanks a lot to IKEAHackers site for giving me inspiration.

~ Luca, Monza, Italy

Read More »

Mr. Hektar & Mrs. Arstid

Materials: HEKTAR & ARSTID ceiling lamps

Description: This is a really neat hack for office / bar / working spaces we thought about while looking for a low-budget lighting solution for our new offices.

It takes about 5 minutes to prepare this hack.

Make sure you have: 1 HEKTAR ceiling lamp and 1 ARSTID ceiling lamp.

Ingredients:
- Three 5mm screwing rods; 30 cm length
- Six nuts that would fit them.
- 40 cm electric wire extension + standard connector.

1. Drill three 5mm holes through the top surface of the HEKTAR lamp (the end closer to the ceiling).

2. Screw in the screwing rods into place.

3. Cut the electric wire from the inner HEKTAR light socket and connect the 40 cm wire extension by using the standard connector.

4. Attach the extended electric wire to the ARSTID electric supply panel.

5. Now you are ready to connect the three screwing rods to the ARSTID lamp's ceiling plastic connection plate. (There are three ready-made holes there that were meant for attaching the ARSTID lamp to the ceiling).

6. Secure the six nuts into place. (three at the top end of the rods and three at the bottom of course)

Enjoy your new stylish, industrial chic lamp :)

**It looks even better if you hang two or more in your office.

~ Yonatan Vagman

Read More »

Cat cubby window seat with Ikea Akurum Kitchen Cabinets

Materials: Akurum Abstrakt kitchen cabinets and Ikea red pillows

Description: Akurum Abstrakt 36" wide x 24" deep x 15" high cabinets, which would normally be used above a refrigerator, were placed on the floor on a 1-1/2" high base covered with a matching Akurum base kick ripped down to size.


Holes were cut in fronts of 2 of the doors in the corner cabinet and trimmed out with the iron-on Ikea trim strips. The 2 kitty cats in the household each have their own cubby space with red Ikea pillows inside the corner cabinets.

Additional cabinets of the same size are installed around the remainder of the room perimeter and topped with custom cushions and red Ikea pillows to make window seats with storage inside the hinged door Akurum Abstrakt cabinets.

~ Lynn Bichler Architects, Mequon, Wi

Read More »

How to create a Gerhard Richtexpedit bedside cabinet

Materials: Expedit 2x2 and 1x1, inserts with door and drawers

Description: First of all, visit gerhard-richter.com and search some colour-combinations you like and buy them as spray colours.

Ikea does not offer a 2x1 Expedit, so I had to combine a 2x2 and a 1x1 in two 2x1.
I want a 2x1 horizontal with rolls, the vertical 2x1 is a side product.
I used my old and crappy 2x2 and bought a new 1x1.

You don't have to modify any Ikea-parts, all you have to do is simply combine the sides of the 1x1 with the tops of the 2x2 and the other way round, the rest is self-explanatory.

If you choose in the first step other colours than "white" you have to enamel the parts. If you like glossy, add a clear coat. The package of the 1x1 is a perfect spray cabin.

That's it.

~ cvb, Berlin

Read More »