BESTA "white" board and keyrack

Materials: BESTA door, paint, nails, polymer clay, glue

Description: My front entrance hall - like many front entrance halls - suffers from a semi-perpetual pile of clutter. A little while ago, I started fixing this by making a coat rack/bag hooks by up-cycling a plank from a shipping pallet a friend gave me.

I've been wanting a key rack for that space, and am also planning to build a shoe rack from the remainder of the pallet.

Then a recent trip to IKEA yielded a BESTA cupboard door in the seconds section for $10, and this weekend project was born...

As always, the first (and least fun!) part of this project was surface prep. The door not only had that dirty great sticker on it, but had been wrapped in sticky tape, as well as having some minor chips and dents in the paint work. Getting the sticky residue off proved interesting. The frame was not such an issue, as I needed to sand it lightly anyway to create a good surface for the paint to adhere to. The glass...believe it or not, I ended up using a toothbrush to scrub the residue with TOOTHPASTE and white vinegar, before polishing off vigorously with a towel.

Next up, I created the "hooks" for the key rack along the bottom. Previous experience making the bag rack taught me that polymer clay by itself tends not to be strong enough to use as a load bearing material. So I used bullet head nails to create the sub structure of my hooks (Baker Boy very kindly bent the ends of them for me to create the hook shape).

I deliberately left the final portion of my nails "bare", so that at assembly time I would have a uniform diameter for drilling the holes for them. It also helped in ensuring that the front of the hooks was even after assembly - as I made each hook, I lined it up with the others to make sure the length of blue clay from the bend to the start of the bare nail, was the same. That way, once the nails were placed in the holes to sit flush against the start of the blue, all the hooks lined up.

Then, painting everything. First, I cleaned the glass REALLY well, then spray painted it on the "wrong" side in Dulux Ultra Chrome, to create an opaque back for the "whiteboard" surface. You could use any light colour for this. Then I used some Jo Sonja greens to paint the frame, after masking the edge of the glass with tape so I didn't over brush onto the glass. I wanted the slight "streaks" with the white showing through, to match the somewhat rustic finish on my coat rack - if you wanted a really smooth finish, I recommend REALLY sanding the existing finish from the door to give the paint a good surface to adhere to.

Finally, time to put it all together. I measured out equal spacing for the hooks, and then drilled holes just wide enough for the portion of nail that was extruding from each hook, then fixed them into the holes with glue. I also glued the letters on to the top of the door and...ta-da! we hung it on the wall. I'm pretty stoked - it gives us not only a key rack but a great place to leave messages, reminders, etc.

See more of the Besta whiteboard and keyrack.

~ Kath, Adelaide, Australia

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Hallway storage from Pax wardrobe

Materials: Pax wardrobe

Description: We have a side door that never gets used. Stuff got piled in front of it all the time, so it was time to do something.

I cut a Pax wardrobe half and fixed it in front of the door. I needed two doors, which were cut half. I used one door for side filler panes to make it look like built in unit. Second door was used in a shoe rack project.
Top needed to be more solid than wardrobe top. I used a kitchen worktop for finishing.
Inside I have one rail for coats and space for shoes.

~ Design by Mika, UK

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Ambilight enabled Hovet mirror

Materials: IKEA Hovet mirror, self-adhesive LED cable with power supply, J-shaped aluminum molding bar

Description: To get some cool vibes out of my Hovet mirror placed at the very end of a narrow hallway, I decided to play a little bit with LED lightning.

Step 1: Take precise measurements of the height and width of all sides of the mirror frame. Saw the molding bars to their correct length with 45 degree corners accordingly, so that you can create an additional frame by attaching the molding bars on the mirror edges. You can attach the bars for example with screws or glue.

Step 2: Attach the self-adhesive LED cable to the backside of the molding bars. Depending on the cable, you might need to cut it in the corners and use some soldered cords to connect the pieces with each other. The IKEA led bars and cables can of course be used also.

Step 3: To get the power supply and LED cable cords behind the mirror, drill holes in the mirror aluminum edge. Attach the power supply to the backside of the mirror.

Step 4: Connect the power supply to the led cable and you're ready.

To boost the effect of the ambient light, I painted the wall with a structure paint, so that the surface becomes slightly three-dimensional. For some extra comfort, I also attached a remote controlled power switch behind the mirror.

~ Jussi, Finland

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A hack of Trones

Materials: 3 sets of Trones-Shoe-Boxes, 2 Lack 30cm shelves, 1 Lack 110cm shelf, about 2,5m wooden latches

Description: The Trones Boxes are quite cheap but alone they aren't exactly good looking. So I put a shelf on top of them, makes them looking like a custom-made designer-chest.

Put the boxes to the wall three in width, three in height (can be done in other patterns. Then the Lack shelves in other lengths might fit better). To be able to open the top line there has to be a gap between the boxes and the shelf. So I just attached the latches on the bottom-side of the shelves with some screws. (For a better look I placed the long shelf in the middle between the shorter ones.) Since it's lying on top of the Trones-boxes two screws in the wall are enough to keep it in place.

~ Alex

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Hemnes add on unit transformed into console

Materials: Hemnes desktop + cherry boards + cherry legs

Description: 1. Purchased 3 Hemnes desktop pieces in white. (The have to be Hemnes because those pieces are wood and you need to be able to paint the pieces.)
2. Purchased unfinished table legs in cherry wood from an online vendor (Adams Wood Products).
3. Purchased two unfinished boards from a local hardwood store and measured the needed dimensions to cut the boards.
4. Laminated the boards together using wood glue and then clamped them to hold until dry. Measured again and then cut the laminated boards to fit on top of the Hemnes desktops.

5. Built a makeshift router bit to create a pretty edge on the table top (this took trial and error on other pieces of wood to get it right).

6. Belt sanded the laminated top and hand sanded the table legs.
7. Routed the table top.
8. More sanding to finish.
9. Stained the table top and legs using stain we had from other projects.

10. Put a coat of urethane on the table top and legs.
11. Sanded using fine grit (220) sandpaper.
12. Put another coat of urethane on the table top and legs.
13. Bolted the 3 Hemnes desktops together.

14. Obtained a pint of paint which was matched to the desktops by Home Depot.
15. Painted the trim pieces which we had left over from other projects.
16. Glued the legs to the bottom of the bolted together desktops, waited for it to dry and turned the whole thing back over.
17. Set the table top on and nailed the trim pieces to the top, under the table top, bottom all the way around and two pieces down the sides of the center desktop to make it look more like one piece.

~ Terri Sanne

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Simple But Effective Occasional Table

Materials: Lack Shelf, Vika Adils Legs

Description: A very simple hack. I didn't like the Malm occasional table (or the $130 price tag) so I built one for $34. I combined the 74" Lack Shelf with 4 Vika Adils legs. I have the low headboard Malm, for the high headboard the Vika Kaj legs would be better.

Freestanding it's not the most stable but behind the headboard its solid as a rock, it is about 1/2" lower than the headboard which provides a nice lip to keep items from falling on your head.

~ Matt Hannan, Wheat Ridge, CO

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The "WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT" hack

Materials: 2 Ekby Bjarnum brackets, 1 white Ekby Jarpen shelf (high gloss foil finish), circular saw or jig saw, coping saw, painters tape, round or square mirror of choice

Description: The mirror sits out from the wall just a bit (cuz the frame on back) so I had to measure inwards on the shelf.

Lay out the painters tape on the top surface of the shelf (this will allow a clean cut and prevent the finish from splintering).

Mark out with pencil on the tape your dimensions/outline of the mirror (where you're going to cut).

Set up and clamp your straight edge onto the shelf. (this is where your saws frame will ride against for the straight cut).

If using a circular saw: you will have to do a plunge cut. (This is where you lower the saw down onto your pencil mark and into the wood.) Starting from the one end of your mark, you saw forward as normal and stop at the other end of your mark. Now you have a shelf with a straight cut through the length of it.

Take your coping saw and cut from the outside towards the edge of your previous cut. And do the same for the other side. Now you have a nice recessed groove cut out of your fancy shelve.

Remove your tape.

*Easier and safer method is to use a jig-saw. I didn't have one at the time so I went the circular saw route. It requires more skill and patience than the jig-saw. I would recommend using the jig saw method if you have minimal wood-working skills. It's safer as well.

**If you use the jig-saw method, drill a hole in each corner of your layout. (hole must be bigger than the width of the blade) That way, the jig-saw blade can pass through and start in the corner and make its way down the length of the shelf towards the other corner. Of course, you still use your straight edge so your jig-saws frame can follow that making a perfectly crisp and square cut.**

Now to hang the shelf and mirror, you will need another set of hands. Assemble the shelving unit without the mirror and hold it up to the wall in your preferred location. Mark with pencil through the screw holes on each bracket. Now you can put your screw anchors into the drywall. (On mine I had one stud to screw into and the other was drywall. If possible, use the studs!) No anchors needed for the stud side though - only for drywall.

Once the anchors are in, put the assembled shelving unit (without the mirror) up to the wall and screw it 1/2 to 3/4 of the way in. This will allow you to slip the mirror into place.

Use construction adhesive on the mirror instead of double sided 3m tape (I went the DS tape route and it doesn't seem to stay too well). Have the other pair of hands put the mirror into place while you push the shelving unit into the wall. The groove you previously cut into the shelf will hold the weight of the mirror. Now hold it all, while you finishing screwing the rest of the way into the wall.

That's it!! Let me know what you think.....


Craig

~ Craig Arges, Kamloops, BC, CANADA

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Expedit slim shift version

Materials: Expedit 2x2 shelving unit

Description: Ever thought that the Expedit series took a bit too much space? My very small hallway had no space for a full version of the Expedit as the front door couldn't open... This is how I did it:

First I marked up the cut plane on the assembled Expedit 2x2, the plane is a bit shifted in this case, as the shoes to the left are bigger than the shoes at the right :)

Then it took it apart and cut the different pieces with a fine hand saw.

I then reused the cut-off-piece as the reinforcement at the front of the shelves as they had the precut holes I needed to reassemble it. I cut a small piece off the reinforcement to make room for the replacing front.

I drilled new holes for the reassembly and put everything back together.

~ Jens Kløve, Copenhagen

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Scandin'hack Corridor piece of furniture

Materials: 3x Faktum, 2 Applad doors and oak

Description: This corridor piece of furniture is the result of a 2-step thinking :
- functional for the inside : using Faktum elements for kitchen
- external shape : Applad doors and oak corpus

First, the depth of Faktum elements has been reduced, as well as the height of the Applad doors

Then, the smallest Faktum has been hand-painted in dark grey (not so easy, but nice result finally)

To finish, the corpus has been made with pieces of oak and varnished.

~ Esteban, Strasbourg

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Another twinned Hemnes shoe cabinet

Materials: Hemnes shoe cabinet

Description: Do you remember the inspiring ScrapHacker's idea "HEMNES gets a double topping"?

I've decided to use it in my hallway, following the anonymous comment of removing one of the "sides" in the middle. Actually, instead of that, I've decided to keep both inner "sides" and I've removed one of the inner columns, as you can see in this photo.

First of all I did 4 mirrored holes in the rear side of the central column. Remember, the front side can not have any hole. Then I did the 10 holes in the opposite lateral side of the column. So, I mounted the Hemnes as a single shoe cabinet with 3 legs. Finally, because I don't consider myself a handyman and I don't even have a handsaw, I've kept untouched the two original top plates. Therefore the two twinned top plates have a bit of an overhang on each side of the cabinet as you can see in this final photo.

Last tip: according your firefighters, keep in mind you have to respect the hallways' standard measures.

So, ScrapHacker, you may be glad of being inspiring to someone else: me!

I hope your hack can still be helpful to more people.

~ Paulo, Canada

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A bigger, better mail sorter with Knuff

Materials: Knuff Magazine file (2 sets), wood glue, paint, scrapbook paper, Mod Podge (or stain instead)

Description: 1. Use wood glue to attach all the Knuff magazine files together in the configuration shown -- I did the bottom two together first and let them dry with clamps, then the top two one at a time.

2. Paint the insides whatever color you want; cut scrapbooking paper the size of the outer surfaces and mod-podge them on the outsides.

For a "nicer" look, the whole thing could be stained instead of painted and mod-podged, and if I was going to put this by my front door, I would have done that, and maybe added hooks for keys on the bottom -- but I wanted something more fun-looking.

I have the thing attached to the bottom of a cabinet with nuts and huge washers, using the existing holes in the tops -- but it could be attached to a wall any way you want, and a small shelf (such as EKBY TRYGGVE) could be added to the top.

Inspiration for this came from here and here.

~ Elizabeth Kim, Los Angeles, CA

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Organizing the Foyer

Materials: Billy Bookshelves, Benno CD Organizers, Bjarnum Hooks and Bjursta Bench.

Description: We live in Europe and our front hall is TINY. But we are 2 adults and 2 small children, and I needed a place for everything. All of the traditional wardrobes were too deep, so I turned to Billy. I made the doors myself with pine from the hardware store, stained and varnished them too.

You will need Billy bookshelves, the size and quantity depend on your needs.

I used used the Benno CD organizer to store all the little things that clutter my life: sunscreen, sunglasses, mittens, hats, cloth shopping bags, shoe polish etc. Since I have a lot of clutter I used 2, but created 1 door.

Doors: you can measure to suit your needs. Don't get wood that is too thick (so Billy can hold it up) or too thin (break easily from use) . I had to be careful because there is such limited space.

I also made the mistake of taking Ikea's exact measurements for some of the doors, but this was an incorrect assumption. The door hinges for Ikea doors are different than the regular run of the mill hinges I had bought. Be sure to get enough hinges, and to get ones that are big enough to adequately support the doors.

I also used magnets at the top of each door to make sure the doors stayed closed!

~ Tamara, Germany

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Malm Entrance

Materials: MALM 3-piece headboard/bed shelf set

Description: Really a repurpose of the Malm bedhead with storage. We needed a narrow cupboard for our entrance and the Malm bedhead fitted perfectly. All that was needed was to turn the unit around and slide the end cupboards in. Voila! New entrance storage. Teamed with an Ikea mirror to finish the look.

~ Louise Madley, Port Pirie South Australia

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A "Hello" mat is the new "Welcome" mat!

Materials: HESSUM door mat

Description: To dress up a plain HESSUM door mat, I used leftover latex paint and a stencil I made on my computer to add this cute "Hello" design. I finished the hack by spraying the design with Scotch Gard protectant spray. It only took me a couple of hours and it was easy and inexpensive!

You can download the stencil design I made here and use it too.

See more of the hello Hessum mat.

~ Christina Dennis, Alberta, Canada

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Tile sideboard

Materials: Akurum, Vika Byske, Stickers

Description: We need a small sideboard for our home entrance. Most of plain sideboards that we like are very expensive.

I have an old Ikea Vika Byske oak table top.

I bought two Akurum wall cabinet with Applad doors from Ikea and tile pattern stickers from local shop.

I cut Vika oak table top two equal pieces.

Then install Akurum cabinets to table top with screws.

Last step apply tile pattern stickers to the Applad doors.

I like it to much!!!!

~ Yunus E., Turkey

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