Vintage Look Tarva TV Console

Materials: Tarva 6-Drawer Chest, Decorative Knobs, Wood Stain & Paint

Description: Well once again we were on the hunt for an entertainment center, but IKEA's selection came up a little short. The have a lot of "vintage" look items, but their TV consoles seem to be pretty modern across the board. Not to mention, a unit with sufficient storage can get pretty pricey.

Luckily for us DIY-er's, they have the Tarva line of unfinished wood products. Thus, we were able to get the 6-drawer chest for a whopping $149.00. Even out-of-the-box, the chest is a great substitute for an otherwise pricey entertainment center.

To go along with our theme though, the chest needed a little face lift. A small can of some "espresso" wood stain for the drawers and a large can of some "ebony" wood stain for the frame and we were off to a good start...

After applying the stain and letting that dry (no polyurethane was applied), we assembled the dresser. With the drawers left out, we lightly brushed a thin layer of some cream colored latex paint to the frame of the dresser.

For the final touch, we opted to use some decorative pull knobs from our local hardware store instead of the basic ones supplied with the dresser.

All in all, this was a very simple hack with absolutely great results. We had originally planned to use casters, but were happy with how it currently sits.

~ Christopher Clemons, Florida

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PS to Sideboard

Materials: Ikea PS, Wood, Stones, Saw, Colour

Description: I had this hand made sideboard made by my self out of wood - you usually use in a kitchen, and Ytong-Stones, my GF had this old PS-board from Ikea.

This hack is kind of a joint venture.
I saw off the pins of the PS board and made it fit.

Of course I did some wiring. And painting and I integrated all my little gadgets in there.
I think just a clean and homemade look.

~ Phil von Kretsche, Hamburg, Germany

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Easy Mid Century Ikea Credenza

Materials: 2x4 Expedit, hairpin legs, wood

Description: After moving, I had two problems that needed solving. First, I needed a place to put my record player and I had a 2x4 Expedit that I no longer needed. Rather than just turn it sideways and put my stuff on it, I decided to remove one of the smaller boards to make room for my receiver as well.

I also decided to put four hairpin legs on my bookcase which I did by first getting a board that was 1x3 ft. and spray painting it black. I then attached it to what would be the bottom of the credenza by getting some wall anchors, putting them into the bottom of the Expedit, and attaching the board to it.

Then it was just a matter of screwing the hairpin legs into the board. I was sure to use screws long enough to go both threw the board and into the Expedit for added stability. I finished it off with two drawers that I had and two DRÖNA boxes.

~ Dave, Texas

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Full wall Besta media unit

Materials: BESTA shelves

Description: I needed storage for DVD's, photo albums, CD's, games controllers, board games and a display shelf. I had enough space for six Besta units.

There are two taller units on the sides acting as pillars. Middle shelves on these needed to be fixed with angle brackets to the sides as the weight from the units on the top started to bow the side panels.

Above the TV is one unit to tie the pillars together and I was able to get two more units on the top of the pillars, so to use the full height on the room.

By using the glass doors in the middle, the height is broken down and it works well as a display shelf.
47 inch TV sits on the sixth unit with enough space for media units.

~ Design by Mika, UK

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DIY Fauxdenza from Ikea Kitchen Cabinets

Materials: Akurum Wall Cabinets, Applad Doors, Birch Plywood, Walnut Stain

Description: I wanted a streamlined, and narrow solution for my media center. I have seen fake, floating credenzas on the web (dubbed a "fauxdenza") and decided to give it a try!

The 13" depth of the kitchen cabinets was perfect for my awkward space, and the kitchen storage was just what I needed to hide all of my DVDs and components!

I mounted the Akurum wall cabinets about 8 inches above the floor, so that the credenza was floating off the floor. Since the kitchen wall cabinets are not meant to be seen from above, I used birch plywood (edges veneered and stained in a dark walnut) to wrap the top and sides of the cabinets, to both hide the screws, and to add a natural element to the sleek white cabinet doors.

I did this entire project all by myself, and it took me about 4 hours total. If I had had someone helping me, this could have easily been done in 2 hours or so.

Total cost was around $300! I am more than thrilled with the outcome! :)

See more of the AKURUM fauxdenza.

~ Shannon Wiemann, Tampa, FL

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CD storage/sofa table

Materials: BENNO DVD tower, EKBY OSTEN shelf

Description: Having built the Benno tower, saw it off at around 50cm (tall enough for 3 CDs), and use the piece which would have been the top to create a tiny 3-CDs-tall version of Benno by drilling two extra holes on each side at the top of your sawn-off tiny Benno and using the screws it comes with.

Then make another of these from the remainder of the Benno, using what was the middle shelf as the bottom (leaving the same 8cm section at the bottom as a base) and creating a top for it from a spare side piece, attaching using nails or screws.

Then, place the two small units the length of the shelf apart and nail, glue or screw the shelf on to the top. This should create a CD storage unit which can sit between the sofa and the wall, so you have a surface to place drinks/remote and also some CD storage!

~ Katie Steckles, Manchester

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Unnu inspired media bench

Materials: Besta

Description: Just bought my first apartment and have begun the process of furnishing it. When it came to the TV area I wanted this one. It wasn't only the look of it that caught my attention. The doors are covered in speaker fabric, and this way I would be able to hide my old, ugly stereo system in it. It would let IR signals in and sound out. Only problem was that it costs about $1000 here in Norway.

So I turned to Ikea. Here's a list of the items i needed to create my own version:

- BESTÅ Shelf unit (120cm)
- BESTÅ Shelf unit (60cm)
- 3x BESTÅ VARA door

I also picked up speaker fabric and a stapler from the local hardware store for about $25.

The clue with creating the bench the way I wanted was to trim the size of the doors and move the placement of the vertical bench plates. This way the doors would be placed within the bench instead of in front. This might not seem like a big deal, but in my opinion the bench gets a completely different look by doing this.

So I did my measuring and sawed off about 3 cm from the top and bottom of the doors. I then sawed out a rectangular from the two doors I was going to cover with fabric. Using a normal stapler to cover them is not recommended. I wasted about 300 staples in the process just because these were clearly meant for paper, not wood. But whatever, I was just focused on the end result.

Total hours spent: 10
Total amount spent: 1300 kroner ($220)

Check out the pictures and don't hesitate to leave a message if this inspires you!

~ Henrik, Oslo, Norway

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Billy library to entertainment center

Materials: Billy bookcases, Besta TV stand, Framsta panels

Description: We converted our guest bedroom into a TV viewing area and needed a wall unit that would hold a 42 inch TV as well as a boatload of books. Because the unit was being placed on the wall where the door opens, we only had about 8.5 feet of clearance. Most entertainment systems were either too long to clear the door or too short and would not fit all our books. Even at IKEA the majority of options were 15 or 30 inch wide bookshelves and 47 inch TV stand.

We decided to use our existing Billy bookcases and hack it to what we needed. We were staring with 2 24 inch bookcases (no longer available), 1 30 inch bookcase and 1 end unit (also no longer available). We gave away the 30 inch bookcase and used the rest for our hack. The length was exactly what we needed when combined with the Besta TV stand, but we ran into an issue with color. Since our Billy bookcases were years old, they were in a color no longer offered. We decided beech would be close enough considering most of it would be covered.

We assembled the TV stand with doors, casters and the Framsta panels and placed it in between the bookcases. We took apart the Billy end piece and had the 2 sides cut down to the same length as the Besta cart to create the overhead shelf. We also had one extra piece cut to create a divider in the middle. We usually take these to Home Depot or Ace Hardware - they will cut materials you didn't purchase in store. The bottom shelf we screwed directly into the sides of the bookcases. The Framsta underneath provides extra support to keep it from drooping in the middle with the weight of the books. The top shelf was attached with flat metal brackets.

To create a more finished look, we took the back panel from the left side of the Besta TV stand (which we wanted open to run cords anyway) and cut it in half along the seam. It fit perfectly into the overhead shelf once the divider was put in. These are not attached in any way but have managed to stay put on their own.

For the glass top, we could not purchase the standard ones because they are the full depth of the Besta, but the Framsta takes up a few inches. We needed the top due to the color variation so we purchased an extra set of Framsta glass panels and layered them to cover the surface.

Lastly, we reused the 12 inch square shelves from the end unit in a dead corner in our living room using shelf brackets purchased at The Container Store.

~ Stephanie, Atlanta

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Frosta Speaker Stands for Bookshelf Speakers

Materials: 2x Frosta Stool and some metal

Description: After seeing this other Frosta Speaker Stand Hack I wanted to try it myself but wasn't quite satisfied with the results. So I started to try out some other combinations of the stools legs and came up with this as a type of floating stands.

I bought two Frosta Stools and only took their legs for this Hack. At first I had to put together pairs of equally shaped legs - which is harder then you think since this 7.99€ stool isn't made with highest precision. At first I put together the inner pair of legs that will hold the speaker with 3 screws, then I added the outer legs with two bigger screws.

To get a total height of approximately 52cm (20.5inches) I offset the outer legs by 7cm (2.75inches). Because of the soft wood floor in our apartment I did not want to use spikes and went for soft feet instead. To get a consistent look I went for copper with all the metal parts.

The stands aren't very solid if you push them softly but they are solid enough for me to trust them with holding my Audioengine A5 speakers. To get more solid stand you can widen the base - maybe by reusing the round seat of the Frosta stool...

Overall I am very satisfied with the result and even my girlfriend likes the stands. I payed about 35€ overall, but you can get for cheaper if you use more standard metal parts.

~ chinoCHINOchino, Germany

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BESTA media unit with textile front

Materials: BESTA TV unit, INREDA Flip down fixture, AINA fabric, 32x120cm 16mm MDF, 4.2x16mm wood screws

Description: Since IKEA didn't have a door for the BESTA TV bench that met my requirements, I decided to make one myself. It had to be able to let air through to provide ventilation for my home cinema system, so I opted for a textile front. This also let me use remote controls with the door closed.

Instructions:

1. Drill holes in each corner of the MDF plate and use a jigsaw to cut the large holes. You have to leave at least 5cm edges where you are going to attach the flip down fixtures. 6cm would probably be a smart idea.
2. Either use glue or staples to fasten the textile to the frame. I used contact glue. Apply the glue to both surfaces, wait 15 minutes until dry before pressing the surfaces together.
3. Use clamps to provide sufficient pressure
4. Attach the fixture to the TV bench with the supplied screws and to the front with 4.2x16mm wood screws.

~ Are, Oslo, Norway

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Kitchen Cover Panels for Media Center wall

Materials: Cover panel for high kitchen cabinets, and two horizontal kitchen cabinets

Description: I started out by taping the outline of where I wanted to mount the cover panel. In order to have the cabling for the TV hidden behind the panel, I screwed 1½" strips of lumber vertically into the wall studs the entire width of the panel. The cover panel was then screwed onto the lumber strips. For stability, I used many screws behind where the TV would ultimately be. The only visible screws were placed in the four corners, and the screw heads hidden by hot-gluing decorative buttons over them. The flat-screen TV mount was then screwed onto the panel, a hole cut through the panel for the cables, and finally the TV was attached.

The cabinets below are two horizontal kitchen cabinets, with cover panels added to the top and sides. 8" legs, spray-painted black, were added to the bottom of the cabinets, and the two cabinets screwed together. And I'm happy to report that the remote control works through the frosted glass!

~ David, Minnesota

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Big Besta Built-ins

Materials: Besta bookcases, shelf units, Dioder LED strips

Description: My wife desperately needed some bookcases in her rather large home office, and I'm neither a carpenter nor rich enough to pay someone $8K for custom units. But, I've done quite a few trim projects around the house and have previously transformed some other Ikea pieces, so I figured I could buy some basic Ikea bookshelves and transform them as well, using a lot of moulding and incorporating some other features found in custom cabinetry.

Initially, we had wanted to use the Hemnes pieces for this project because they are solid wood and thus easier to modify and 'dress-up' (solid wood is easier to paint and nail into). However, the Besta stuff was on sale and offered more options, like soft close drawers, a variety of glass doors, etc. Moreover, there was a large Besta wall unit that had been created and displayed at our local Ikea, and it was very, very close to what we were looking for.

The office wall in question is fairly large, so we decided on a double wide Besta shelf unit on each side, and a three wide Besta shelf unit for the bottom and for the bridge between the two bookshelves. This thing was going to be huge! I think the top of the center section turned out to be nearly 10' tall.

Because I wanted to create the look of built ins, I had to find a way to raise all of the pieces off the floor so the baseboard moulding would fit along the bottom. So, after assembling all of the bookcases/shelves and measuring the finished size, I built a base using 2x6s, and this framework was nailed to studs in the wall. I then placed the Ikea units on top of the base. I also nailed some 1x6 trim boards to the face of the 2x6s, to create more depth and a finished edge.

This is where I encountered my first snag. Turns out that the Besta drawers and doors are flush with the top or bottom of the units. This meant that I had to raise the bookcases/shelf units off the base that I had just built, in order to keep the drawers or doors from hitting the base or crown when opened. I raised the bookshelves/shelf units with 1x4 trim boards glued to the bottom of each bookshelf/shelf unit (except the bridge). I did this with the unit upside down, and when the glue dried I flipped it over and placed it on the base.

Permanently installing the bookcases and shelf units was next. I had spent some time looking at custom cabinetry at Lowes and Home Depot, and noticed that a lot of high end cabinet installations feature at least one cabinet that is taller/shorter, and/or deeper/shallower than the rest. I incorporated these ideas into my project by 'bumping out' the center shelf/bridge units 4" from the wall, and the bridge was also raised about 4" higher than the adjacent bookcases. These changes would create some architectural interest and allow for some really large crown moulding at the top.

Bumping out the lower piece was simple; I pulled it out 4" and used construction adhesive to secure it to each adjacent bookcase. The bridge unit was more problematic. First, I had to glue the two pieces of the bridge together, because the bridge is only available as a single or a double. Thus, I glued a single unit to a double unit, to create one that was as wide as the bottom unit. Second, I had to find a way to 'hang' the bridge 4" away from the wall. I did this by securing a two rows of 2x4s to the studs with large bolts, and then used the hanging brackets that come with the bridge to secure the bridge to the 2x4s. Worked like a charm! Sorry I don't photos of this step.

After getting the bookcases and the shelf units installed, it was time to tackle the crown. Normally, I would simply nail the crown to the face of the bookcase, but remember that the top of the Besta doors are flush with the top of bookcase. Thus, I glued/nailed some strips of 1x4 trim boards to the top of the bookshelves and to the top of the bridge. This gave me something to nail the crown onto.

I like large, built-up crown, so instead of just using one piece of large crown I used 4 separate pieces. The first piece is a strip of backband moulding, which has a rabbeted lip on it and sits on the 1x4 trim piece. On top of that I glued and nailed a 1x4 piece of basic trim board, followed by 1x4 baseboard (inverted). Finally, I capped it off with a fairly large piece of cove moulding. In this photo you can see why I raised and bumped out the the center bridge - it allows the crown on the bookshelves to terminate gracefully into the ends of the bridge. I was very lucky that the terminated end fit so well.

Wish I had photos of the base, because I think it's more beautiful than the crown. I used the same 5.25" baseboard and shoe moulding used in the rest of of the room, but I also capped it off with a chunky piece of cove moulding that covers the 2x6 that forms the base. The cove profile is the same as the cove on the crown, so it ties everything together nicely.

After all of the moulding was primed and painted (luckily, the white paint I used is nearly a perfect match for the white finish on the Besta pieces), I turned my attention to the area behind where the TV would reside. Initially, I had wanted to use some faux stone sold by Lowes, but my wife found some silk fabric that she wanted, so I took several yards of that and nailed/glued it to a piece of 2" thick foam insulation board and pressed it into place behind the TV. With that behind me, I installed the drawers, doors, and installed Ikea Dioder LED strips in each upper cabinet. I also installed 4 strips above the TV, secured to the bottom of the bridge and hidden by a piece of moulding. All of the LED strips were connected to a switched outlet so they all turn off/on at the wall switch.

Took me nearly a month and almost every spare minute. Great result tho.

~ D. Hale, Alexandria, VA

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Expedit bookshelf turned rustic TV cabinet/bookshelf

Materials: Large Expedit bookshelf, oil based primer, homemade chalkboard paint, sandpaper, plumbing pipe, old barn door, eye bolts

Description: Cut out one shelf from the IKEA Expedit bookshelf and removed 5 dividers. Painted with oil based primer - let dry for at least 24 hours. Mixed unsanded grout with paint - about 1 tablespoon per cup of paint. Painted several coats - decided I didn't like the color and painted it again ; )

Sanded it to distress it. Screwed plumbing pipe to the top so a barn door can slide back and forth. Attached barn door with eye bolts. Secured to wall with several brackets!

~ Amber Campanelli, Evergreen, CO

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