Materials: Lack shelf, antique ironing board top, ironing board cover, 2 shelves from "as is" department, 2 bookends, graduated blocks of wood, black lacquer paint, L brackets
Description: I don't like setting up an ironing board and don't like the pull-down models, yet didn't have more than 10 inches clearance on the wall next to my small laundry center.
I found a Lack shelf still in plastic at the PTA thrift shop and, as it was the right size to fit in the space, decided to use it to hide an ironing board.
I found an antique wooden ironing board top made with one center board and two narrow side pieces. I pried off one of the side pieces and cut off the end to yield an ironing board top that would fit under the Lack shelf. I trimmed an ironing board cover and stapled it on the ironing board.
To make legs for the ironing board, I used L brackets to attach shelves to the bottom of the board at an angle. The shelves were from the "as is" department and originally from an unidentified Ikea item. The item is apparently graduated because the shelves' fronts are on a slant, which though not something I planned for works well with the design. I then mounted the Lack shelf to the wall just above the top of the ironing board.
To stabilize the legs I attached wooden bookends to the back of the legs at the bottom and graduated blocks of wood to the front, all painted with black lacquer.
When I need to iron, I pull the board out from under the Lack shelf and slide it over next to the dryer. I keep my iron on top of the dryer to make the set-up all the more handy.
~ Bess, Chapel Hill, NC
Materials: MOLGER storage stool, Shelf from As-Is section
Description: We are new to IKEA hacking.
Our curious little 1 year old was sure to burn herself on our dangerously hot radiators in our rental apartment. It is apparently NOT the landlord's job to make these safe. Thus, we set out to buy radiator covers, but I REFUSED to fork out hundreds of dollars (a piece) for two custom-made radiator covers for a RENTAL that we probably were going to leave at the end of our current lease. So this is what came of my stubborn frugality.
WE had a MOLGER stool, and I liked the look. I disassembled the stool. The slatted pieces that made the four sides of the stool were used as the front of the cover and allow for airflow. I then bought a couple pieces of wood to make the sides. I had to measure for the height that I wanted. This radiator cover doubles as a side table next to our couch. I checked the as-is section for a nice looking shelf for the top.
I put the slatted front together first. There are two shapes that come out of the MOLGER stool, one has two legs (U-shape) and one is just a square piece with slats. The piece without legs can be snugly fit in-between the legs to create one long slatted piece. I used tacks to secure the two pieces together. I needed to use a whole Molger M stool and a board from the hardware store in the middle to get the width we needed. Then we just hammered it together with skinny nails. Hammered the sides and top onto that. Hindsight, we should have put a layer of wood glue in-between pieces before nailing. It was an easy hack since a radiator cover is just a three-sided box with some sort of airflow. IT WORKS AMAZINGLY and is actually attractive. Probably someone with more patience or skill would use something more sophisticated than nails, but we are cheap and impatient.
Check the pictures for more details. You will notice the little plastic circles - these are the "bottoms" of what were the legs of the MOLGER stool. They come assembled with these little plastic skid stoppers. We just left 'em on.
~ Jojo, NYC
Materials: RIBBA, Pine boards, black paper
Description: Take a slightly thicker frame type RIBBA, a few bars and construct a box:
The add a back to the frame with black paper and screw on the electronics.
Then, the front passepartout with it and end up with a cardboard tube from wrapping paper serves as a cable channel.
See more of the Ribba Dataport.
~ Andreas K., Germany
Materials: Nexus YB cabinet and drawer fronts; tape measure, paper, tape, power drill, jig saw
Description: Our 1950s house came with a very frumpy fireplace in the living room. Even before we had unpacked, I started demolishing the mint green paneling, the rickety DIY shelving and the shiny brass fireplace insert! My original plan was to cover it with faux limestone for a chic, mod look but when that proved to be too expensive, I realized I'd been collecting the perfect material already: Nexus Yellow-Brown door and drawer panels from the As Is department of IKEA.
Click to read more>>
Materials: TERTIAL + PROEL APM 225 (or other)
Description:
Remove the bulb
Remove the power cord
Insert your Proel APM 225
~ Francesco Dosia
Materials: Ramvik
Description: I made an arcade machine from an Ikea Ramvik table.
All the steps of the contruction are on my blog including video.
See more of the Ramvik arcade machine.
~ jed, Dijon, France
Materials: DOKUMENT letter tray
Description: Having lots of hook earrings I was looking for somewhere to hang then cause they always get tangled into each other. I had seen the mesh system stapled into a picture frame but I didn't feel like crafting. A quick scan on my office and I found the perfect solution. Dokument on its side! The mesh is big enough to easily get earrings through yet small enough to hold studs. You could attach it direct to the wall or do as I did here and just put it on a shelf behind my other jewellery boxes, this keeps it portable and easy to reach.
~ Ingrid Mertens, Quebec Canada
Materials: Flyt Magazine case
Description: To convert your Flyt Magazine case into a Flyt Miniramp for fingerboards
1. Take 4 Flyte magazine cases and asemble as instructed.
2. With the instruction paper mark out and cut a template as shown in the photo.
3. Mark out using the template on the flyt case and cut off the scrap area.
4. Using PVA Glue assemble the ramp as shown in the photo.
5. With the scrap card insert stiffeners and ramp tops as shown in the photo.
6. Start to add 3 layers of thick card (File dividers) for the ramp surface as shown in photos.
7. I downloaded many skateboard logo's and printed on sticker paper and cut to shape.
General Notes
The cost of the ramp is only a few dollars and a bit of imagination and can be designed to what the fingerboard skater wants.
This ramp took 3 evenings to build which is mainly due to the time taken for glue to dry before adding additional layers. The end result is a fairly sturdy ramp which should be able to take some reasonable use.
~ Phil Hibbard, Singapore
Materials: Ikea GOSIG RÅTTA
Description:
It's a small Ikea hack - an electric extension cord hidden into an Ikea rat.
See more of the Ikea rat extension cord.
~ Luc
CAUTION: POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD
Materials: SIGNUM (500.351.15)
Description: A relatively simple hack. I was frustrated with the area above my radiator being useless, and due to an awesome sale, I got two SIGNUMS for about 12 dollars CAD total.
I ended up using only one of them, and I was looking at other uses for it. Then I realized that I was storing most of the stuff for my Xbox 360 in a cardboard box, and tried to see if the controller would fit the rack. It fit perfectly.
So I just mounted the posts to an old shelf, and installed the SIGNUM opposite to how it normally would be. Had it been under my table, it would have been upside down.
The result? I have a pretty cool rack for my controllers and whatnot.
~ Leslie, Canada
Materials: Sunnan lamp, recycled wood, Plexiglas
Description: We need a new display for my jewellery dealer that they can put wherever they want without electric cables. So we find this amazing Sunnan lamp that works with solar panels and....our gorgeous display!!
~ Fabiana and Massimo, Rome, Italy
Materials: Isbrytare lamp (no longer in production)
Description: This is not mine but I thought you'd be interested. Instructables user derte84 build a lo-fi projector to display photo slides on a huge wall. Also works for lomo slides.
See the step-by-step instructables [via Unplggd].
~ Owen
Materials: Tolsby frame, plastic cross-stitch canvas, scissors
Description: This hack is great for someone like me who loves to own a lot of earrings and need something to display them out neatly without costing too much.
The Tolsby is an excellent choice for earring display at home and for product selling, I have used this display for my local craft fairs to great effect.
It holds a decent amount of earrings for pierced ears, works well for studded and hook style ones of any size and shape.
1. Purchase a 7 count plastic cross-stitch canvas from a craft store. The '7 count' simply means there are 7 holes per inch on the canvas. I found that size the best to accommodate earrings.
2. Measure and cut out a 4x6 inch sheet from the canvas and slide into the frame. I managed to fill 4 Tolsby frames with the 1 plastic canvas I purchased.
3. Fill it with earrings!
~ Jen, Sydney
Materials: LILLHOLMEN
Description: Although we don't have too long story about our idea, it is very easy, put onto the bathroom's (or any other place's) wall that LILLHOLMEN towelholder. I mean place it upside down and you get a kind, old school candle holder.
~ moszijo, budapest, hungary
Materials: Jansjo, drill, plus whatever monitor
Description: I love the Jansjo, but hate fumbling for the switch.
My ACER monitor has the base thick enough to hide the switch, so why not ?
The toggle switch is low voltage and very small; so I just drill a hole, run the wiring inside the base, mount the light and switch and re-solder it.
~ Dave Wong, New York
Materials: Expedit, Capita, Lack
Description: Just screw the LACK wall shelf with CAPITA brackets on an EXPEDIT room divider.
Ready for the next cocktail party :-)
~ Eva, Leverkusen, Germany
Materials: LEKMAN-Box, Dremel, Driller
Description: Being an EXPEDIT-FAN (got a lot of them in our home) my wife inspired me to put my whole watercooled Computer in a Lekman Box as she always hurt her knees at the BIG Computer-Case under the EXPEDIT-Desk...
I knew that it is possible to put a "normal" PC in a Lekman Box, but the problem was to get a whole watercooled PC in that tiny Box...
So first I tried a 3D-Modell with Google-Sketchup to find out anything would match in the LEKMAN Box; And Yes it should work...
So I had to cut out the AIR-Holes for the radiators in the front and for the Mainboard, Power-Plug and another Radiator at the Back, so the Air can get through the whole Case, because the PC will stand in an EXPEDIT beneath my desk.
As I have no Laser or anything like that I had to drill an "dremel
", what was really tricky with that plastic of the box, but finally it worked (would get much better with the right tools)..~ Dirk Rafelt, Düsseldorf, Germany