Mother Hubbard's Expedit Cupboards

Materials: Expedit Bookshelf (5X5 Cube) 1 1/2 sheets MDF Knobs from Lowes

Description: After seeing the $35/each price tag on the Expedit cupboard inserts at Ikea, we decided to DIY a version out of 5/8" thick MDF.

I wanted to fill the bottom two rows with cupboards, so we (my husband) cut out 10 squares that fit perfectly in the cubes. (He cut them a sixteenth of an inch smaller on all sides than the exact size of the square so it wouldn't be such a tight squeeze).

Then we cut out two rectangular-pieces for each square, laid them together as shown in the picture, and nailed the fronts to their sides with four nails. We filled and sanded the nail holes and then painted everything with some leftover cream we had from our walls (we felt cream would match Ikea's "white" better than pure white, and I was happy with the results).

Then we drilled holes for the knobs in the direct center of each square. We made sure the knobs were pretty sturdy as they each need to be tough enough to carry the weight of each insert when taking it in/out of the cube.

They work perfectly for getting things in the cubes here and there, but they probably aren't the most functional for constant everyday use I would say. They also probably aren't the easiest things for small kids to maneuver as they are a bit weighty, (though my kids love playing with them). They work perfectly for our purposes. (I use it in a craft room/office, so it just hides boring things like file boxes and extra craft supplies). And it looks great too!

The MDF was $30, and we all ready had the left-over paint, and the knobs were $50. So $80 total for ten cupboards with custom knobs, and it would have been $350 for ten of Ikea's inserts, and then I still would have had to buy custom knobs for the same look. We are very happy with it!

See more of the Expedit DIY door inserts hack.

~ Pam Heggie, Alberta, Canada