Wall fitted expedit book shelf

Materials: Expedit; 2 Expedit 4x4, 3 Expedit 4x2, 1 Expedit 2x2 , drill machine, circular saw and/or jigsaw, glue, drape fabric, 4 planks/timber of about 5x4x35 cm

Description: The objective was a book shelf that should fill out a whole wall of our living room. Regrettably the combination of two Expedit 4x4 and one unit of 4x2 was a few centimeters too wide to fit between the two limiting walls.

Therefore the 2x4 Expedit placed between the two 4x4 units was shortened, so was the 2x2 Expedit above (placed between two 2x4 units (constituting the second level).

The problem with this is, that the lateral boards of Expedit are hollow and filled with cardboard, only the cohering ends are massive.

1. Assembly of the 4x4 and two 2x4 units, gluing the 2x4 horizontally over the 4x4 Expedit each.

2. Shorting of the upper and lower outer board of the "middle section" 2x2 and 4x4 Expedits.

3. Glue a fitted plank/piece of timber to fill the hollow part of the shortened boards at their ends to give them more stability.

4. Drill new holes (through the weight carrying plank/timber glued in before)

5. I choose, as to avoid too much complications (and tricky work) to not mount the vertical inner separation boards but instead only mounted one horizontal element in the 4x2 Expedit.

To hide the holes Ikea drilled to mount the other inner boards, I mounted the other boards inside out, for the holes to be hidden, when finally aligned with the other two sections.

6. I stapled a drape sheet on the wall facing side of the modules as there is a ca. 5cm gap between the wall and the shelf.

7. I can only advise to use threaded rods to fix this thing to a wall, as the Ikea provided fittings in themselves are not adaptive enough to mount this thing to a wall in a lean, straight fashion. I tried it first but the result was a mess, or at least not sufficient to my expectations.

I like to thank my fellow Austrian Ikeahacker named Martina, her description of an Expedit hacked into a hamster cage was a great help in realizing this project.

~ raoul, tulln, lower austria

More hacks on IKEAHackers.net

Ex-iPad-edit: Expedit iPad kiosk

Materials: Expedit shelving unit,(white,) ikea battery drill, $26 tv mount, lilitab ipad enclosure.

Description: I recently developed a custom app for my company to take registrations, replacing paper forms. This is my second ikea hack using the ipads and I am very happy with the result.

We assembled the 5x1 Expedit with a single shelf 2/5's of the way down. An Ikea 3 port power board was fixed to this shelf and the power cord passed through a channel between the shelf and the inside of the sidewall, sorry no pic.

A 'builders block' (besser block?) was placed in the bottom to add stability.

A $26 LCD TV mount from Bunnings hardware store (Ross 13" - 32") was then fixed to each side of the Expedit 90 deg offset so that instead of the iPad being able to pivot left and right, it could pivot up and down to provide optimal viewing angle. A hole in the middle of the LCD mount was also drilled through the Expedit and used to pass the iPad power cable through to the inside where it was plugged into the power board.

Lastly the lilitab iPad enclosure with iPad in it was attached to the TV mount, (standard 100mm VESA mount)

We finished it off by hiding the open front and back with some pull up banner style prints which our lab produced cut to the exact size I asked for which allowed 2cm border of white to show on all edges, fixed in place with Velcro. Note in these images the banners were not fully fixed as we were still charging batteries etc.

p.s We are a photography company in this instance providing studio portraiture at a university graduation ceremony. Two graduates asked us how they got into the kiosk to have their photos taken....

~ Errin Henderson, Brisbane, Australia

More hacks on IKEAHackers.net

DIY Expedit "doors"

Materials: Ikea Expedit shelves, 12inch square canvas, hardware

Description: What You Need:

1.) 12 inch square canvases.
2.) 2 eye hooks for every canvas.
3.) 2 hooks for every canvas.

How To Make It:

1.) Measure 1 inch from the left and right edges of the top of each canvas. Make a mark.

2.) Screw in the eye hooks in where you just marked.

3.) Repeat for each canvas.

4.) Hold the canvas up to the Expedit cubby. Once centered, mark the holes about 1/2 inch from the front of the bookcase, so the canvas sits in a little.

5.) Screw the hooks into the bookcase. Be sure they face out.

6.) Hang canvases. Done!

See more of the Expedit shelf doors.
You may also want to see this similar hack.

~ Kayla from Sweet Anne Designs

More hacks on IKEAHackers.net

EXPEDIT shelving unit + total kitty litter disguise

Materials: EXPEDIT 2x4 shelving unit, EXPEDIT insert with door, cat flap, drill, jigsaw, box cutter

Description: I share a studio apartment with a furry young gentleman named Peanut. He's a great roommate, but his litter box clashes with my aesthetic - not to mention the precious square footage that it occupies. So when I bought a new bookshelf for my entryway, I decided to make it double as a litter box hideaway as well.

This is a great hack because you're only sacrificing one row of shelves - the top three rows can still be used for storage. I left the top four cubes open and stuck KNIPSA baskets in the bottom two. You also don't have to buy much in addition to the shelving unit itself, since most of the construction will make use of repurposed unused pieces (except of course for the cat flap - I bought mine on Amazon for about $12).

Start by assembling the EXPEDIT unit, skipping the shelf divider on the bottom (so that the bottom shelf isn't divided into two separate cubes). There may be wooden pegs sticking out where the shelf divider should be; you can just saw or sand those down. Don't throw out the unused shelf divider, though - you'll need it later!

Before you assemble the EXPEDIT insert with door, lay the insert flat and use a boxcutter to slice off the right side (the side that would have lined up with the bottom shelf divider, if you hadn't skipped the bottom shelf divider). Assemble and install the insert on the left side of the bottom shelf.

Now you have a bottom shelf that's half-closed - the spare shelf divider is going to become the other half. Right now it's a bit too long to fit neatly next to the door, so cut it down to size using a jigsaw (or a handsaw and some serious elbow grease) to trim about 1" off the short edge. Next, install the cat flap in the center of this panel according to the instructions on the flap.

Slide the panel into the front of the shelving unit, wedging it tightly in place next to the door insert. You can open the door to place the litter box inside, and your kitty can use the flap to step in and out.

Et voila! No big ugly litter box taking up floor space, and way less litter scattered all over the apartment.

~ Sally, Brooklyn, NY

Expedit one2two

Materials: 5x5 Expedit, some wood screws, additional metal L-bracket

Description: I'd like to show you my first IKEA hack! Time effort approximately 4 hours.

Because we moved around the furniture in our sharehouse living room the 5x5 Expedit didn't fit anymore into its desired corner. The idea was therefore to clip it into the right size and reuse the clipped part to replace the ugly old TV shelf.

before

First I cut the upper and lower thick boards just after 3 compartments. The resulting 5x3 mini Expedit was stabilized with a few screws from the side and a L-profile on the top and bottom end each. The cut edge could be covered, but as the shelf is placed really close to the wall nobody will see anything from the cut ever.

Thereafter I assembled the remaining 3 thick outer boards, including one row with the thin boards again. To make it stable 2 white L-brackets were screwed on the front side and another thin original board was attached at the rear. Additional screws were placed at the intersection of the thin boards from below. In doing so the "new" TV shelf can bear quite some weight again and nasty cables can be hidden in the same time. The cut edges are facing to the ground now and cannot be seen as well. Attaching some felt, the parquet is protected against scratches.

~ Damian, Switzerland

Hacker help: How to hack a single Expedit and desk

Photo: IKEA.com

Materials: Expedit and unknown

Description: Hi, I'm trying to make a single version of the Expedit desk hack here.

So I'll start with a 4x1 Expedit in white and I'd like to add a desk the same as in the link but only 44cm in width to match the Expedit. My issue is I can't find anything to suit it. I've looked into having a shelf with legs or even two shelves to form the desk pictured but they are coming up short in the dimensions. Am I missing something? Has this been done before?

Please help!

It is for an 21.5" imac so i may add a keyboard pull out tray or something else if you have any ideas??

~ Matthew Lucas, England

Laptop Charging Stations

Materials: 2x4 Ikea Expedits, power strips (5+), casters (optional), Expedit Doors, zip ties. Tools: power drill, Forstner bits, staple gun, countersink bit, 3/4" screws.

Description:
1) Assemble Expedit as directed.

2) Take apart 2 power strips and drill through the power strip and the shelf in a location where the screw will not come in contact with the electrical pieces of the power strip. Use those as templates for the other shelves.

3) Reassemble the power strips.

4) Place the power strips.

5) Drill through the bottom of the shelves using a countersink bit. Screw your 3/4" screws through the shelf into the base of the power strip.

6) Continue until all four power strips are installed.

7) Assemble and install the Expedit doors *backwards* so that you are seeing a flat panel on the front of the Expedit and the door is on the back.

8) Drill a hole between the two door units big enough for a plug to fit through.

9) Using a small Forstner bit, drill a notch into the bottom left shelf so that the plug can go directly into the cube that is covered with a door.

10) Drill a similar hole in the bottom right shelf, bit enough to allow three power cords to go into that cavity.

11) Staple a row of zip ties down the center of the Expedit. You may need to lightly hammer the staples into the zip ties to get them flush.

12) Line up the cords along the zip ties and secure them.

13) Put the bottom left cord through the shelf and the hole drilled between the two door cavities.

14) Plug all of those plugs into a power strip in the bottom right door cavity.

15) Drill a hole through the bottom of the door for the cord of the power strip to get out to an outlet.

16) Trim the zip ties.

Use a Sharpie close in color to the color of your Expedit to mask the particle board where holes are cut.

Done!

See more photos.

~ Jonathan Briggs, Eastside Preparatory School Kirkland, WA

IKEA Lack bookcase to bench

Materials: IKEA Lack

Description: Well, my hack was inspired by this site, I just wanted to share the result, as it is my first project :)

Used an IKEA Lack bookcase 1x4 bought from a used furniture local website.

As the shelf was pretty scratched and dark brown, which didn't match anything in my apartment, it needed repainting.

What I did:

- sanded it pretty well
- gave it 2 coats of white primer
- gave it 2 coats of white glossy paint
- bought foam, fabric for the cushion cover, cardboard and colored paper for the back
- to make the cushion I just first used an old bed sheet I had to make an inside cover, superficially sown by hand
- sown by hand the cover as well, it was easier than I thought and the result was better than what I expected :)
then slid the cushion in and tucked the sides inside
- for the back of the bookcase I cut the cardboard to cover the openings, decided on a chevron pattern so I printed one online, drew it on my colored paper, cut it with an Exacto knife and glued it on the white cardboard.

That's it.

See more photos of the Lack bench.

~ Julia, Montreal

How to: Mount a SAFE floating 2 x 4 EXPEDIT shelf

Materials: 2 EXPEDIT 2 x 2 shelf units,

Description: This is slightly a hack, but more of a work around for those who want to mount an EXPEDIT 2 x 4 shelf on the wall.

The instructions clearly state that you cannot mount a full 2 x 4 bookshelf on the wall (fig. 2). Also, I have baseboards, a power outlet and a phone jack (yes, we still use a LAN line). I wanted the book shelves flush to the wall and not cover up the outlets.

So, to bypass that and still have a safe structure towering over your kids, I came up with this solution. I mounted the two shelving units using the included wall brackets. One of the brackets was screwed in with a wood screw, the other bracket was secured using a 90 lb. dry wall screw. For added insurance, I put a two small brackets on the top and bottom of the lower unit. These L-brackets were secured with two wood screws each along the studs. I put one underneath the unit and one just under the top board of the unit. This lower unit poses a risk of climbing, plus I wanted to put some books in it.

I found that the easiest way to mount was to place an L-bracket on the wall first, then gently set the unit up against the wall on the bracket. This made it easier to hold the unit flush against the wall for centering and leveling. I then penciled in the spot for the screws and removed unit. The included wall brackets are uniquely designed so that you can make small adjustments after the two screws are already in place (fig. 3)

You will notice a small space between the two units. This makes for a great place to store mail or papers. Without a small gap, the unit is simply a heavier version of the 2 x 4 shelving unit. At least, that is my logic.

I originally wanted to create a gap large enough for additional IKEA baskets. Thus, the empty space would become a shelf. My wife did not like the added height of that idea, so we went with the smaller gap. I don't really like the amount of space under the lower unit, but it was the only way to clear the outlets.

~ Ed Flowers, Atlanta, GA

Expedit wall shelf into nightstand

Materials: Expedit wall shelf + Expedit insert with 2 drawers + 4 hairpin legs + screws + rust proof spray + drill

Description: I was searching for a nightstand for my new bedroom and I couldn't find anything that would match my vision or my price range.

After scouring the Ikea website, I decided that the Expedit wall shelf would work great as a nightstand with the addition of the Expedit insert with 2 drawers and legs. Alone the wall shelf + inserts would have sufficed as a nightstand, but I wanted some height for better flow with the height of my bed...and also, I just love hairpin legs.

I ordered my 8" legs from hairpinlegs.com in raw steel, and rust proofed them before drilling the holes and attaching them on the bottom of my assembled wall shelf. They make the legs to order and come in various sizes.

See more of the the Expedit nightstand with hairpin legs.

~ clearlytangled, San Diego, CA

Expedit TV storage with rotating TV

Materials: Expedit tv storing unit, 2 rotating casters from hardware store, 1 shelf 30cm wide 19mm thick 2m long. screws, drill, saw

Description: Since I've got an apartment with living room and a small bedroom (without doors), I wanted a furniture to place in front of the opening to my "bedroom area" to create a separate room instead of putting up a curtain or so.

I also wanted a TV to watch in bed. Since I like the Lack and Expedit series with the thicker parts I bought a black Expedit TV unit and started planning on how to make the TV turn.

I bought a white shelf from my local hardware store (200cm x 30cm x 1,9cm) and a set of turning casters that had wheels that were 20mm wide (see picture).

The shelf was cut into 2 parts: one 91,7cm and one 90cm (on this one I drilled 4 holes based on the vesa standard 20x20, how high depends on what size of TV you have... mine is 32inch and the holes where placed, measured from the bottom at 41cm and 61cm)

1. All the hack is based on the content in box2 so I first assembled box1 and then open box2.

2. The "backpiece" in box2 (the one with a large round hole) is not used. I first measure the centre of the bottom part 19,5cm (see picture) and on the right side I predrill holes and screw the shelf that is 91,7cm on top(this one is later screwed to the side to make the unit stable)

3. From the left side of the bottom part I measured 54cm and screw one of the casters (I've detached the wheel) and beside that I drilled and sawed an oval hole to place all the cables from the TV. The hole needs to be oval so the TV part can turn 360 degrees one way and the 360 degrees back (see pictures)

4. I assembly the rest of the TV unit and the shelf part that was 91,7cm is screwed into the "side part" to stabilize the whole construction.

5. On the bottom side of the "top part" I screwed the other casters at the same distance as the bottom one (54cm from the left hand side) and then slide in the shelf that is 90cm into the place where the wheels once were attached. After I've checked that the shelf is centered I screw 4 small screws into the holes where the "wheelpin" once was placed.

6. Depending on where all the video/dvd/game etc is placed I drilled and sawed holes between the 4 square and 2 rectangular shelves at the bottom.

To mount the TV I found 4 screws that fit the holes on the back on my TV (may be different sizes)

I placed the whole unit on the floor and it is mighty stable (due to the fact it is 40cm wide and I've placed all the heavy parts beside the TV at the bottom)

I may have a future plan on screwing another Expedit unit(2x4) on top of this one so that it goes all the way to the ceiling and I can secure it even more to the ceiling.

On the back side (seen from my living room area) I've placed one cord that goes into the unit and provides power to my 4 different computer/tv/dvd etc and 1 antenna cord. Over these 2 I placed a small carpet to prevent tripping over them.

~ Johan Gustafsson, Lidk�ping Sweden

IKEA turned Restoration Hardward Printers Cabinet

Materials: EXPEDIT, 1X2s, 1x1s, 4 legs, wood top, 12 handles

Description: We turned our Expedit into a Restoration Hardware Printers Cabinet.

Step 1: the doors would not lay flesh against the piece unless we added this trim around the front. So we added 2x1 trim around the outside. We did two layers of the trim to make it 2x2. We also added the piece down the front so that it could have 2 cabinet doors. We used 2 1/4 inch screws. Make sure you pre-drill so you can wood putty afterwards.

Step 2: Add the legs. We got these legs from Lowes at clearance because they are discontinuing them, so we got them for $2 a piece. I linked similar ones.

Step 3: Paint the whole dang piece! Those little cubbies were a pain in the you know what to paint! We used Annie Sloan Chateau Grey for this piece. Kind of a sage color.

Step 4: Make the doors. If you decide to use the same Ikea piece as me, just email me and I will give more specific directions on size, etc. Basically, we took 2x2's and we screwed on planks of wood, alternating 2x1's and 4x1's to give it the old small drawer look. You can see the impact on the finished piece really nicely with the alternating sizes. It is a bit tricky getting it exactly right with the door size though.

Step 5: We cut the top, added trim to it and stained it. We used Spanish Oak colored stain, which is a rich brown black grey. Then I waxed finished it with Johnson's Wax.

Step 6: Add the doors onto the piece. We used euro hinges from Home Depot. They can be tricky and a bit more expensive, but oh so worth it.

So here the piece laid in wait until the beloved handles arrived in 2 days. Gotta love Amazon Prime!

Step 7: We added the beautiful handles. They are super duper tricky to put on, so we got creative and painted over the little holes with paint and then pushed them against the piece and it left little marks where we needed to drill.

Step 8: We added drawer pulls to every large piece of wood on the fronts, which was 6 on each side. Then we used our handy dandy stud finder/leveler to make sure the handles were in line on both sides.

Step 9: Put your stuff back into the cubbies :)

Step 10: Step back and admire your work!

See more of the printer cabinet.

~ Meg Piercy, Chicago, IL

Hidden Bike Frames Crouching Rims Storage Workstation

Materials: Numerar Kitchen top, Old Expedit 2x4 Bookcase

Description: An old Expedit 2x4 bookcase destined for the recycling yard was "recycled" after lots of inspiration from this site.

The requirements/ functionality that led to this...

Any self respecting mountain biker would proudly attach bragging rights to the numerous clutter amassed over the years of riding. But dealing with the eyesore on a day to day basis is just a bit too much for me. My tools and small parts has been squared away but big bulky items like bike frames and wheels has been the problem.

Moreover with the bike/toyroom is in the middle of the apartment keeping things neat is important. Of course there is also my multifunction-flush-fit-everything fetish.

I listed down all the things needed...

~ Want a standing workstation that can standalone by itself but can easily incorporate expansion later

~ Want a bike parts light repair area/ putter workstation that will double up for working with laptop

~ Want to hide or store away neatly rims/ wheels and spare frames. This was the biggest challenge.

~ Don't want to spend a fortune.

~ Don't need a a bombproof bench (but of course something still solid enough).


Thus with some planning on Google Sketch was born... Anvil's Hidden Bike Frame Crouching Rims" Storage/Display Workstation

(details on the "display" part is still in the works with some shelving/ lighting on the recessed wall behind)

The hack on the Expedit is minor (but lots of work with manual woodworking tools). Shortening the width by ~1cm and reconfiguring the shelving in order to fit. A base was built from leftovers in my kitchen renovation. The only expensive part was the Numera Oak kitchen top... but I figured it is still hell of a huge saving if I have bought just some industrial workbench.

The whole setup is far from finished at this point. MDF boards would be covering up the back so the bike frame storage area will be totally hidden. Closing up to dust proof/ insect proofing etc... More to come.

See more of the Expedit bike parts storage.

~ Den, Singapore

Everything should float 2

Materials: EXPEDIT Wall shelf, black-brown 3/4" x 2 1/2" oak planks 1/2" oak plywod Wood glue Onyx stain Mahogony varnish Table saw Miter saw Drill press 1" forstner bit Finish nailer

Description: I was just wandering through Ikea and saw the EXPEDIT wall shelf, and liked it for a nightstand. I didn't like the idea of cords hanging down the sides, or that it was less than 16" deep. I wanted just a little more, and I wanted a way to hide the cords for my lamps, clock, etc. I also didn't like that the spacing for the wall mounts wouldn't let me mount it into a wall stud, so I'd be very limited in the weight it would support. But with just a small change....

I created a back for it, using 18"x24" pieces of 1/2" thick oak veneer plywood. I framed this plywood with 3/4" oak strips, to create a box. I lined up the unit and drilled holes for the EXPEDIT mount and (once again using the blue tape) marked where the top of the wall shelf would be. I used the forstner bit to drill two holes to pass power cords through. To mount it to the wall I used the best, simplest (and least expensive) wall mount I know of - the french cleat.

I used another 3/4" x 3" piece of my leftover plywood and ran it through the table saw, cutting it down the middle at a 45 degree angle. One piece was glued and nailed in the frame for my nightstand, the other was screwed into studs in the wall. To hang it up, I simply raise the table and lower it onto the cleat. The angle forces it down and more firmly onto the cleat. Voila! Two floating nightstands, for less than $100 total. Look at the photo of the french cleat and you'll see why I value blue tape for marking things.

~ Scott C, Southern California