Longboard and Skateboard shelf

Materials: Ikea IVAR

Description: I built this shelf more than 3 years ago, but it';s still in use.

I had quite a few longboards and no idea where to keep them. I wanted to have a shelf that a) looks good, b) isn't too expensive and c) can 'change size' if there will more or less boards someday.

The idea to build this shelf came into my mind when I walked through
an IKEA-store and saw a side part of the IVAR-shelf. Being a hobby-McGyver I suddenly knew what to do:

1. I bought a side part of the IVAR-shelf (there are different sizes, I used one that's 179x30 cm, 7,50euro). In the local diy-store I bought a back board made of 6mm ply wood in the same size.

2. I stuck the two parts together using wood glue and additionally fixed the back board with nails.

3. After that, I drilled 4 holes into the sideparts to put in the screws.

4. Now it's time to paint the shelf. I used a dark brown. The next step is to mount the shelf at the wall. I used 4 screws (80mm) and 8mm anchors.

5. After mounting the shelf to the wall I used 4 metal staves (I don't know if that's the correct word in english, in german it's called 'Metallstife') to keep the wooden blanks.

6. For each longboard I plugged a wooden blank diagonally between the metal staves. The blanks are made of ply-wood from the local diy-store (size: 23,4 x 20 x 1,3 cm). I painted the wooden blanks in the same color as the other parts.

7. That's it. The boards have a pretty and decorative place at the wall.

~ Frank, Mainz, Germany

How I created a headboard for under $25

Materials: 1 LINNARP glass door, 3 yards of durable fabric (approximate), 1 Old queen size sheet, 2 bags of Poly-fil batting, 3 buttons of your choice, 1 Staple Gun, 4 - 2 1/2/"; L brackets, Needle and Thread (for the buttons), Masking tape, Safety Glasses, Mallet/hammer

Description: After years of hating my bed but being too cheap to spend money on a new bed I decided I would create my own headboard to add some style to my boring bed. I ended up finding a set of 2 LINNARP glass doors at Ikea on clearance for $14 that sparked my imagination.

Now for the Hack:

1. First you will need to take the glass out of the LINNARP glass door. Please BE CAREFUL, put the masking tape on the glass panels ensuring that the panels are well covered.

2. Take your mallet and tap the glass so that it shatters. Note: you may want to put a drop cloth down on your floor. I ended up placing a large box underneath to catch any glass shards.

3. Once the glass is completely removed, be sure to clean any excess glass out of the frame. I used a flat-head screwdriver to get into the crevices of the frame.

4. Measure out 6 large squares of fabric based on the 3 windows of the frame: 3 for the front, 3 for the backing.

5. Measure the center of each front facing fabric and sew on your buttons for a "faux" tufted look.

6. Take your staple gun and staple the 3 front fabric panels to the frame ensuring to leave enough room in the fabric for the batting.

7. Staple 3 out of the 4 sides of the 3 back panels to the frame of each window, being sure to create a "pocket" for the batting to go in.

8. Stuff each panel with the batting to the, be sure to not over stuff, otherwise you will need larger "L" brackets to mount the headboard.

9. Finish stapling the last side of the back fabric to the frame to close off the pocket you left.

10. Mount the headboard above your bed using "L" brackets from the hardware store. And you are done!

Total spent: $24

LINNARP door - $7
Fabric - $6
Buttons - $3
Ploy-Fil Batting - $5
"L" Brackets from the hardware store - $3

A Step-by-Step video can be found here.

Happy Headboarding!

~ North Hollywood, CA

Ikea DesKad

Materials: 3xIkea Besta Tofta panel, 5xIkea Vika Curry legs, 2xIkea Capita brackets, one additional panel.

Description: I went to Ikea and i found some Besta Tofta panels that costed only 15euro. I made a little project using sweethome 3D, a free open source program. If someone interested i can give the file. Here the steps:

Step 1: Trace the panels with some adhesive tape following the pictures, in order to obtain the different sides of the main container (a box). I found 1 big panel and 4 little, so I had to connect 2 small panels with some junctions to obtain a big panel. If you are lucky you can find 3 big panels. In this case you can build the box more easily because you needn't junctions for attach different shape panels
Step 2: Cut the panels following the lines like you can see in the pictures
Step 3: Connect all panels using some L junctions (you can find them at the hardware store)
Step 4: If you want you can add some panels inside perpendicularly (like in picture) for obtain more stability.
Step 5: Fix the capita brackets in the upper panels (like it's a unique hob)
Step 6: Make 2 holes for the brackets in the cover of the main box
Step 7: Connect the top of the box to the hob ( 2 panels+ 2 capita brackets)
Step 8: If you want you can put some glue for the top of the box but the weight is enough heavy for stay still and it's better to leave it free in order to connect cables more easily.

~ Marcello (dj kad), Bologna - Italy

Ikea Rykene becomes fit for the Dauphin

Materials: Rykene Bedframe (Queen), MDF panels, Foam Rubber, Fabric, refinishing supplies, saw, stapler, spray adhesive, tools

Description: I knew I wanted an upholstered headboard, but didn't want to pay a premium price. I found the Rykene perfect for the project. First, saw off the funky little points from the top rail, sand the edges smooth and throw out the metal vertical pieces and the middle horizontal support. Then sand everything else and refinish it in the stain of your choice, here it's Colonial Teak.

Then, mount the MDF panels to the back of the headboard, marking the interior lines for mounting the foam. Remove the MDF panels and spray them with adhesive and stick the foam rubber panels on, then upholster tightly by stapling the fabric around the edges, folding the corners neatly. You will find holes left over on the side rails, from which the horizontal rails were supposed to be mounted.

Rather than filling them with little wooden plugs, available at the hardware store, I decided to mount drawer pulls with the look of nautical cleats - just in case anything should need to be tied up there - ahoy! With the holes filled in the manner of your choice, fit the upholstered panels into the frames and secure around the edges with screws, then assemble the bed more or less according to instructions, aside from the obvious omissions. Much more comfy for sitting up and reading in bed, and easy enough to change when my mood does.

~ DC Powers, Amsterdam

Kitchen unit becomes chest of drawers for babyroom

Materials: Udden console + 2 Udden drawer units + Numerar worktop

Description: We were looking for a nice chest for our babyroom, needing a lot of space. As we had a silver color bed, we also wanted a silver color chest. Difficult to find, so that's how we came to this idea. An easy one!

We removed the worktop from the console and put a Numerar worktop on top of it.
Then, the original way, we installed the two Udden drawer units, for enough space.
Together with some colorfull stickers the chest was finished! (Ikea now also has nice Keith Haring stickers)
This way the chest did not look like a kitchenchest anymore.

~ Gaby, The Netherlands

Living Room Wall System

Materials: Friel, Lack, Akurum, Besta and Pax

Description: This is a 12" wide wall system put together with 100% ikea items including 2 Friel TV units (as base), Besta black-brown doors, 2 Lack wall shelves and Pax/Akurum kitchen cabinets top units. The 60" Pioneer Kuro TV and the Definitive Technology Mythos speakers have all wiring hidden behind the Besta wall panels/doors. The Friel base units hide all AV equipment and 12 TB home theatre/movie Plex server. Total cost of just Ikea units is approx. $1,100. Total time spent designing and constructing was around 2 weeks.

See more of the Besta wall unit.

~ Sourojit Dhar, Long Beach, CA

Charging Station for $6+

Materials: SOLBRAND, NEDDA, cardboard, glue gun, scissors/razor blade, drill and drill bit, (Optional: KAPPLA surge protector)

Description: It was time to make a charging station (we have 3 cell phones and quite a few ipods.... don't ask :)

Step 1: Using the larger serving bowl from the SOLBRAND set, place the bowl upside down and trace the perimeter on the cardboard. To compensate for the slope of inside the bowl, cut the traced cardboard a little more than � inch inside what you traced (you might need to trim more later).

Step 2: I created a sturdy surface for the cardboard to sit on using some wood I had lying around. I hot glued them together and to the bottom of the bowl. You can use anything stackable to create a level surface for the cardboard to sit on. You could also glue things on the walls of the bowl to create a sitting surface. (Optional: if you want to have all your chargers in the bowl, make sure to leave space for them along with the KAPPLA surge protector).

Step 3: Trace the trimmed cardboard piece onto the NEDDA chair pad (I purchased the 'no design' version) and trim to fit. Once you are satisfied with the overall fit, make the area for the charger cords to fit through. I made a slit in the middle. On the cardboard side I cut out � inch by 1.5 inches.

Step 4: Hot glue the trimmed NEDDA to your cardboard. Glue a nice amount around your cardboard slot.

Step 5: I drilled a 1-1/4 inch hole on the side of the bowl for the cords to come out. (Optional: If you don't use the KAPPLA surge protector in the bowl, run your chargers through the hole and use a RABALDER cable cover for a cleaner look.

I'd love to see various versions!

~ Jon T., D.C. metro area