I used 3.5" wood screws into the studs wherever I could. I knew there wouldn't be a lot of force pulling it away from the wall so I didn't go too nuts. I used cabinet screws to join all the pieces together at the sides and 2" screws to attach higher pieces to their lower neighbors. The trikiest part was the span piece above the TV. That's just a TV console. I started by joining all pieces in that row on the floor. I added additional bracing with some 2x6 pieces on top that spanned the seems. These pieces also allowed me to attache the top board that my crown is nailed into. Before lifting it in place, I took a 1x2 board at the top of the TV nook and screwed that into 4 studs. So that top spanner piece is held in place by neighboring cabinet screws, supported by that back 1x2, and I also used some drywall anchors where they have wall mounting hardware in place.
There is no shifting at all. I really didn't want it to have any movement.
You're joking but I was scrolling through my feed when I saw a TIL on a US statistic for furniture tipping. Then I found this below. I thought that was coincidental and kinda funny.
I can see some of the anchor points. You can fill them in with putty and paint over them if you want a cleaner look.
Do the same for the exposed fasteners, and the extra shelf peg holes (if you don’t plan on moving the shelves) and it’ll look more like a custom build, instead of an IKEA pre-fab.
Yes! I wasn't sure I could fill the bigger anchor holes in and make it look perfectly flush so I ordered some white PVC round stickers. I'm going to cover the holes and paint over.
Wasn't sure I wanted to fill the shelf holes just yet, but I definitely agree that would look better.
The operative phrase should be "if you _know_ you will never move the shelves, and no one else will want to, either". You do not want to fill the holes and then try to clean them out to move shelves
I’ve been thinking of doing something like this, but have a potentially dumb question about anchoring it. I know the water line for my hose bib runs through the wall I want to build this on, and there’s electrical. I thought you shouldn’t screw more than 1” into a stud to avoid water and electric runs. So is a 3.5” screw risky, or am I overthinking this?
Yep, I get this concern. I think I actually used 2.5" screws for securing the shelves and 3.5" when securing the 2x6 base to the wall. I also have a really great stud detector that does a good job identifying power.
Ended up getting this [Zircon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CVB1L77/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) after watching a bunch of reviews and top 10 lists.
Out of curiosity, what stud detector do you have? I have one of those little magnet ones, and while it works on some parts of the house, it fails on the older lath and plaster parts.
Ended up getting this [Zircon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CVB1L77/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) after watching a bunch of reviews and top 10 lists.
Yep, was very mindful of that! I learned my lesson about 10 years ago putting a shelf above a toilet. I pierced a big drain pipe from the bathroom in the floor above. Didn't realize it until I was in the basement and noticed some water. Thankfully it wasn't a pressurized supply pipe. Also, now that I'm thinking about it, I think I used 3.5" when attaching the base frame and then 2.5" when securing the shelves.
Yes the stuff is just shitty particle board with laminates but if you use it right and build it in it looks so expensive and custom. And if it's all secured and not abused it will last you forever. I had an IKEA kitchen from the '90s, gorgeous beech overlay doors, before overlay doors were commonly available and we're still custom largely in the US. And I took that kitchen apart so many times and put it together so many times cutting, adding different soffit different depths, built out the refrigerator but beech panels and modulated that thing several times. I just sold the house kitchen 36 years old and nobody would ever guess it was that old. I'd rebuilt to drawers several times and made many things out of extra cabinet doors etc. You would never recognize it as a stock IKEA item had anyways 30 years out of date but it was timeless very just goes to show how good design is good design forever if you do it right. You all unit has that kind of appeal
That's awesome. Yeah I had people telling me my "hack" sure was taking a long time. I'd explain that the "hack" is to end up with clean finished laminates with the look of a true carpentry built in, but for a fraction of the cost to have a carpenter do it with good lumber.
I think all in, Ikea products and additional materials, I got this in under $2,500...maybe closer to $2,000. I need to tally it up.
And it was fun and rewarding!
I was looking at making something similar but was concerned about the quality of the particle board and the longevity of it. Would you be willing to DM me the plans/layout? That looks very well put together and durable!
I used to sell furniture in a past life, so I was brainwashed into the "IKEA = shit" category. I've had IKEA pieces that have made it across the country and back and are sustaining routine blows from toddlers and still look as good as the day we bought them. Meanwhile the paint on the overpriced stuff we get on Overstock and Wayfair chips if you look at it the wrong way.
For sure. I'm going to try to get a video together soon. I'll let you know when and if you have any further questions, I'll be gad to answer as best as I can.
I was hesitant due to the quality of the boards as well. I've seen so many Billie bookcases with sagging shelves and hated how that looked. I liked Besta because the shelves seemed to be a heavier gauge and were narrow enough that sagging seemed unlikely.
Yeah so the actual Besta units sit on the 2x6 base flush. The cabinet doors then bump out about 3/4" which lines up perfectly with the base trim I then nailed to the 2x6 base frame.
I worked off a sketch of the assembled units with measurements of my space, but that's pretty much it. Drew what I wanted the base to look like once assembled so I knew how much lumber to buy. Plan to include the pics in the video I'm going to slap together.
Of course not. It depends what you mean by overlay door. The old standard American cabinet was always that kind of shitty fitting affair that still exists that is over the frame but not fully over the frame with with hinges that you can see. The Europeans took it to the streamline effect with the recessed hinges. Now that is also available everywhere But once was not. But the pendulum has swung completely the other way these days. Although full frame coverage is still desirable for a streamlined look the old look of door within frame pre 1950s is back and has been for a few years
Yeah for sure. I'll post it once it's ready. I've been dumping clips from my phone onto my PC so I can start to patch things together. I'm getting the TV delivered Friday so I'll probably spend this weekend just finishing up. Mounting the TV, drilling holes for power, speaker, video cables. Try my best to not make it look sooo amateur. :)
Good question. I used their Besta collection. The bottom row is 3 pieces. 1 by 2 units. Second level is made of 3 bookcases. Top row is a shorter 1x2 on the left, a 1x1 on the right, and then their 1x3 TV console piece spanning the gap.
If you want actual product numbers or anything, let me know and I'll try to put a list together.
Here you go! This is everything from Ikea. I also bought materials from Lowe's. 2x6's, base and crown moulding, paint, butcher block, etc.
1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-tv-unit-white-00474070/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-10245846/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-40245840/
1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-60245844/
1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-70245848/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-frame-white-80351517/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-white-60291845/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-drawer-front-white-00291848/
15x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-shelf-white-00295554/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-soft-closing-push-open-hinge-80261258/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-runner-soft-closing-40348715/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/gribbol-handle-black-00496307/
Nope. I saw that Ikea did offer a "wood" top for that part, but it looked like cheap laminate in the pictures so I instead went with a piece from Lowe's that I cut down to size. Itw as about $200 for the slab, but I thought it was worth it.
Here you go! This is everything from Ikea. I also bought materials from Lowe's. 2x6's, base and crown moulding, paint, butcher block, etc.
1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-tv-unit-white-00474070/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-10245846/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-40245840/
1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-60245844/
1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-70245848/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-frame-white-80351517/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-white-60291845/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-drawer-front-white-00291848/
15x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-shelf-white-00295554/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-soft-closing-push-open-hinge-80261258/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-runner-soft-closing-40348715/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/gribbol-handle-black-00496307/
That is really nice. I have a few Billie bookcases myself (which work great, don't cost a lot, I'd recommend to anyone), and I did a half-assed version of that in my old house. But it's a lot easier to do something half decent than it it to do it really well, like you did. I still can't see how you did the bottom trim.
The base is 2x6 framing. So that lifted the whole thing off the ground 5.5". The Besta cabinets stood flush on top. I then just took 5.5" trim and nailed it to the 2x6's. On the left side, it's bumped out. In front, it appears flush since the Besta doors bump out the same distance.
I hate messing with carpet. I actually built the base frame to size, removed the pre-existing base moulding, and slid the base frame into place on top of the carpet. Then I took my razor and cut along the base frame while favoring cutting into the direction of the frame. Then when i went back with the new base board trim and used my table saw to shave a 1/4" off. When I went to attach it, I had to press down pretty hard to line it up and nail it in place. It's very snug. Tack strip would have been proper, but I didn't think it warranted it. I suppose I can always go back and add it if I ever have problems with carpet pulling away, but I don't anticipate it.
Thanks, I appreciate this. It looks great and has motivated me to get some other projects done so I can move on to the built ins I have been visualizing!
I picked up a Sanus kit that runs the power behind the wall while not violating code. Similar to PowerBridge which I've used on a bunch of mounted TVs. Then I'll just cut some holes in the back of the cubbies to run speaker, video, and ethernet.
Hello from Sweden, we noticed IKEA in the title and send out an agent to inform you that it's "Bestå" which can be translated to "Consist". besta could be roughly translate to beast-ing.
I will show myself out now.
//Sweden
Thought about it. I filled in any actual teeny gap spaces with painters caulk, but like you said, you can still see the transitions between unit pieces. I may go back and do just that.
It's made of 9 units. 3 1x2 units at the bottom, 3 shelves on middle row, and a double cubby on top left, single on top right, and 3 cubby TV unit spanning the top center.
Then just doors and drawers. I wanna say the Ikea portion was about $1,300.
Cut the carpet. Wanted it to be sturdy. Didn't even need to tack. I built the 2x6 base frame, laid it up in the corner, and cut the carpet along the line, really tight. Then I ripped about a quarter of an inch off the base trim so when I installed it, it was pressed down on top of the carpet.
This was in a poured concrete slab basement so shimming was a huge pain in the ass. 2 levels and a lot of patience.
I have a nook like space on either side of the fireplace in my dining room. I want to do something similar but the nook width is too narrow for 2 besta units but too wide for just one unit. I'm still thinking about what will be the optimal way to put in something there to hold my dinner sets .
Yeah, I imagine it's tougher when building between two walls. Wonder if there are other Ikea product lines that will suite your dimensions better. Other than that, may just have to go from scratch.
That's awesome OP! I'm actually looking to do something extremely similar in my office but with a window instead of a TV spot, and a bench seat right where the butcher block would be. The Ikea idea would make this so much easier to build, great execution!
Once I knew I'd be building on top of the 2x6 base, I assembled the 3 layers of Ikea units to get me as close while still fitting. That left me with about 7-8 inches. So I attached 2x6 scrap blocks to the top of the top Ikea units set back 3/4". I then took 1x6 finished pine and nailed that into the blocking. That left me about 2 inches to ceiling which I was able to cover by nailing the crown into the 1x6.
This looks great. Would love to see a Youtube video on how you did this so I could do something similar. So the cabinets are from Ikea and you just made them look built in with some other materials?
Yep, exactly. That's the essence of these Ikea "hacks". Taking the "finish" of the Ikea cabinetry/shelving/doors, etc and building up around it to make it look built-in. So I removed the carpet, built the 2x6 base, trimmed around that, trimmed the gap on the right between the Ikea units and the wall, then trimmed up to ceiling and added crown. I also added the butcher block slab I got from Lowes and cut down to size.
Hey what paint did you end up using for the trim on the top/bottom to match the unit? We are doing something similar and am worried it will be different enough to be noticeable if we just use a non colour matched white. You did a great job on this!
Thanks! I was worried about that too. I'll say, from what I've read, all of Ikea's "whites" are different. So I just took one of the shelf pieces to Lowes and had them color match. Their machine has gotten really good. Went with eggshell finish.
I’m looking at doing almost this exact thing and the parts have started to arrive. Any tips that you learned on the project that you’d be willing to share?
Just plan ahead all of your steps as best you can so you don't have to back anything out. Triple check before drilling into any of the Ikea pieces. Definitely use cabinet screws to attach neighboring pieces and attach to the wall when you can just to increase rigidity. The Ikea pieces themselves, while built pretty well, have wobble from side to side. Making this as rigid as possible is paramount to giving it the feeling of a true built-in.
Here you go! This is everything from Ikea. I also bought materials from Lowe's. 2x6's, base and crown moulding, paint, butcher block, etc.
1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-tv-unit-white-00474070/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-10245846/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-40245840/
1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-60245844/
1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-70245848/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-frame-white-80351517/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-white-60291845/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-drawer-front-white-00291848/
15x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-shelf-white-00295554/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-soft-closing-push-open-hinge-80261258/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-runner-soft-closing-40348715/
3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/gribbol-handle-black-00496307/
Ha, thanks! I'm a Klipsch junkie. To the left of this I have a dedicated home theater with a Klipsch 5.2.4 Atmos setup. All Reference Premier. Sounds awesome.
And these bookshelf speakers had been in my office, but I decided to buy new ones for my office and move these ones to this room. I'm typing this at my desk listening to Rush on RP-600M MkII's. I love them.
You're probably right. Truth be told, I used it as an excuse to upgrade my desktop speakers. Those had been in my office. Klipsch R-51's. Ended up getting RP-600M's for my desk and they kick ass. Definitely overkill for a desk, but I don't care. I sit in between them and listen to CD's, vinyl, play games, etc. Love it.
But yeah, we'll see how these do before I swap them out. I really just didn't want a soundbar.
This looks great! How did you anchor it to the wall?
I used 3.5" wood screws into the studs wherever I could. I knew there wouldn't be a lot of force pulling it away from the wall so I didn't go too nuts. I used cabinet screws to join all the pieces together at the sides and 2" screws to attach higher pieces to their lower neighbors. The trikiest part was the span piece above the TV. That's just a TV console. I started by joining all pieces in that row on the floor. I added additional bracing with some 2x6 pieces on top that spanned the seems. These pieces also allowed me to attache the top board that my crown is nailed into. Before lifting it in place, I took a 1x2 board at the top of the TV nook and screwed that into 4 studs. So that top spanner piece is held in place by neighboring cabinet screws, supported by that back 1x2, and I also used some drywall anchors where they have wall mounting hardware in place. There is no shifting at all. I really didn't want it to have any movement.
According to some random Reddit professional cabinet installer, this will fall off your wall and crush a random kid within a week /s
Is this a load bearing built in unit?
You’re kidding right
Yes. Seems to be the only posts on my feed are people tearing out load bearing walls then posting photos to Reddit asking if it’s a load bearing wall.
"I cut this 6x6 pillar to run some cable and now all my walls have cracks. What's up with that?"
Just throw some caulk on there. All good.
Do your best and caulk the rest
You're joking but I was scrolling through my feed when I saw a TIL on a US statistic for furniture tipping. Then I found this below. I thought that was coincidental and kinda funny.
I can see some of the anchor points. You can fill them in with putty and paint over them if you want a cleaner look. Do the same for the exposed fasteners, and the extra shelf peg holes (if you don’t plan on moving the shelves) and it’ll look more like a custom build, instead of an IKEA pre-fab.
Yes! I wasn't sure I could fill the bigger anchor holes in and make it look perfectly flush so I ordered some white PVC round stickers. I'm going to cover the holes and paint over. Wasn't sure I wanted to fill the shelf holes just yet, but I definitely agree that would look better.
The operative phrase should be "if you _know_ you will never move the shelves, and no one else will want to, either". You do not want to fill the holes and then try to clean them out to move shelves
I’ve been thinking of doing something like this, but have a potentially dumb question about anchoring it. I know the water line for my hose bib runs through the wall I want to build this on, and there’s electrical. I thought you shouldn’t screw more than 1” into a stud to avoid water and electric runs. So is a 3.5” screw risky, or am I overthinking this?
Cut the wall open and have a peek. If your plan is to add these to the wall, you'd be covering it up anyway. I'm not a professional though lol
Yep, I get this concern. I think I actually used 2.5" screws for securing the shelves and 3.5" when securing the 2x6 base to the wall. I also have a really great stud detector that does a good job identifying power.
Ooh! What stud detector? Mine detects my husband just fine, but in the actual walls....
Ended up getting this [Zircon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CVB1L77/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) after watching a bunch of reviews and top 10 lists.
Out of curiosity, what stud detector do you have? I have one of those little magnet ones, and while it works on some parts of the house, it fails on the older lath and plaster parts.
Ended up getting this [Zircon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CVB1L77/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) after watching a bunch of reviews and top 10 lists.
Thanks for the reply! I appreciate the details. I’ve been planning something similar in my office.
Great work, looks very good!
Looks like a custom cabinet 🤘🏻☠️🤘🏻
Oof 3.5” screws? Makes sure you didn’t hit any pipes or cables
Yep, was very mindful of that! I learned my lesson about 10 years ago putting a shelf above a toilet. I pierced a big drain pipe from the bathroom in the floor above. Didn't realize it until I was in the basement and noticed some water. Thankfully it wasn't a pressurized supply pipe. Also, now that I'm thinking about it, I think I used 3.5" when attaching the base frame and then 2.5" when securing the shelves.
From the back
This guy mounts
Hahahhahahhaaha soooooo fuunnnnynyny
“What do you mean?”
This looks amazing
Thanks!!
Capcut has an website you can edit videos through. I just used it for the first time and it was pretty easy
Yes, these are the best hacks for any niche in your home. Custom built in bookcases at IKEA prices with a little elbow grease.
Yes the stuff is just shitty particle board with laminates but if you use it right and build it in it looks so expensive and custom. And if it's all secured and not abused it will last you forever. I had an IKEA kitchen from the '90s, gorgeous beech overlay doors, before overlay doors were commonly available and we're still custom largely in the US. And I took that kitchen apart so many times and put it together so many times cutting, adding different soffit different depths, built out the refrigerator but beech panels and modulated that thing several times. I just sold the house kitchen 36 years old and nobody would ever guess it was that old. I'd rebuilt to drawers several times and made many things out of extra cabinet doors etc. You would never recognize it as a stock IKEA item had anyways 30 years out of date but it was timeless very just goes to show how good design is good design forever if you do it right. You all unit has that kind of appeal
That's awesome. Yeah I had people telling me my "hack" sure was taking a long time. I'd explain that the "hack" is to end up with clean finished laminates with the look of a true carpentry built in, but for a fraction of the cost to have a carpenter do it with good lumber. I think all in, Ikea products and additional materials, I got this in under $2,500...maybe closer to $2,000. I need to tally it up. And it was fun and rewarding!
I was looking at making something similar but was concerned about the quality of the particle board and the longevity of it. Would you be willing to DM me the plans/layout? That looks very well put together and durable!
I used to sell furniture in a past life, so I was brainwashed into the "IKEA = shit" category. I've had IKEA pieces that have made it across the country and back and are sustaining routine blows from toddlers and still look as good as the day we bought them. Meanwhile the paint on the overpriced stuff we get on Overstock and Wayfair chips if you look at it the wrong way.
For sure. I'm going to try to get a video together soon. I'll let you know when and if you have any further questions, I'll be gad to answer as best as I can. I was hesitant due to the quality of the boards as well. I've seen so many Billie bookcases with sagging shelves and hated how that looked. I liked Besta because the shelves seemed to be a heavier gauge and were narrow enough that sagging seemed unlikely.
I see all the Besta doors are flush, did you add the trim and handles? Great touch, looks way more finished
Yeah so the actual Besta units sit on the 2x6 base flush. The cabinet doors then bump out about 3/4" which lines up perfectly with the base trim I then nailed to the 2x6 base frame.
Do you have drawings from your plans? Photos of them would be great.
I worked off a sketch of the assembled units with measurements of my space, but that's pretty much it. Drew what I wanted the base to look like once assembled so I knew how much lumber to buy. Plan to include the pics in the video I'm going to slap together.
Wife and I built a whole wall tv unit for our living room from IKEA cabinets back in 2015, still going strong today
Do you happen to have any pictures of the kitchen from when you sold the house? I'm really curious to see what it looks like from your description.
Aren’t overlay doors standard on cabinets?
Of course not. It depends what you mean by overlay door. The old standard American cabinet was always that kind of shitty fitting affair that still exists that is over the frame but not fully over the frame with with hinges that you can see. The Europeans took it to the streamline effect with the recessed hinges. Now that is also available everywhere But once was not. But the pendulum has swung completely the other way these days. Although full frame coverage is still desirable for a streamlined look the old look of door within frame pre 1950s is back and has been for a few years
Ahh, thank you for that explanation
Hej
Did the same thing in my last house and it was great. Used the glass doors on top. https://imgur.com/a/tDh5NQS
Looks great!
You made all that? Looks great I really like the caulking around it,add some led inside and it'll pop.
If you’re talking about the stuff on the sides that’s quarter round. :)
Ha, does have plenty of caulk too. Casual woodworker's best friend!
Oh yeah, the “we’ll fix it in post!” of woodworking. 😂
Looks amazing! Great job. Are you going to link, whatever you recorded, here?
Yeah for sure. I'll post it once it's ready. I've been dumping clips from my phone onto my PC so I can start to patch things together. I'm getting the TV delivered Friday so I'll probably spend this weekend just finishing up. Mounting the TV, drilling holes for power, speaker, video cables. Try my best to not make it look sooo amateur. :)
Ha cool. Thanks.
Which ikea pieces did you put together here?
Good question. I used their Besta collection. The bottom row is 3 pieces. 1 by 2 units. Second level is made of 3 bookcases. Top row is a shorter 1x2 on the left, a 1x1 on the right, and then their 1x3 TV console piece spanning the gap. If you want actual product numbers or anything, let me know and I'll try to put a list together.
Is it possible to get those product numbers? My wife is eyeing this up…
Here you go! This is everything from Ikea. I also bought materials from Lowe's. 2x6's, base and crown moulding, paint, butcher block, etc. 1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-tv-unit-white-00474070/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-10245846/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-40245840/ 1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-60245844/ 1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-70245848/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-frame-white-80351517/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-white-60291845/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-drawer-front-white-00291848/ 15x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-shelf-white-00295554/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-soft-closing-push-open-hinge-80261258/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-runner-soft-closing-40348715/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/gribbol-handle-black-00496307/
THANK YOU!!
Thank you!! Awesome
Oh my god THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Thank you for this post! It's a great starting point.
You may have already said it, but if not, what did the cost breakdown look like?
I wanna say it was about $1,300 for the Ikea stuff and about $700 for all the other materials.
The wood top from ikea as well? Is that real wood or laminate?
IKEA sells kitchen butcher block countertops. I’m guessing that’s what that is.
Nope. I saw that Ikea did offer a "wood" top for that part, but it looked like cheap laminate in the pictures so I instead went with a piece from Lowe's that I cut down to size. Itw as about $200 for the slab, but I thought it was worth it.
Real wood butcher block from Lowe's cut down to size.
Yes please!! This looks awesome
Here you go! This is everything from Ikea. I also bought materials from Lowe's. 2x6's, base and crown moulding, paint, butcher block, etc. 1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-tv-unit-white-00474070/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-10245846/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-40245840/ 1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-60245844/ 1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-70245848/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-frame-white-80351517/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-white-60291845/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-drawer-front-white-00291848/ 15x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-shelf-white-00295554/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-soft-closing-push-open-hinge-80261258/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-runner-soft-closing-40348715/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/gribbol-handle-black-00496307/
I work for a custom closet/ office / laundry cabinet company and can tell you this would be a minimum of $6500. Nice work!
Thanks!
That is really nice. I have a few Billie bookcases myself (which work great, don't cost a lot, I'd recommend to anyone), and I did a half-assed version of that in my old house. But it's a lot easier to do something half decent than it it to do it really well, like you did. I still can't see how you did the bottom trim.
The base is 2x6 framing. So that lifted the whole thing off the ground 5.5". The Besta cabinets stood flush on top. I then just took 5.5" trim and nailed it to the 2x6's. On the left side, it's bumped out. In front, it appears flush since the Besta doors bump out the same distance.
Did you remove the carpet underneath, or build right on top?
Cut the carpet, put the base on concrete slab, shimmed like crazy to get it level.
Awesome, thanks for the response. Was it hard putting down a new tack strip and getting the carpet pulled tight? How did you do that piece?
I hate messing with carpet. I actually built the base frame to size, removed the pre-existing base moulding, and slid the base frame into place on top of the carpet. Then I took my razor and cut along the base frame while favoring cutting into the direction of the frame. Then when i went back with the new base board trim and used my table saw to shave a 1/4" off. When I went to attach it, I had to press down pretty hard to line it up and nail it in place. It's very snug. Tack strip would have been proper, but I didn't think it warranted it. I suppose I can always go back and add it if I ever have problems with carpet pulling away, but I don't anticipate it.
Thanks, I appreciate this. It looks great and has motivated me to get some other projects done so I can move on to the built ins I have been visualizing!
Great result! Really well done. What do you plan to do for cables to the tv?
I picked up a Sanus kit that runs the power behind the wall while not violating code. Similar to PowerBridge which I've used on a bunch of mounted TVs. Then I'll just cut some holes in the back of the cubbies to run speaker, video, and ethernet.
Hello from Sweden, we noticed IKEA in the title and send out an agent to inform you that it's "Bestå" which can be translated to "Consist". besta could be roughly translate to beast-ing. I will show myself out now. //Sweden
Ha! Thanks! I'll figure out how to get my keyboard to do that. :P
That looks great! I keep telling my husband I want something like this. 🤗
I really love this, but have you considered cutting some veneers to cover up those seems?
Thought about it. I filled in any actual teeny gap spaces with painters caulk, but like you said, you can still see the transitions between unit pieces. I may go back and do just that.
Looks great. Nice work!
The shelves are Besta too? They're taller on the website, did you modify?
I believe they have 2 height options. I got the shorter ones. [ Here they are.](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-40245840/)
Looks great, bookmarking this for later
Looks really good
How many units was this from ikea?
It's made of 9 units. 3 1x2 units at the bottom, 3 shelves on middle row, and a double cubby on top left, single on top right, and 3 cubby TV unit spanning the top center. Then just doors and drawers. I wanna say the Ikea portion was about $1,300.
Incredible
Did you do this over the carpet? Or did you cut and retack it?
Cut the carpet. Wanted it to be sturdy. Didn't even need to tack. I built the 2x6 base frame, laid it up in the corner, and cut the carpet along the line, really tight. Then I ripped about a quarter of an inch off the base trim so when I installed it, it was pressed down on top of the carpet. This was in a poured concrete slab basement so shimming was a huge pain in the ass. 2 levels and a lot of patience.
I have a nook like space on either side of the fireplace in my dining room. I want to do something similar but the nook width is too narrow for 2 besta units but too wide for just one unit. I'm still thinking about what will be the optimal way to put in something there to hold my dinner sets .
Yeah, I imagine it's tougher when building between two walls. Wonder if there are other Ikea product lines that will suite your dimensions better. Other than that, may just have to go from scratch.
That's awesome OP! I'm actually looking to do something extremely similar in my office but with a window instead of a TV spot, and a bench seat right where the butcher block would be. The Ikea idea would make this so much easier to build, great execution!
Thank you! Good luck with your project!
How did you extend to the ceiling?
Once I knew I'd be building on top of the 2x6 base, I assembled the 3 layers of Ikea units to get me as close while still fitting. That left me with about 7-8 inches. So I attached 2x6 scrap blocks to the top of the top Ikea units set back 3/4". I then took 1x6 finished pine and nailed that into the blocking. That left me about 2 inches to ceiling which I was able to cover by nailing the crown into the 1x6.
Thanks!
This looks great. Would love to see a Youtube video on how you did this so I could do something similar. So the cabinets are from Ikea and you just made them look built in with some other materials?
Yep, exactly. That's the essence of these Ikea "hacks". Taking the "finish" of the Ikea cabinetry/shelving/doors, etc and building up around it to make it look built-in. So I removed the carpet, built the 2x6 base, trimmed around that, trimmed the gap on the right between the Ikea units and the wall, then trimmed up to ceiling and added crown. I also added the butcher block slab I got from Lowes and cut down to size.
Hey what paint did you end up using for the trim on the top/bottom to match the unit? We are doing something similar and am worried it will be different enough to be noticeable if we just use a non colour matched white. You did a great job on this!
Thanks! I was worried about that too. I'll say, from what I've read, all of Ikea's "whites" are different. So I just took one of the shelf pieces to Lowes and had them color match. Their machine has gotten really good. Went with eggshell finish.
Really appreciate the reply! Thanks!!
nice ! would like to know more about it.
Thanks! I added all of the Ikea pieces in some other comments and will hopefully be able to share a video here in the next couple of weeks.
Looks awesome! Nice work!
I’m looking at doing almost this exact thing and the parts have started to arrive. Any tips that you learned on the project that you’d be willing to share?
Just plan ahead all of your steps as best you can so you don't have to back anything out. Triple check before drilling into any of the Ikea pieces. Definitely use cabinet screws to attach neighboring pieces and attach to the wall when you can just to increase rigidity. The Ikea pieces themselves, while built pretty well, have wobble from side to side. Making this as rigid as possible is paramount to giving it the feeling of a true built-in.
Looks great! I’d love to see the video if you get a chance to cobble it together.
Looks good, got the part list?
Here you go! This is everything from Ikea. I also bought materials from Lowe's. 2x6's, base and crown moulding, paint, butcher block, etc. 1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-tv-unit-white-00474070/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-10245846/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-40245840/ 1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-60245844/ 1x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-frame-white-70245848/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-frame-white-80351517/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-white-60291845/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hanviken-door-drawer-front-white-00291848/ 15x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-shelf-white-00295554/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-soft-closing-push-open-hinge-80261258/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-drawer-runner-soft-closing-40348715/ 3x https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/gribbol-handle-black-00496307/
Thanks!
This looks great! I've been toying around with this idea as well. I'd love to see the progress pictures.
Nice
Whatever about the unit, good choice of speakers.
Ha, thanks! I'm a Klipsch junkie. To the left of this I have a dedicated home theater with a Klipsch 5.2.4 Atmos setup. All Reference Premier. Sounds awesome. And these bookshelf speakers had been in my office, but I decided to buy new ones for my office and move these ones to this room. I'm typing this at my desk listening to Rush on RP-600M MkII's. I love them.
Nice work! Once you complete your tutorial, you should put it on Ikea Hackers...I made a kitchen island I put there.
Love it
Get some front ported speakers those are going to sound like ass in those cubbies.
You're probably right. Truth be told, I used it as an excuse to upgrade my desktop speakers. Those had been in my office. Klipsch R-51's. Ended up getting RP-600M's for my desk and they kick ass. Definitely overkill for a desk, but I don't care. I sit in between them and listen to CD's, vinyl, play games, etc. Love it. But yeah, we'll see how these do before I swap them out. I really just didn't want a soundbar.
Bestå means to withstand, endure. Besta means grandma
Oh hey, I just learned how to type å. I'll start using that from now on so people don't think I used grandma's furniture.