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Hacking Ikea: A hollow desk becomes me
Improvolone
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I picked up a Vika table top and some legs to use as a desk. Problem is, the desk is much too deep for the space I have for it. It's dimensions are
Length: 59 "
Width: 29 1/2 "
I want to put it on a table saw and cut it into two pieces, one 20'' deep and one 9.5'' deep (ignore wood lost due to cutting, eh?). Then I would use some little furniture legs I bought to make a narrower desk with two levels. Then I would nail in some backing to cover the raw edges and make it look nice and finished.
My biggest worry is that this Vika table is hollow, or as I've seen it described elsewhere, honeycombed. The corners where the legs attach are solid but the rest of it is filled with cardboard. Knowing this, my plan is to glue some scrap one bys in there for the legs to attach to, as well as to nail the backing to. Does anyone see any problems with this plan?
I'm also considering just returning the damned hollow thing and getting something solid. Furniture should be solid...
Length: 59 "
Width: 29 1/2 "
I want to put it on a table saw and cut it into two pieces, one 20'' deep and one 9.5'' deep (ignore wood lost due to cutting, eh?). Then I would use some little furniture legs I bought to make a narrower desk with two levels. Then I would nail in some backing to cover the raw edges and make it look nice and finished.
My biggest worry is that this Vika table is hollow, or as I've seen it described elsewhere, honeycombed. The corners where the legs attach are solid but the rest of it is filled with cardboard. Knowing this, my plan is to glue some scrap one bys in there for the legs to attach to, as well as to nail the backing to. Does anyone see any problems with this plan?
I'm also considering just returning the damned hollow thing and getting something solid. Furniture should be solid...
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@gamefacts - Totally and utterly true gaming facts on the regular!
I expect you are right though.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I suppose you could roll your own woodstain. I don't really know how that works but could you just mix a shade of wood stain by eye to match the other furniture in the same way that you'd mix paint?
My wife did just what you're thinking about, though -- kept the legs, bought a narrow piece of hardwood and turned it into a table/desk. The VIKA table she had was too big, but the other options weren't long enough.
So we went to Home Depot, got a pre-joined board (16" I think) that was the right length, and then she sanded it, applied a stain to darken it up, and then put a poly coat on the top to finish it. It looks a lot better than the IKEA table.
I have a small version of the "dark" stain you mention, and it is nice -- it's dark w/o being a solid black. There are a couple options if you wanted to get close to that look. You won't be able to match it because IKEA veneers are simply printed out, so they can get consistent looks that would require a lot more work on a finished piece of wood. You could go for a distressed black look, although it involves a bit of elbow grease to pull it off. Def. more unique, though.
I would also suggest against the ikea stains. They're typically thick, and don't go on very evenly. Stains and finishes from an actual hardware/woodcraft store would serve you better, if you're putting the effort in.
My fiance wants us to use an 11'' deep shelf, but while it fits the space it just seems too narrow to be useful. Thanks guys, I will now be able to not waste money cutting something up and instead will return it.
My current computer desk is actually one I bought from Ikea that came with the wood unfinished. I stained the wood a dark blue (the desk frame is silver metal tubing, my computer case is silver brushed aluminum with a side window, there are blue LED fans inside the case, my keyboard is black & silver with blue LED backlighting... it's a pretty solid theme). It was pretty easy to do, and I'm not exactly a great handyman. The real key is to do a good job of clearcoating the wood with something like a polyurethane varnish. That's what I did, and the desk surfaces have held up pretty well. I've had it almost 10 years now and it's showing wear in some places, but nothing too terrible.
Well, what are you intending to put on that shelf? I mean, 11" is definitely deep enough for most books, CDs/DVDs, or other things like that. On the other hand if you're intending to put like a printer or something on it, it may be too small.
Actually, I have two shelves up right now, one of which holds my printer just fine.
Cheaper option may prevail here.
Maybe you should look into a fold out desk. Ikea and others do modern bureau-type units that are basically upright free-standing or wall-mounted cupboards which open out into computer and office desks.
Things like this or this (check the alt pictures for what they look like opened up).
That way they are taking up less room when not in use.