Vintage metal cabinet created from simple IKEA chest

I had the desire to create a unique product in steel. My product of choice was the MALM chest of 2 drawers. I wanted to make it look like a vintage metal cabinet, with a hint of old New York style.

Final result of my vintage metal cabinet

The project is not an easy one — the bending and cutting of the iron plates requires some practice. But it can be done in about 5-6 hours, however, spread over several days, as lacquer and glue must harden.

IKEA items used:

• MALM chest of 2 drawers

MALM chest of 2 drawers | IKEA.com

Other materials and tools:

• Steel 1,0 mm sheets
• Glue

DIY vintage metal cabinet – the process:

First, I assembled the MALM chest of drawers.

Metal sheets in 1mm is cut to measure

Then, I got the metal sheets cut with an angle grinder (or with fibre laser if you have it). I had this done at a workshop.

All the plates were then coated in a special liquid to age it and accelerate the dark oxidisation effect.

The metal plates being bent into shape

Next, all plates were curved on a bending machine. This can also be done without a CNC machine if you do not have access to a workshop.

All corners are welded

After that was done, I welded every corner and glued all the plates to the IKEA MALM chest.

It’s starting to look a lot like a vintage metal cabinet.

Side plates are glued on with mounting glue

The cabinet is test assembled before spraying on clear lacquer

Finally, I sprayed all surfaces with 2 to 3 layers of Clearcoat.

And it’s done!

What to pay special attention to?

The light emitted from welding can cause damage to the eyes. So always wear a welding helmet like those of professional blacksmiths.

My friends love it and the one comment I get is, “Can you make one for me?”

See more of the vintage metal cabinet hack on my blog.

~ by Andreas

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Vintage metal cabinet created from simple IKEA chest published first on www.ikeahackers.net

DIY plywood fronts for massive savings in kitchen do-over

Hi! This is another one of my hacks featuring IKEA custom cabinet doors. It’s an IKEA kitchen do-over with plywood cabinet fronts.

I bought an apartment and it came with a brand new IKEA kitchen. Problem is, I’m not very fond of wall cabinets and tall cabinets for refrigerator, etc. I find it more suitable to have all cabinets on one level.

Another issue with the existing kitchen was the size of the kitchen peninsula / island. It was too small. So I decided to re-do the kitchen with a new layout and custom cabinet fronts.

before

After!

I ripped the kitchen down, keeping the IKEA METOD base cabinets. The tall cabinets were cut in half. The top half of the tall cabinets became too flimsy after the cut, and I was not able to reuse them.

Since the kitchen is in an open space with my living room, I wanted the kitchen to blend in as much as possible. I think when all the cabinets are at the same level and by omitting the typical kitchen wall cabinets above the countertop, you remove the kitchen feeling.

Demo-ing the kitchen

In the meantime, the new setup was drawn up. It featured a larger kitchen peninsular, including seating for 4 and the integration of a small IKEA freezer and refrigerator. When the drawing was finalised, it was time to get it personalised.

As with my other MALM loft storage hack, I chose the same deco blue color to match the Carrera marble tile backsplash.

The brass handles (and the problem with them)

Instead of stock IKEA doors, I went with custom made birch plywood fronts and self-designed brass handles. I drew up a suggestion and went to an iron worker, who bent them according to my specifications.

Note to self: Experimenting with kitchen handles is not as straight forward as it seems. After mounting the brass handles, which were made in the same length as the doors, I soon discovered it was not possible to open the doors to the right or left ;).

I got into a real spin trying to find a solution. My intention was to keep the brass handles in one straight line. After some thinking I came up with an idea to not use side hinges at all.

I used the front of a spare drawer as a template to drill holes at the back of the new plywood fronts. Then I placed a big drawer in every cabinet on the lower section and used drawer hinges to mount the door to the drawer. Now the fronts slide straight out instead of swinging open to the right or left. It’s important to buy the big drawer as it has an extra metal rod to stabilize the front to the drawer. And best of all, it works great!

IKEA Custom Cabinet Doors in Plywood

All of the custom drawer fronts are made from birch plywood at a thickness of 18mm thick. The drawer fronts are treated with decor wax to keep them from turning yellow and makes them easy to clean. (Becomes water resistant)

IKEA custom cabinet doors – waxed and unwaxed comparison

I bought the plywood boards from local retailer and brought them to a local carpenter who has a CNC cutter. I also brought a normal IKEA front to use as a template for cutting the right dimension. These IKEA custom cabinet doors cost about 60% of IKEA retail price for fronts.

Behind these IKEA custom cabinet doors – the fridge!

Fridge is in the island, freezer on opposite side.

Final touch, a pair of Tom Dixon lights.

Tom Dixon Lights

~ by Peik Helly Hansen. Follow my projects on Instagram @peikhellyhansen

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You may also be interested in Peik’s other hacks

• Bathroom furniture which hides a washer and dryer
• Walk-in closet using the EXPEDIT (or KALLAX) range
• Gorgeous loft storage for under the eaves
• How to use kitchen cabinets for small bedroom storage

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The post DIY plywood fronts for massive savings in kitchen do-over appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

DIY plywood fronts for massive savings in kitchen do-over published first on www.ikeahackers.net

I Renovated My Closet and Now I’m Fancy.

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