Making a Coffee Table Out of an Ikea Cabinet

Recently I posted on my social media accounts that I turned an Ikea cabinet into my coffee table.  I wanted to post about my process for doing that, why I decided to do this instead of buying a new coffee table, and what I learned about myself during this process.

I wanted a black stained lift top coffee table that wasn't open-bottomed, so my dogs couldn't run underneath it and had storage for items such as games and remotes.  The one I wanted online was $400+ and that was a no-go for me.  So I began looking online for options and found an Ikea cabinet that was the right size, and Ikea had furniture feet that would work in the same color.  Below is my list of items ordered from Ikea for this project all in the color black/brown.

1- Besta Frame Cabinet $65
2 - Hanviken Cabinet Doors $25 each $50 total
2 - Stubbarp Furniture legs $10 per set $20 total
1 - Besta Soft Closing Hinge set $15

I had to have this shipped to my house, which I will warn you now shipping from Ikea is A LOT!  I have an Ikea a few hours south but I just wasn't in a place where I was able to make a trip down and the items I wanted weren't in stock there either.

The cabinet did have some damage when I opened it so I contacted Ikea and they refunded part of my shipping fees which was very helpful in this process.  It wasn't a large amount of damage but when you pay for shipping you expect items to not be damaged in transit so I figured it was worth calling and letting them know and seeing what they could do for me.  They were very easy to work with, the only downside for me was the refund took over a month to post to my credit card.

I started in on the project by flipping the cabinet upright and attaching one of the cabinet doors, my plans all along were to keep one of the cabinet doors attached as it was meant to be to the cabinet, and then attach the other one as a lift top lid.  Then I started in on what would be the bottom of the coffee table and reinforce it with some 1X3 lumber I already had from a previous project.  The bottom of the coffee table was the back of the cabinet and was a little flimsy and needed some backing if I was going to attach the coffee table legs and store items in the coffee table.

Then I started adding some texture to the coffee table to sync with a tv console electric fireplace combo I already had.  For this texture I used yardsticks.  I have been using them a lot around my house lately because they are inexpensive and easy to work with on a DIY basis.  (pics below are of my TV console and the yardsticks attached)

One item I can tell you is that I would use the yardsticks from Menards and not Home Depot if you have both stores in your area.  Mainly because Home Depot makes their yardsticks with the SKU and their branding stamped into the yardstick and it is much harder to cover up and paint over.  It was fine for me though because I wanted a rustic look and covered it up with wood filler and then sanded it down a little but didn't mind if certain parts shown through.

I then attached the final cabinet door with the lift top table hinges I ordered off Amazon that are linked below.  This went a lot easier than I thought It would I really like that I can still store items on this side of my coffee table I don't use often like board games, and lift the top of my coffee table off to eat or work on my laptop, like right now :).

From there I primed and painted the coffee table and attached the legs by drilling through the added base, I just painted everything a matte black again for cohesiveness and it needed to be painted again because of the yardsticks, the wood filler, and the general marks from constructions.

I realized during all this I don't like the painting or poly process, which I did put two coats of poly on after painting to make sure this coffee table will stand up to use over time.  The painting process just stresses me out, trying to get the brush strokes out, make sure I am doing everything correctly, waiting for it to dry, it all isn't for me.

Overall though I am very happy with how this turned out, the money I saved, and the project overall, gave me something to do mostly indoors in the middle of winter.

While I make a small percentage on sales used through my code, these are items I have used and trust.  I use them in my home or everyday life, and no amount of commission is worth compromising your trust.  Happy shopping!

Fear of the Unknown

Recently at the end of January, I went snowshoeing with a great friend of mine.  You might be wondering why I am writing about this almost 3 months later, because I am behind on blog posts and also because I wanted to take some time to think about the experience.

I was very intimidated to go snowshoeing, it was something I had never done before and for me, fear of the unknown can be debilitating.  I said yes let's do it and my friend made it extremely easy, worked out my shoe rental, where we were going, and when, picked the trail, I just had to show up. 

My friend made it so easy, so my first piece of advice when trying something new, find someone who has already done it and is willing to share their knowledge and be their friend, ask them for help.  We drove in the Wyoming weather to Green Rock trail, which was lined on both sides by everyone taking advantage of the weather to snowmobile.  There was a parking lot there for non-snowmobilers where we parked and the snowshoe trail is right off the parking lot.  You pay a $5 fee I believe to park for the day and there are backcountry bathrooms in the parking lot. You may want to bring your own tp in case they are out. 

We got ready, took some peanut butter whiskey shots of courage (I highly recommend Skrewball Whiskey shooters) and started on our way.  The trail was great, the sounds of the nearby snowmobiles quickly dissipated though I will never deny others having fun in the snow either, enjoy yourselves peeps.  My friend was a great guide on getting started and how to walk, use the poles, etc.  Now to the nitty-gritty, was it difficult, not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be, my stance was a little wider than I thought it would be but not uncomfortable at all.  Was I sore the next day, not nearly as sore as I thought I was going to be, I pictured myself being immobile but I was minimally sore the following day and the day after that even.  Did I fall, yes once at the beginning, I stepped wrong into a patch of loose snow and it caved in on me, but it was easy to get up and you know what, it happens.  What is hard to get the snowshoes on, not really you step into them and pull them tight. Once I saw my friend help me put them on the first time, I feel like I could handle it myself going forward. 

I loved this experience and it has taught me a lot, work with my fear of the unknown, try new things, find friends who help me with the new things I want to try and enjoy the experience.  Overall, I will for sure go snowshoeing again!!

      

Below are some items that really helped on my first snowshoeing trip, including hand and foot warmers and wool socks.  The hand warmers worked great in my gloves that had pockets for them. 

While I make a small percentage on sales used through my code, these are items I have used and trust.  I use them in my home or everyday life, and no amount of commission is worth compromising your trust.  Happy shopping!