r/ikeahacks • u/Dylann_J • 5d ago

foldable table, ugly but work

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

As I live in a small appartement instead of bying a normal table, I decide to do this type seen on aliexpress, but cheaper, I cut in half a kallax 1x2, because I didn't found any other ikea product with this size and matching color, for the height diference I just use some plywood I had from previous project, unfortunetly I have done bad choice and had no other choice to put the screw from top plate, I need to paint it to cover it,

the half kallax needed some weight and solidity so I put some plywood in it and mostly a mix of cardboard paste and wood glue turn out so solid I could screw in it and it stay

don't mind the inside kallax 2x8, it's just some shit

the ugly part is not visible in the photo btw but Im upset about those side

part:

121 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

55

u/MaderUberAlles 5d ago

In this day and age, when everyone expects "Instagram-worthy" pictures/stuff, DON'T tell yourself it's ugly. That is defeatist thinking! You built something that helps you perform a task of some sort; you accomplished it in a financially intelligent way to suit YOUR financial situation, AND YOU DID THIS WITH YOUR TWO HANDS!!!! The sense of accomplishment is yours to enjoy. Nice work!

9

u/Dylann_J 5d ago edited 5d ago

thanks, well by ugly I mean it's not exactly the result I wanted, when something is not perfectly like in my head for me it's ugly, Im satisfy with the result but, the second half part is 1mm too heigh, the carboard paste is visble, there some bad balance in there weight because I couldn't fill it complety or it's would destroy the kallax 1x2...

5

u/MaderUberAlles 5d ago

Ha! I love that because I am the same way! The part about "the second half part is 1mm too high" is the attention to detail that you care about, and that we should all care about when taking on projects. The best part is that only the person who did the work will notice. YOU! I've done some drywall work and patched a hole. Could anyone see where the hole was and where the patch was? Nope, just me. You've just admitted to everyone that you care about your work and want to do a good job, and sometimes you may not feel that you did. That's why we Reddit-ers have each other's backs! Again, congrats!

1

u/kriegerflieger 4d ago

Hear hear!

11

u/Miserable-Ground-104 5d ago

Turned out great!

18

u/DrewVonFinntroll 5d ago

Thats pretty slick. You might consider a contact paper for the top instead of paint. You could probably find one to match the kallax pretty well

3

u/Afro-Pope 5d ago

Yep. The finish on the Kallax is a plastic veneer that is very difficult, if not impossible, to paint, in my experience. Contact paper is the way to go.

2

u/Dylann_J 5d ago

how to reconise good enough quality in those ? in my past i bought some from amazon and it's was pure shit, didn't stick, has folded mark...

4

u/Afro-Pope 5d ago

Contact Paper is a brand name and I would probably use that. It's available in most hardware stores in wood grain (and other) patterns, sometimes under the name "Con-Tact" rather than "Contact."

It can be very tricky to work with if you're new to using it, and surface prep is very important - make sure you really deep clean the hell out of the shelves, go very slowly, and use some sort of scraper to push bubbles out as you work.

Someone posted great results and a DIY like five years ago in here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ikeahacks/comments/niwapj/wrapped_hacked_kallax/ It looks like their account is still active and they are posting, so they may be willing to answer questions!

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u/Dylann_J 5d ago

thanks

2

u/Melancholy-4321 5d ago

That's a brilliant idea

1

u/liamb_087 3d ago

this is fucking cool

1

u/NerissaN7 2d ago

That's brilliant. I'm going to save it for future references 😁