HACKING AN IKEA KALLAX SHELF INTO THE SIDEBOARD OF MY DREAMS DIY Arch Doors Faux Cane Webbing

Hello, YouTube fam! Welcome or welcome back to my channel. If you're new here, my name is Tina and I make videos on lifestyle, home, and DIY projects every single week. I hope you're all doing well today and are ready for another DIY because today we are going to do an IKEA hack. I'm finally making over my Kallax unit. You guys have probably seen it in the background of my videos, and I feel like a Kallax unit or any cube storage is really basic, something that you probably already have at home and something that you could totally make over and make it into something really beautiful. I've actually had one in my LA apartment and also in my DIY studio previously, and when I bought one when we first moved in, it actually was not supposed to stay in this room. I eventually wanted to move it down in the basement, but I haven't found the perfect piece yet, so I decided I'm just going to DIY the one that I already have. It's already such a functional piece, but I want to bring it up to the next level and make it also beautiful. That is our goal today, and before we get started, don't forget to like and subscribe down below, and let's go ahead and get started. So here is the IKEA Kallax unit in question. You guys can see I've left the top part open and the bottom part with some baskets. Honestly, I'm just kind of tired of looking at this, especially since there is quite a bit of a mess, and I would like something to conceal it and then still use the baskets for clothes storage. That actually is super useful, but for items like this where it won't really fit all into a basket, I would really like to put some doors and close it. Also, you see how it's sitting on the floor? I would like to elevate it up a little bit just so that it has some height and looks a little bit more put together. I've had this particular sideboard pinned on my Pinterest board ever since we moved into the house, so this is going to serve as my inspiration, but we're going to make a few tweaks. I wanted to be able to have easy access to my baskets, so we're going to leave those center shelves as is, but then on the left and the right side, I wanted to create some doors. I'm taking inspiration from that original piece and creating some half arch cutouts. First things first, I'm going to give this a really good cleaning and then we are going to prime it, and today I'm using the Zinsser B.I.N. Primer. This is a shellac-based primer, and I've used the 1-2-3 Primer by Zinsser before, but I heard that this one is really great, especially for IKEA furniture and also that you don't need to sand before you use it. I'm a little bit skeptical, but I'm going to try it out for you guys today and show you guys how it turns out. We're going to give it two coats both on the outside and also on the inside of the shelves so that it's ready for paint. I first started off with a paintbrush to get into the corners, but this brush was just not doing the job, so I found that my foam roller actually got into the corners pretty well with this primer, and the first thing I noticed about this primer is that it's actually much thinner than paint, so I was really careful about watching it and making sure that there was no drippage happening, and if I did notice any paint dripping, I made sure to just roll it out to make sure everything dried smoothly, and the second thing I noticed about this primer is that it does dry pretty quickly, so it dries to the touch in 15 minutes and can be coated after 45. Tell me why only one coat of anything looks a little rough, but this has been sitting for a couple hours, so it's ready to sand in between the coats. I'm just going to go over a couple of areas, otherwise this is really, really smooth. I don't feel any roughness at all, but for some of the areas that do have a little bit of unevenness, I'm going to use my little sanding block and buff it out. Sanding in between layers is definitely going to give you a much smoother finish, so I'm going to do this in between each of the layers, so all the primer and the paint that I'm doing, I'm making sure that I sand in between those coats, but for the most part, I did find that the primer was really smooth. The sanding step is definitely optional, but it's definitely going to give you a much smoother finish and totally makes a difference. It's been a couple more hours, so we are ready to paint. As you saw from the inspo picture, we are going to paint it black, and this is actually the same black that I used for the little mudroom closet situation that we did last month. Reusing this paint is definitely a great way to just use up some leftover materials, but also a great way to save some money. So this time around with the paint, I did start with my paintbrush, and this is going to get into all the nooks and crannies so that we do not miss a spot, and for the rest of the surfaces, we're going to use that foam roller again. This gives us a nice even finish. The color that I'm using is Limousine Leather by Behr, and this is such a great black paint, and IKEA does actually sell this unit in a black brown color, so they have plenty of color options to choose from if you're looking to get one of these. Personally, I think that a true black color is going to give this a more modern look, especially if you go with a matte finish, and this totally makes a difference in comparison to that faux wood design that we had on here originally. This is already looking so much sleeker. I'm going to wait for it to dry, then sand it, and give it one more coat, but in the meantime, I'm going to get started on the doors. Okay, I changed my shirt, and for these doors, I'm using MDF board, so I have it right over here. I actually am using a three-quarter inch MDF board, and that's just because this was on major discount. I told the guy at Home Depot that I was just making some cabinet doors, and he asked if this one would work because it was half off. It was a scrap wood, so I ended up getting it for $30. I cut out four pieces just in case I mess up, especially since this is my first time using a jigsaw. I'm really excited for this, and I'm going to get started by drawing out our half arch and just testing it out. I'm measuring in one and a half inches around the entire edge to create a border, and each of these doors measures 30 by 15 and a quarter inches, and I wanted them to cover that vertical shelf in the middle, so this width works perfectly, but if you want that shelf to be exposed, you can definitely make these shorter as well. I will list the measurements as well as materials and all that good stuff in the description box below in case you guys want to try out this project as well. For the arch, I got the largest circular item that I could find, so this is a wire wreath base, and it is 14 inches, so I placed it into the corner to create a rounded shape, but it wasn't exactly giving me what I was looking for, so I had to come up with another plan. Okay, so I feel like this isn't exactly the arch I'm going for, so what I'm going to do is actually extend this in to two inches instead of an inch and a half, and then that way this arch is going to be a little bit more archy and not as flat on this top part. Okay, so two inches around the border felt just right, and I think it gave the cutout enough breathing room, so this is looking perfect. Then when it came to the actual half arch part, I'm going to use the string and pencil method, which is basically a makeshift compass, so the width of the cutout is 11 inches, so I'm going to mark 11 inches down, and that's where I'm placing my finger to hold the center. If you want something more secure, you can use a thumbtack or even a nail, but I didn't want to put a hole there, so I just put my finger, and this worked out just fine. I'm just holding it down super firmly, and I'm also going to make sure that the pencil stays as perpendicular as possible so I get the perfect curve. So I picked up this handy dandy saw guide. This is super helpful because it helps you do straight lines as well as circular cuts with a jigsaw, or you could also use it with a circular saw, so I'm very interested to use this. I really have high hopes for this, and I think that using something like this is just going to be so much better than me freehanding it, so let's see how it goes. To get this started, we're going to drill a hole into the corners of the half arches, and really you can drill the hole anywhere you want, but I find that the corners are probably the easiest to start. I'm using the largest drill bit that I have, and you just want to make sure that you use one that is large enough to fit your blade. So I put the jigsaw guide together, and then I placed my jigsaw inside and made sure that it was going to give us a two-inch cut, and this seemed pretty secure, but once I actually got to cutting, I noticed that the line was not straight. It was definitely drifting off and becoming a diagonal, so instead I just took it off and freehanded all of these cuts. I'm not exactly sure what went wrong. It could be that my saw wasn't secure enough and was wiggling to cause that diagonal, but it does seem that this product is a bit newer because I haven't seen many videos or reviews on it, so I'm going to play around with it for future projects. If any of you have tried this before, let me know in the comments different ways that I could troubleshoot this. It seems like a really great product and would definitely be really helpful to have, so I will save it for another day. I really wanted this to work, but I honestly was not getting straight lines. I don't know why that was. Maybe my saw just doesn't fit with this, so honestly freehanding it was not bad. I think this actually looks really straight, and with some sanding that's going to look great, and then here I accidentally went a little further, so when I do the final one, I'm going to be a lot more careful. I feel a lot more confident, so now we're going to tackle the real thing. I am so, so glad that I did this on a test piece because it really did allow me to learn this new tool and just get a bunch of practice. I wasn't too worried if I made any mistakes because I was able to see what I did wrong, so when it comes to the final version, I'm able to correct myself, and whenever it comes to these bigger projects, I will always recommend to have extra materials just in case you mess up. I am the queen of running into hardware stores multiple times a day just for one project, so I've definitely learned my lesson, and I know to always get extra. Once I got to the curve, I made sure to go nice and slow, and I think it's also important to note that I'm using a scroll blade. These just have a lot more teeth to them and are made for making more precise cuts, so I definitely would recommend picking that up for this project. As I'm cutting, you'll probably notice that I'm using mostly my arm and my body to push the saw forward. This gives me a lot more control versus just using my wrist to move the saw, so that is a technique that I found was really helpful. Oh my god, here she is! Our first arch. It looks pretty good. We just have to sand it down a little bit because there is a little bit of roughness, but I'm really happy with this, especially since this was my first time using it. So I don't know if you guys can tell, but right here, the top part is actually a little bit thicker than the bottom, and that's because the blade is going at an angle a little bit. So yeah, if you guys have any tips for me, please let me know. Otherwise, this is looking really good. We also have the inside piece, which I'm sure I will use for something else, but I'm gonna go ahead and cut one more out, sand it, and then prime it. Sanding for any project seriously makes the biggest difference, especially when it came to the curves on these arches. These already look pretty good, but you can perfect it by sanding down any parts that aren't as smooth, so I went over and made sure that it was a perfect curve. I started with 100 grit sandpaper, and then I just worked my way up to 200, and after sanding, I think that these arches were just looking so amazing. We're gonna repeat the same paint process to these doors, especially since these are MDF board. MDF is super porous, so the primer is going to be key to lock everything in. Oh my god, you guys. Now that this has paint on it, it just looks so, so good. It's giving me the full arch fantasy. I seriously am so happy with how these are turning out, and now these are dry, so I can do the black paint on these as well as the calyx unit for the second coat. Then I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed because I am looking rough, so I will see you guys tomorrow. It is a brand new day, and I feel so ready to finish this project. I'm gonna head downstairs, and what we're gonna do first is actually attach some burlap to the doors. I hope you guys can hear me. It's kind of loud. Okay, so we're gonna use burlap because I know that cane is a little bit harder to find for some people, and it's also pretty pricey, so I have used burlap in the past, and the look I was going for was going to be a square weave anyways, so this is going to be perfect for that, and I have tons of it, so that way I can use some up, and our doors, oh my god, they are looking so good all painted black. I'm so excited. I was super excited for this step, and to attach the burlap, I'm using my staple gun, and I'm going to make sure that I stretch it across and pull it as I staple it down. You're going to see me staple it at opposite ends, and this way it ensures that the burlap is nice and taut, and as I mentioned, burlap is a really great alternative for a cane-like look. I've used it in the past for shelves and even my bathroom vanity, and I think it gives off a softer, more natural vibe, and this roll of burlap has seriously lasted me for so many projects, but if you're not on a tight budget and want to splurge on a little bit of cane, I think that would look incredible for this project as well. Once we get all the way around, you can go ahead and just cut off the excess, and we are good to go. Okay, I have no words. I'm so happy with these doors. They look so amazing, and for the knobs, I'm going to use these little round ones. I think they tie in with the burlap slash fake cane so well, and I'm trying to figure out if I want to do it at the top here or maybe down in the middle. What looks better? Okay, I think the middle. We'll go with the middle. So the next thing I'm doing is adding some legs, so I painted these ones last night. They are just a nice square shape. The only problem is they do not have instructions, so I'm going to make my own little template. That way, I can get these flush with the edge and make them look super sleek. I wanted to make sure that these legs were going to match up perfectly with the edge of the shelves, so I ended up making a little template by tracing it out and then marking off where that bolt was. That way, I could just mark it on the bottom and make a pilot hole, and this was a perfect fit. And side note, I did not paint the bottom of these shelves, but let me know in the comments if you think I should or shouldn't. Personally, it does not bother me as much because no one is going to see it. Okay, so we are almost at the finish line, and the last thing we need to do is to get the doors onto the shelves, so I'm using some hinges here. I'm placing these three inches from the top and the bottom, and again, I'm using the painter's tape here because it's really hard to see when you're working on a black painted surface. Then I got Brian to help me attach it to the actual shelves, so what you want to do is just to make sure that it lines up at the top as well as the sides, and then I mark that off first. This looks amazing. Oh, thank you. Is this right? Teach me. I hope that's good. It was a lot easier just to start by screwing in the top hinges, and once that's secure, you can mark off the bottom, and that way it's nice and secure, and you know exactly where to place the bottom hinges. Just in case you forgot what this looked like, here is a very functional and pretty basic, and with some DIY magic, here is the after. I cannot get over this project. It's right behind me, and it just makes me so happy looking at it. This is a major upgrade, and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments down below. I would also like to hear what you guys think that I should hack next from Ikea, and if you recreate this project, don't forget to share it over on Instagram and also tag me as well. I just can't believe how good it turned out, and I hope you guys enjoyed this video. Thank you so much for watching and tuning in every week. Stay inspired, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!