Ikea Besta Hack 2.0 - Besta TV Stand

When we rearranged our living room to capitalize on the lake view, we gave up our Besta wall unit.  We had very carefully chosen the modular Besta pieces to fit the townhouse exactly but when we moved to the lakehouse, it worked well here too!  I loved the glass panels behind the TV because they looked like beach glass, and the tower of Besta cabinets (we splurged on glass shelves and doors) showcased my turquoise McCoy pottery collection beautifully.

I was a little sad to see it go.

One day our hulking TV will get mounted above our (magically renovated) fireplace but, for now, we put baby in the corner.  A TV in the corner of the living room is not as weird as I thought!  Really, I barely notice it because the charcoal grey painted fireplace really disguises it.  I have been dreaming about finding a TV cabinet that hides the television and, with the magic of a remote, lifts and reveals the TV only when we're ready to binge watch Orange is the New Black. 

In the meantime, we re-purposed one piece of our old Besta wall unit - with a couple of alterations! Above is how it was looking after the game of musical chairs in the living room.  I think you know where this is going...

Supplies:

• Stubbarp Ikea adjustable Besta legs
• Varathane premium wood stain - weathered grey
• Watco spray lacquer
• Rubber gloves
• 220 grit sandpaper
• 1/2" oak veneer plywood
• Oak pre-glued veneer edge banding
• Construction adhesive

First, I swapped out the legs for a newer version.  When we first bought the cabinets, there weren't many options for adjustable legs, but we picked an okay silver set.  Now, however, Ikea sells a greyed out "walnut".  Here's a look at them (they're actually solid oak with a "walnut effect" and grey stain).



Next, we needed to address the holes on the top and side of the Besta cabinet, left over from when the other pieces were assembled together.  As you can see above, we decided to do exactly what we did to our DIY Ikea Fauxdenza Hack - slap on some plywood! 

We couldn't find the same Carribean Pine I chose for the credenza top, so we bought some oak instead.  I really wanted walnut veneer (like what we used for our DIY Walnut Storage Bins) but a 1/2" thick walnut veneered plywood was really expensive.  I want to say around $150?  That's too good for an Ikea TV stand!  We chose the least expensive option (without dropping down to the construction-grade plywood you find at home building place, like Home Depot): basic oak.  But I spent a good 40 minutes picking out the sheet with the best grain, and I'm really happy with my choice! 

For the floating credenza, I had a grey stain custom-mixed at a local paint shop.  I've had folks ask me about the color, but I have no way to help readers replicate it, so for this project I decided to try a ready-made grey stain.  I turned to my friends at Rust-Oleum, who sent me Varathane Premium Wood Stain in weathered grey, which is a really nice grey.

With stain, you can really control the intensity.  One coat of weathered grey still looks warm with beige undertones (like my credenza), but after two and three coats, it becomes a lot cooler and richer.  It's a beautiful shade of grey, with blue undertones.  On my stir stick, you can just how different one coat vs. seven coats looks:

Of course stain will look different on different species of wood, but on my oak veneer plywood, it looks SO similar to the sample on the can (pictured on red oak).

After the stain was dry, I applied four coats of Watco Spray Lacquer - which is SO easy to use!  I lightly sanded between coats two and three.  Other than that, I just sprayed it on lightly in a well ventilated area - no brushing, no streaks.  It even smells good.  This might be my new favorite product.

 
Installation went exactly like the credenza hack: after cutting, edge banding and staining the plywood, we applied construction adhesive to the Besta unit, applying the sides first and then the top.  I held the panels in place while Hubby affixed some screws from the inside to help grab the panels while the adhesive dried.  A few clamps helped keep things flat and - voila! 

A freshened up Ikea Besta hack for our corner TV:

It's a subtle change, but it makes the Ikea Besta unit look a little more finished - plus it hides those screw holes, allowing us to re-purpose this piece and save some $$$ while we drain our bank accounts on sailing stuff. 

There was only one snag with this project (which makes me SO happy we didn't splurge on the walnut):  because we have yet to buy a table saw, we often make do with a skill saw and a straight edge but, for projects like this, we either use someone else's table saw or get the guys at Windsor Plywood to cut it for us (that's where we buy a lot of our supplies).  They cut the Ikea credenza perfectly, but we were less than impressed this time.  A dull blade created some tear out and it wasn't until we'd applied the construction adhesive (at midnight) and were about to affix the top that we noticed the top was cut too long.  Oops.  We double checked the measurements and we didn't make the mistake, but it IS our fault for not dry-fitting first.  We were over confident - and over tired - but we decided to keep going.  We would have had to scrape off the construction adhesive, drive to Hubby's Dad, trim the tiniest bit off, re-glue the edge band and touch up the stain.  Did I mention it was midnight?  We were kind of in a "just get it done" mood and, you know what?  It is barely noticeable.  If this was a permanent, love-it-forever kind of furniture, I would have taken the time to make it right.  But eventually (sooner, rather than later, I hope) we're going to replace this for something nicer and, hopefully, jettison the corner cabinet altogether one day.  This little mistake isn't really noticeable and I'm just happy the big ugly holes are covered up. 

But there's a lesson in there: always double check and dry fit first!

P.S. I had to share this last photo!  I was listening to music on the TV while I was working and I snapped this photo just as Coleman Hell was on - he's originally from my city.  So thrilled to see people from Thunder Bay making it big!

DIY Plywood Topped Ikea Hack Floating Credenza

When we couldn't find the perfect dining room credenza, we made one!  We turned three Ikea Besta units into a floating "fauzdenza".  Now I'm sharing how we finished off the look with a sleek, grey-stained plywood top.  (In these photos we still hadn't added the furniture grommets to hide the lamp cord holes, but already the faudenza looked so sharp!)

If you would like to build your own budget-friendly, Ikea fauxdenza, read below for our full tutorial, plus tips and tricks for applying edge tape to plywood and staining/varnishing wood.

For comparison, here is our floating credenza, back when it was topless.  We used the Ikea Besta "extension units," but Ikea changed up their links and some products since we made our purchase, but I think these are the same.  We used the Ikea Besta suspension rail kits to mount them to the wall.  It looked cute already, but the seams gave away that this is an Ikea hack!

The plywood top we built nicely disguises the fact that our "credenza" is really three wall-mounted Ikea Besta units.

I explained in an earlier post that this is in no way an idea original to me, but we did put our own spin on it.  I really waffled about the finish and short-listed a walnut stain, the grey stain I intended to use for the counters, and the white I did use for the counters.  I even considered a glossy solid aqua paint or stain.  Dark wood ultimately didn't thrill me because it competed with the walnut-stained birch flooring.  White was a little too matchy-matchy with the kitchen.  Turquoise would have solidified my status as "insane blogger who paints everything turquoise".   I settled on the grey stain because I really wanted to try it after deciding it looked too purple on our maple kitchen counters.  It's a great neutral and complements the grey painted fireplace, but doesn't compete with the bold turquoise kitchen right beside it.  It also has a subtle driftwood look, which is my nod to beachy decor. 

And yes, I spent way too much time over-thinking this decision.



The next tricky decision was determining what kind of top: solid wood, laminated solid wood, or veneered plywood?  Solid wood was ruled out because of cupping/warping concerns (the Besta units are fairly deep).  We didn't have the steam to make a laminated wood top after making our kitchen counters - too much labor!!  Veneered plywood won my heart because it was the easiest and cheapest solution. 

Once the big design decisions were made, we headed to the lumber yard and were faced with the final decision (oy vey): what kind of veneered ply?  And what thickness?  I had some criteria: I wanted something with a yellowness to warm up the purple tinge of the stain, and I wanted something with a lot of grain so it wouldn't look like a flat slab of concrete.  We had a clear winner: good-one-side Caribbean Pine.  It only came in 5/8" thick, so that answered that question about the depth.

With the decision-making settled, here's how we turned Ikea Besta units into a chic floating credenza!

Materials:

• 5/8" thick sheet of good one side veneered plywood
• Edge tape (pre-glued kind)
• Old iron
• Edge tape cutting tool (we used a double edge trimmer)
• Stain 
• Varnish
• Brush and lint-free rags
• PL Premium construction adhesive
• 220 grit sandpaper
• Screws
• Drill
• Clamps
• Hole saw

Despite being avid DIYers, we still don't own a table saw and we knew Hubby's method wouldn't cut it (pun intended), because we needed the cuts to be exact.  No problem!  We simply brought the measurements of the credenza to the local wood supplier where we sourced the plywood, and the resident carpenter cut everything in minutes!  It felt like cheating.

With our pieces cut, we applied edge tape using an old iron.  We applied edge tape to the front of the pieces that run along the side of the credenza, and across the front and both side edges of the top.

When it was adhered, we trimmed the sides using a double edge trimmer.  We splurged on the tool, after hacking away at edge tape with a knife for previous projects.

Finally, we gave the whole piece a very light sand with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth any lingering roughness, especially between the ply and the edge tape.

Next I applied the stain, using an old brush.  I applied it kind of messily (not wanting it to accidentally dry in really definitive brush lines), waited a few minutes and then wiped off the excess with a clean rag.  I used a gel stain and found it had great coverage so I got away with one coat. 

I let the pieces dry overnight and then applied a quick-dry clear varnish, using a clean brush.

As per the instructions, it dried within one hour but for sanding between coats it's recommended it dry overnight.  I patiently waited, and the next morning gave it a light sand with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth any raised grain.  Then I applied another thin coat and let it dry.

One tip: don't forget that the edges might show when the credenza is opened, so stain and clear coat those spots too!

Installation was simple, but we added a step: cutting holes for the lamp cords.  We've rigged it up so the cords disappear through the top and meet inside, at the back, where we cut out a hole to the outlet.

We first laid the top piece on the credenza and placed the lamps to position the cord holes, marking them in place.  Using a 1.5" hole saw Hubby cut the holes first through the plywood top, and then through the top of the credenza.  He sawed through half from one side, then flipped and finished the hole from the other direction.

Finally, we affixed the top to the credenza.  To do this Hubby pre-drilled some holes in the credenza to be able to drive some screws up from the inside into the bottom of the new top.  He did the same on the sides, drilling from the inside.  Drilling from the inside reduced tear-out visible inside the unit.

Starting with the top, we ran a bead of PL Premium construction adhesive all over the credenza surface, ensuring not to go too close to the edges so it didn't squish out.  We put the top in place and drove the screws (two per credenza section) up from the inside to tighten the wood in place.  Once the adhesive is dry the screws will probably not do much.  They are basically there clamp it tight during the drying process - although we did use an extra clamp on a place where the screw didn't grab perfectly.  A little scrap of wood kept the metal clamp from damaging the freshly finished surface.

With the top in place, we repeated the process with the two side panels.  The sides are not actually attached to the top panel, only the credenza itself.  We opted for a butt joint instead of a mitered corner because it's simple and our counters don't meet in a miter, so there's a subtle similarity only I will notice and enjoy.

Here's the one thing we still need to do: order some grommets to disguise the credenza holes we cut and make them look finished (the same way grommets hide a hole in fabric).  They are directly behind the lamps and difficult to spot anyway, but they will look really sharp when properly finished. 

Once the grommets arrive and we've snapped them in place, I'll show you in more detail what we did with the cords.  If I do say so myself, the cord situation (or lack there of) is nothing short of incredible.  It's long plagued me: "what to do with the darn cords???"  Home decor magazines rarely answer this burning question (and sometimes even monkey around with cords, hiding them of photoshopping them out for photos).  Now ours are permanently hidden!

 

UPDATE!  We did the same kind of Ikea hack to another Besta we re-purposed to hide the screw holes on the top:

See the Ikea Hack tutorial here!  And don't forget to check out the last step: making the cord holes look finished with grommets. 

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Fauxdenza Credenza Bonanza

My life outside of blogland is a real ego boost, because everyone thinks I'm a genius.  My father-in-law and his wife visited Hubs and I for dinner a couple of weekends ago and spotted our (still topless) floating Ikea "credenza".  They were smitten with it, and thought it was the coolest idea ever.  How on earth, they wondered, did I come up with such a clever idea?!?

I didn't (but they don't need to know that).

I first spotted the popular floating credenza made of Ikea cabinets on Made by Girl (left), but it's the version I saw more recently, on Almost Makes Perfect (right), that made me really want one for the lakehouse dining room.  I think it's the addition of the waterfall top that made me really love this idea, because it fully hides the Ikeaness of the Ikea cabinets.  These two versions of the same project highlight the longevity of this trend: Jen tackled hers back in 2009 while Molly's is circa 2013.

The Brick House wowed me with the longest credenza, as well as introducing me to the origin of the word "fauxdenza" - the name for this idea, coined by Anna of Door Sixteen. 

Speaking of Anna, this is her floating credenza.

The idea has become old news in blogland, but, like my father-in-law, I still think these floating credenzas are incredibly clever (easy cleaning!), plus they look so sleek...

House*Tweaking

Heart of Light

Nalle's House

Creative Space

Modern Thrifter

the Animal Print Shop

Yep, fashioning a floating credenza from Ikea cabinets topped with wood is definitely not a new idea and certainly not mine.  Now that the kitchen is done, we finally have some time to create a top for ours (just in time for them to be unfashionable?), and I'm so excited.  I'm deviating from the dark-stained trend and opting for a glossy pale  grey stain.  I have yet to spot one with a top that isn't a natural wood tone, so hopefully this will be a new spin!  Corralling this parade of credenzas is just what I needed to get motivated - that, and the prospect of hidden lamp cords...

P.S. I've been busy with the computer shop makeover that I blogged about and shared on instagram (#computershopmakeover).  I spent days painting the walls and floor of the worn out rental the owners had chosen (take a look at my fabulous floor makeover here), and then, to my chagrin, I was informed that the deal had fallen through and they were moving up the road to a different retail space!  It's a good move, it really is.  In the new location I've been painting furniture and have even been commissioned to paint some artwork.  Apparently I'm a one-stop shop because I am also heavily involved in their physical move.  That's what happens when you drive a 3/4 tonne truck.  I need this shirt.  I'm not sure I'll really have any "before" and "afters" of the space because it was pretty move-in ready, but I might share a project or two.  In any case, I'm looking forward to next week when the move will be complete and I can focus anew on the lakehouse.  Did everyone spot my trunk full of exterior paint...?

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