Hacking IKEA Furniture
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
A DIYer builds two workbenches from IKEA Kallax units and an old desk top.
The author wanted a workbench with living-room looks, but workbenches felt too industrial and custom furniture cost ~1000 € per unit. They used two 40 € IKEA Kallax 2x2 units, cut an old 160 cm × 80 cm desk into two 80 cm × 60 cm tops, and added MDF boards, rubber sheets, and inserts with drawers and doors. Total cost was ~130 € per unit. Screwing the top to the base greatly improved stability. Some MDF shelves were cut to wrong dimensions by the hardware store, so only two existing shelves were reused.
The author notes that IKEA panels are not solid, so screws can break through if over-tightened. They pre-drilled using paper templates and drilled through matching pieces for alignment. The rubber sheets absorb vibrations from a 3D printer and pen plotter. A slight lateral wobble remains when not pushed against a wall.
What commenters are saying
Commenters broadly praised IKEA furniture for low-cost hacking, noting that the low price reduces the risk of experimentation. Several pointed to IKEAhackers.net as a community resource, though one recalled a 2014 cease-and-desist letter from IKEA's legal team to its founder. One commenter shared a Billy bookcase hack to hide gas pipes and vents, prompting a subthread about German regulations requiring gas meter accessibility and venting for safety. Another commenter suggested using CNC routers for custom furniture from particle board, but others countered that IKEA's mass production (e.g., the cardboard-core Lack table) is cheaper than DIY in solid wood.