Thursday, June 7, 2012

Ikea Hack - Sprucing up Lekman Boxes

Because our dog's room also functions as a storage room, we needed some decorative boxes to hide our stuff in.

We already had several of these Lekman boxes.

LEKMAN Box IKEA This box is suitable for storing everything from newspapers and magazines to your clothes.

We bought them in red to go in our kitchen, but we decided to get rid of the Lack bookcase that they were sitting on.  When it came time to do the dog's room, I thought we could use these in the expedit's that were going in there.  The red doesn't go with the decor of that room.  So, I needed to figure out a way to still use them, but change the color.

After scouring through old posts of ikeahacker.net (one of my favorite blogs), I came across this hack.


This was my solution to using the Lekman box but making it match the decor of the room.


Instead of using stained plywood, I used luan plywood that I painted a lime green.  I was going to paint the white polka dots on but decided for time sake to use white round stickers that I bought at Walmart. 


Once the plywood was painted and the stickers were placed, I marked where the holes needed to be drilled for the handle.  I then adhered the plywood to the fronts of the Lekman box with Loctite Power Grab.  I stacked some heavy boxes on top of the plywood and let it dry for about an hour.  My husband drilled the holes for the knobs.
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I purchased cheap basic knobs from Lowe's.  I gave them a quick sanding, squeezed a dab of Loctite Power Grab and adhered a flower pendant to the knobs to make a custom decorative knob.



I found these on clearance at Michael's.  I needed 8 total (4 for this project and 4 for another).  I had to drive to 5 different Michael's to get them all.


I attached each knob and slid the finished boxes into the expedit squares.  That is it.  A real simple project that anyone can do.  It was also relatively inexpensive.



So what do you think?  I can't wait to show the room reveal.  I still have a few more projects to finish first.


Please follow my blog if you want to see the reveal of this room and all the other rooms I am working on.

I am linking up to:

HookingupwithHoH

Full Circle Creations


Chic on a Shoestring Decorating




I Heart Nap Time

it's OVerflowing

11 comments:

  1. This is a really clever and pretty way to change the appearance of those containers.. I love it...
    Thanks for sharing and thanks for linking up to the ALL STARS BLOCK PARTY!!!

    Carri
    simplydonewright.blogspot.com

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  2. P.S. where in Ohio, I'm in Cincinnati.. small world! =)

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    1. Carri, I am in a small town near Youngstown called East Liverpool. It is also near Pittsburgh, Pa. Thanks for all the kind words.

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  3. So FREAKING cute!! You have inspired me, Thanks!!

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  4. Very cute! Thanks for linking up to the All Star Block Party!

    Holly

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  5. These are darling!! I SO love Ikea and have a few hacks in my house as well! Stopping over from the All Star Block Party.

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  6. Perfect! Crossing my fingers you'll share at my party! Saturdays at Seven!

    XO, Aimee

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  7. This is exactly the hack I've been looking for! Can I ask, what thickness plywood did you use, and did you need to prep the surface of the Lekman (ie sanding) to achieve a good bond? Thanks.

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    1. I used 3/16 x 2 x 2 Lauan Plywood from Lowe's. I did not have to prep the lekman box. If you use the Loctite Power Grab, it will stick right to the plastic of the Lekman box with no problems. Still after several months it is sticking. Hope that helps. Thanks.

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  8. What a transformation! You did a great job making over that plywood into something so whimsical! Thanks for the invitation to your blog; you've got such a fun place over here...especially with these IKEA hacks! Have a great week and see you around blogland, fellow Lauren!

    Warmly,
    Lauren
    The Thinking Closet

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