DIY Doors for IKEA Expedit Cubby Shelf

I have this wonderful IKEA Expedit Shelf Unit, which is fabulous for storage, but a bit of an eyesore with all of my junk on it.

I love the look of the Knipsa baskets, but there are 20 cubbys. That would really add up! And there are some things that I need stored here that just won't work in a basket. I decided to create a pattern by adding doors to every other cubby and use baskets in between.

First, I cut 10 doors. I often peruse the "as is" section at IKEA to pick up super cheap shelves to use on other projects. A while ago I stocked up on some square shelves that were $0.50 each! They were a little larger than the openings on the shelf and I wanted the doors to be inset in the cubby squares, so I cut the bottoms and left hand sides on the table saw so they were 13" x 13".

To attach them to the shelf, I used these:
CONCEALED EURO CABINET HINGES FULL HALF INSET OVERLAY FACE FRAME FRAMELESS   
They were $1 a piece on eBay as opposed to the $6.50 they are at Lowes!



The only problem with buying them on eBay is they don't come with any instructions to help you measure for attachment. This info can easily be googled, though :)
 

 

These hinges required me to drill holes in the door which showed through on the front a little, but I decided to cover the marks with an overlay design. I started by marking 1/2" from the edge.

Then I used some 1/4" poplar craft wood that's 1 1/2" wide. I was originally going to use giant paint sticks, but my store was out of them. I just kept marking, cutting, and using the wood width as a guide till I got a design I liked.

Then I sanded the edges and primed and painted the pieces.

I decided to use some mylar (affiliate link) in the background to create a "mirror" look. I had some leftover from a nightstand that I re-fabed. (You can read about that here.)

At this point I needed one more coat of paint, but since I was nailing the pieces on, I decided I would first attach the pieces to the door, fill the nail holes, and then add another coat.

Nail holes.

I filled the holes with some white spackling, sanded, and painted!

I decided to add these oval mason jar wooden labels (affiliate link) to the baskets. I spray painted them white and added some vinyl words. I used long brads to fasten them to the baskets.

It really cleans up the look of the room. 

Linking to: Link Party Palooza,That DIY Party, Something to Talk About Link Party 32, Merry Monday 69,Inspiration Monday 830,Show and Share 270, The Scoop 186, 283 Inspire me Tuesday, Inspire Me Monday 75, Tutorials and Tips 224, Be Inspired 176, FDTR 182, Wow Us Wednesday 237, Wake Up Wednesday 84, Dream Create Inspire, artsy-Fartsy Link Party, YTT 47, Creativity Unleashed, Remodelaholic September Link Party, Remodelaholic Ikea Hack Party,      

DIY Jewelry Armoire

Finally--an organization system for my jewelry! I had intended to use a mirror for the front, but after breaking two mirrors in the process of this project, I decided to use an engineering print from Staples for the front of the frame instead. (Sometimes, you gotta know when to quit).


The box itself was easy to make. I used my Kreg Jig to attach the top and bottom to the sides. Deciding how big to make it and where to put the dividers was the most time consuming part.

I knew I wanted a shelf in the upper 1/3 portion (less easy for my kids to get into), but it needed to fall below where the earring holder would be on the opposite door so they didn't collide when the door was closed.

I made a frame for the earring holder, so I could figure out some dimensions. I was using some left over metal, so it would be the size of whatever material I had on hand.

Back to the box. I ended up dividing it almost into thirds. The top is a little bigger, just so I can put stuff on the shelf and still have the clearance I need. I cut three boards and attached them to be flush with the wall when it was hanging. I used the Kreg Jig on the back to attach them to the sides. The shelf rests on top of one of the boards and was also attached with the Kreg Jig.

Shelf

For the door I used a 1x4 to make a frame. I wanted the edges to meet at 45 degrees, so I drilled a pocket hole on each side to attach them. 

Then I cut a piece of 1/4" Birch Plywood for the back of the frame. I was going to glue a mirror to the front of the plywood, but when that didn't work out, I painted it with primer and then used spray adhesive to attach the picture I used. For the back, I really wanted a diamond design that I saw on some fabric that is now discontinued :( So, I cut out the design on my Silhouette machine, but when I tried laying it down, it proved to be too intricate to get it to lay straight. I ended up using the vinyl as a stencil and painted it on by hand. Ugh.

When it was dry, I nailed it to the frame with my nail gun.

Voila!