This mini-kamado BBQ grill table hack is not my original idea. I saw a few examples on Facebook, but didn’t like the way they were done. So I decided to find out how to properly do it.
I’m 100% satisfied with the end result and it brings my mini-kamado BBQ grill to a proper work height.
IKEA items used:
- IKEA BEKVÄM kitchen trolley
Other materials and tools:
- Electric precision saw
- Drill with various sizes wood drill bits
- Philips head screwdrivers
- Flat paintbrushes
- Mahogany colored clear lacquer
- GAMMA* Jasper coat-hanger
- 2 pieces of decorative 300x400mm Aluminum plates from GAMMA* to distribute the weight on the shelves (and they look nice)
- Anodized steel furniture corner-supports
- A bunch of stainless steel screws 20mm
*GAMMA is a DIY/Builders-shop in The Netherlands
Mini-kamado BBQ grill table: The build
First of all, to make sure that you have all the parts, and a proper trolley, build up the furniture as advised by IKEA.
Once done, flip it upside down, and outline the inner side underneath the table so you know where you can cut your opening, and where you should not.
Once that has been done unscrew the 4 screws and take off the tabletop.
For aesthetics, you can first measure the dead center and outline the cut from there. I personally found that having it a little more to one side will allow me to have more “table space” on one of the sides. So as you can see I went with a little off-center for my opening.
My bbq is around 31cm diameter on the spot where it will stick out of the table, the hole is about 34,5cm to allow heat to escape.
To create the circle I used a nail in the center of the area and a pencil attached to a piece of string.
I cut the hole using an electric precision saw. Then proceeded to finish the BEKVÄM with 2 thick coats of mahogany colored clear lacquer.
It’s recommended to do 3 coats, but I personally did not want the BEKVÄM to become any darker, so I stopped after one rich coat.
I measured the height of my BBQ on its stand and found that the top shelf should be 4cm higher to seat the bbq correctly.
To resolve this I simply took off the shelves again, removed the wooden rivets holding the top shelf, and drilled 4 new holes for them 4 cm above the original holes. we will also re-enforce this shelf later with the anodized steel corner supports (after paint has cured).
Make sure to thoroughly clean/de-grease the BEKVÄM. I coated it as 2 pieces (tabletop off), between the 2 layers I scuffed up the paint a bit with some 600 grid waterproof sandpaper. Each layer took me about a day to dry.
This is the finished outcome of one layer of lacquer. On the floor next to it you see the aluminum sheets I found to put on the shelves to distribute the weight more evenly and protect from hot items (dropping ash etc). My local DIY/ builders shop only had 300x400mm sheets. 400×400 would look even better! You also see the coat hanger I scored from the discount bin in that same shop.
After 2 coats and assembling the BEKVÄM again. The result is like this.
All that’s needed now is to add the corner supports onto the bottom of the top shelf and to add the aluminum sheets.
And shove in the BBQ grill.
Which results in this:
How long did it take to complete the BBQ grill table?
It took 3 days to complete the build. Purely because of the 20-hour drying time the lacquer required. Without the paint job, it should be manageable in a few hours.
What was the hardest part about this hack?
Waiting for the paint to dry, and lifting in the BBQ grill alone. For those who don’t often use an electric precision saw, most likely making the round cut will be the hardest part.
What to pay special attention to?
Make sure to support the upper shelf correctly with the metal corner-supports, the original wooden pivots can support it, but I do not trust it 100%. (It’s better to be safe than sorry.)
~ by JoSchaap
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