Q: Pull Out Wire Basket for the IKEA Knoxhult kitchen?

Currently, I am using IKEA KNOXHULT modular kitchen in my kitchen cabinet. And now I want to add a kitchen island.

Instead of using the KALLAX kitchen island hack, I wanted to buy the same modular KNOXHULT unit and turn it into my kitchen island.

This is how it looks:

KNOXHULT modular kitchen | Buy on IKEA.com

The measurement of this is 180x61x85 cm. The cabinet is deep and I’ve been placing things I would seldom use on the deeper parts.

Now for my kitchen island, I’m thinking of adding a pull-out wire basket in one of the sections for my pots and pans.

I am wondering whether the UTRUSTA wire basket can fit in KNOXHULT as it does in the METOD.

Cheaper wire baskets?

However, I’m also considering cheaper baskets, so, I’m wondering whether the HJÄLPA wire basket or STUVA GRUNDLIG will fit inside the IKEA KNOXHULT?

Will they fit without any obstructions when I’m pulling out the basket?

I’m not really worried about the load that it can carry as the KNOXHULT comes with shelves so it can definitely support the weight.

The inside of the KNOXHULT is however, as you can see in the picture, has no walls in between the sections and it is just one big cabinet with the frame.

Here are my questions/ problems:

1. Will HJÄLPA/ STUVA GRUNDLIG wire baskets with the railings fit inside KNOXHULT?

2. Which one will be better, HJÄLPA or STUVA GRUNDLIG as I noticed both baskets uses different kind of railings.

3. Do I need to add a plywood as a wall to install the rail, or can I just screw the rails to the frame? STUVA GRUNDLIG uses 2 screws, HJÄLPA uses 3.

4. I’ve surveyed a few pull out baskets from other brands (Simply Put/Elfa). I really like Elfa which has bottom mount slides (and is confirmed to fit in KNOXHULT, I just need to find the right basket) but Elfa is more expensive than HJÄLPA/ STUVA GRUNDLIG so it is out of the question.

BUT, would it be possible to hack an IKEA wire basket and put the bottom mount slides from the hardware store?

As of now, I only found bottom mount slides with a real basket which they screwed the slides with the basket (pictures and link below).

Credit: My Dear Irene

What’s the most affordable solution?

In conclusion, I want to have a pull out mechanism in the KNOXHULT at the cheapest price so I’m looking at all possible solutions.

And you can also suggest using other IKEA products, the main thing is that I wanted a pull out mechanism in the KNOXHULT.

No worries about the back being a thin plywood there, I’m thinking of buying a thicker plywood and just screw it to the back. Then put a nice white glossy wallpaper to match with the door.

~ by Fadliatul

***

Hi Fadliatul

Great idea using the KNOXHULT as an island. I think it will fit in beautifully with the rest of your KNOXHULT kitchen.

As there are 3 sections in your KNOXHULT cabinet, each section should be roughly 60cm. At first glance, it may be wide enough to fit the HJÄLPA or STUVA GRUNDLIG. You just need to check the exact measurements to be sure.

So, measure the width of the section you want to add the wire baskets to. And then, compare it with the HJÄLPA and STUVA GRUNDLIG. Best if you can measure the actual wire baskets plus railings. Also measure where the screw holes fall and whether they fit the KNOXHULT frame. If they do, I don’t see any reason why you won’t be able to use these alternative baskets.

If the baskets are a little bit narrower than the width, add pieces of wood to the frame. This will pad up the frame to the right width and support the railings.

Which is better?

I’ve not had any personal experience with the HJÄLPA or STUVA GRUNDLIG baskets. However, by virtue of the HJÄLPA having 3 screws per rail — I would deduce that it is a bit sturdier. The IKEA website says it can hold up to 7kgs. But you would need to add a plywood wall between the sections to use these extra set of screw holes.

That said, the STUVA GRUNDLIG also does a great job for pantry storage.

Bottom mounted slide out basket

The bottom mount idea is also a good one. You would not need such an exact basket for this method, as the railings will be fitted on the shelf. And I don’t see any problems mounting an IKEA wire basket to the bottom rail, like how Irene did.

Slot in a wire basket frame

Another thought is to slot in a JONAXEL frame with wire baskets. It’s slightly smaller at only 50cm wide but you won’t have to worry about things not fitting. Use the JONAXEL Planner to get the configuration you want. A frame with 2 baskets costs RM100.

There are also options of different wire or mesh baskets or shelving. So if you need more flexibility, this is a good option.

So, has anyone successfully added a pull-out wire basket to their IKEA KNOXHULT modular kitchen?

Do let us know what you used.

Happy hacking,

Jules

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