Skip to main content

Cheap and easy EKET shelf inserts. No cutting required.

Use this other IKEA item to make inserts for your EKET shelves.

While building an EKET wall on my home office, I noticed that IKEA does not have versions with internal shelves.

I checked IKEA Hackers and found a hack that involved making holes and cutting MDF plates.

However, I wanted a more straightforward solution and found it by chance while browsing around the store!

I noticed the VARIERA family has metal shelf inserts that are exactly 32cm / 12 5/8 ” wide, and that is the EKET internal width.

I took a sample at the store and tested it on an EKET displayed there; it matched perfectly.

EKET shelf with insert
EKET shelf with insert

But I was not satisfied, because the legs of the shelf would not look particularly good when shown on the glass doors. I bought some sets to test home anyway.

EKET shelf and VARIERA inserts — a match!

When I got home, I was surprised to see they fit really tight. (I almost thought I had made a mistake).

EKET shelf inserts

However that was actually a blessing in disguise — they fit so tight that I did not need to mount the legs on them!

Just needed a bit of brute force to position them in the correct place. I am just displaying some action figures on them, so they are not bearing a lot of weight.

display

If you want to be sure they will not fall, you can just drill some holes on the EKET, under the inserts. Then, mount a wooden peg (or even use the included VARIERA screws).

Or of course, you can also install the VARIERA legs, but I do not think they look good.

The VARIERA shelves are sold in 2 depths: 13cm / 5″ depth, or 28cm / 11″ depth. Just pay attention to the depth of your EKET, the bigger shelf will not fit on the 25cm / 9″ deep EKET. 🙂

I am also including here a photo of my complete home office; I think everything on it came from IKEA, asides from the figures and books – even the plants 🙂

home office

The desk is made of PLATSA units with BESTÅ legs (NANNARP) and ÖSTERNÄS handles and 2 of the longest LINNMON table tops.

We removed the back of one of the PLATSA units to fit my fiancee’s gaming PC and hide the cables.

On my side I use a SIGFINN laptop stand; it is perfect, as I change between PC and Mac and I can just hide the other laptop/keyboard under it. 

So there you have it, super easy and cheap Eket shelves! I bet this will be of help for other people. 🙂

~ by Daniela Farias, Norway

The post Cheap and easy EKET shelf inserts. No cutting required. appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SKÅDIS: 5 ways to make the IKEA pegboard even better

IKEA introduced its own pegboard system, SKÅDIS, two years ago and I’d say it’s one of the best systems IKEA launched in recent years. I love how super customisable it is, with a growing range of accessories that help keep things organized. It works everywhere, in your wardrobe to bathroom . Probably anywhere you have a flat surface to hang it up. Photo: IKEA.com SKÅDIS pegboard system See it on IKEA.com But no matter how perfect a system, you can trust IKEA hackers to improve on the SKÅDIS. And they’ve settle these 5 issues you may have faced with the handy IKEA pegboard. Read on for their fixes. 5 IKEA SKÅDIS issues and fixes #1 Expensive hooks? You’ll need quite a number of hooks and accessories to fill up the SKÅDIS pegboard, and Kenyer was shocked at how quickly they all added up. So he figured he could make his own hooks to save cost. Photo: Kenyer Over at Instructables , he shows us how to twist copper wires into the SKÅDIS hook shape. It works s...

Enjoy Sweet Dreams With These DIY Headboard Ideas

A headboard is one of the last things you see before you fall asleep and one of the first things you see when you wake up. Demonstrate your unique design style by creating your own. Below are some ideas and tips to get you started. Do you think the formula for sleep is on this London bedroom’s headboard? Image: Clifton Interiors Ltd Chalk headboard Create this look with a can of black chalkboard paint. Almost any type of wall – drywall, plaster, wood, brick or concrete – will work, as long is it is properly prepped. Chalkboard paint is easy to apply, dries fast and can be cleaned with soap and water. But you’re not limited to the color black – chalkboard paint comes in just about every color. If you don’t want to use paint, consider chalkboard contact paper – and yes, you can use chalk on it. An Edmonton hockey-themed room. Image: Cameron Homes Hockey goal headboard For the ultimate hockey fan, nothing beats a hockey goal headboard. Complete the scene with a team blank...

Sliding Bookcase Doors KALLAX hack to divide your rooms

I replaced single-glazed sliding doors that divided the sitting room and dining room with a sliding KALLAX bookcase. For one “door”, I used two 2×2 cubes and one 2×1 unit. As we already owned 4 separate KALLAX 2×2 cubes and they seemed to be exactly the same width as the internal doors, we thought it might be possible to stack them. With one additional 2×1 KALLAX they almost matched the height of the internal doors. Sliding KALLAX bookcase doors in closed position First, still a work in progress but let us show you how it looks from the dining room, when the units are pushed together to close up the doorway. And the units pushed apart to enter the living room. We can access the storage cubes from both sides — from the dining or living room — which is so very useful. What I like most is, when viewed from the living room, when closed, it looks almost like a built-in unit. IKEA item used: 2×2 KALLAX units x 4 1×2 KALLAX units x 2 Other materials: 3M mounting tape...