Skip to main content

IKEA HAVSTA, the new favourite for built-in bookshelves

Move over HEMNES, IKEA HAVSTA is taking over.

The quote for a bespoke bookcase was over £3K. We rolled up our shelves and hacked ourselves an IKEA HAVSTA built-in bookcase. We love that we get the bespoke looking finish for the IKEA price!

IKEA HAVSTA storage combination built-in hack

Watch the transformation on our Instagram.

The project took around a week and cost about £1200.

IKEA items used:
IKEA havsta storage

HAVSTA storage combination | Photo: IKEA.com | Buy on IKEA.com

Other materials and tools:

IKEA HAVSTA built-in bookshelf hack instructions: 

1. Assemble the IKEA HAVSTA units. (We decided to omit the back lip of the shelf. Refer to photo above of the original HAVSTA to see it.)

assemble storage units

Related: IKEA HEMNES built-in: Trim and moulding does wonders

2. Screw the units to each other.

3. Then, place an MDF piece across the bottom to create a uniformed looking “plinth”.

add plinth

4. Add MDF to each side and across the top of the units using batons.

add coving

5. Add the coving across the top so it looks like a continuation of the wall.

work in progress

6. Use decorators caulk to hide all the joints.

7. Next, remove the doors for ease of painting.

IKEA HAVSTA storage combination built-in hack

8. Prime the units and mdf. (You can can use a paint sprayer or do it by hand.)

9. Paint the entire unit. We used a sprayer and saved loads of time.

IKEA HAVSTA storage combination built-in hack

10. Seal the paint using a clear paint varnish.

11. Put the doors back on.

IKEA HAVSTA storage combination built-in hack

12. Add new handles.

Done!

What was the hardest part about this hack?

Realising we needed a primer after we started to paint!

IKEA HAVSTA storage combination built-in hack
What to pay special attention to?

Take time to practice using a sprayer before starting as there is a bit of knack to it!

Looking back, would you have done it differently?

Sprayed the whole unit with a primer first!

~ by Jo @thenewfrontwall

The post IKEA HAVSTA, the new favourite for built-in bookshelves appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Comments

Post a Comment

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hackers Help: How to remake cam lock holes?

I want to put a 78.5” wide PAX configuration in a 77” space for a kids room . My plan is to eliminate the drawer on the right unit, then cut the shelves and rails to be 1.5” narrower. My question is, how do people attach two laminated pressboard IKEA pieces after they’ve cut off the cam lock holes? Related: See more Hackers Help questions and answers . Are they using drills bits and/or tiny hole saws to remake the cam lock holes? Or screws drilled in from the outside with wood glue? The outside pieces won’t be visible in my completed setup so I could go either way. I’m curious what other people are doing, either I haven’t seen this detail in past hacks or I haven’t been paying attention. ~ by Jenny *** Hi Jenny The best and tidiest method is to use the cut-off portion as a template to reproduce the same cam lock holes in the correct positions. The right sized drill bits and a  Forstner bit should do the trick. A Forstner bit will drill a flat-bottomed hole (...
Post a Comment
Read more

A beautiful design idea for the IVAR cabinet with doors

A wall of IVAR cabinets with doors engraved is astonishingly captivating. Because IVAR is real solid wood (unlike a lot of flat-pack cupboards), it makes a great blank canvas for CNC machining work and engraving. IKEA items used: IKEA IVAR cabinets in 30mm (12″) and 50mm (20″) depths. IVAR cabinet | IKEA.com Other materials and tools: CNC Router How to engrave the IVAR cabinet with doors: Build a wall of IVAR cabinets to your preference. It’s not too difficult to shorten some in order to fill a wall exactly. I shortened the top row to 695mm and reduced the depth of the middle column to 40mm to create a 50/40/30 sequence so that I didn’t block the window but maximised storage capacity. Take a drawing, trace it in Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator into a black-only flat design. You can simplify the path at this point to reduce the time needed to engrave. Chop up the drawing in Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator into door-sized sections. Save as an SVG. Import the ...
Post a Comment
Read more