Skip to main content

IVAR with beautiful Louis Cubes parquet design

I would never recommend trying this.

Because it drove me nuts. 

The end result is kind of cool though.

Whose cubes?
Louis Cubes is named after King Louis XIV as the design was very popular and widely used during his 72 year reign as the King of France. The pattern can easily take on a mesmerizing 3D effect. ~ Canadian Woodworking.

IKEA item used:

IVAR cabinet

ivar cabinet
Photo: IKEA.com
Other materials:
wood veneer

Basic wood veneer in maple, walnut and cherry
Painter’s tape
Sanding block 180 grit
Lacquer
Thinner

How to upgrade the IVAR doors with Louis Cubes

First, I paid somebody to laser cut my veneer into 60/120 degree diamonds.

cut into 60/120 diamonds

Back to the IVAR cabinet, I assembled the frame without attaching the doors.

Then, scuff sanded my doors with 60 grit sandpaper.

When I got the diamonds back, I taped together my Louis Cubes with some blue painter’s tape.

Louis Cubes parquet

I had some help.

helper

Next, I rolled some wood glue onto the IVAR doors. (The less glue the better. This was a gigantic pain in the neck and cost me like 2 ruined doors with bad results.)

Carefully, I transferred the cubes onto the door.

Making Louis Cubes parquet

I bought 400 million clamps and clamped the door against a piece of flat wood for 45 minutes. What I ended up using was just another IVAR door.

clamp down

I smashed out some wrinkles in the veneer and bubbles individually with more clamps and some leftover floor tiles I had. I let dry overnight

Then, I sanded the surface with 180 grit paper over a block (sanding sponges or soft sanders are a no-no).

I painted on a thin layer of lacquer thinner mixed with lacquer.

I smashed out some MORE wrinkles that formed from the moisture in the lacquer when the surface was mostly dry.

Again, I sanded lightly with 180 and covered with another lacquer thinner/ lacquer mix.

I repeated this step 800 times.

I sanded and lacquered the rest of my cabinet

Also, I added some washers to my door hinges to close the infamous IVAR gap.

Lastly, I added some legs.

Louis Cubes parquet design on IKEA IVAR door

And was finally done.

craft storage
Louis Cubes parquet design on IKEA IVAR door

~ by Corinne R.

The post IVAR with beautiful Louis Cubes parquet design 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...