It has been a really lengthy and seemingly limitless course of, however yesterday I lastly put the ending touches on the IKEA cupboards that I used on the mural wall. They’re now fully put in and completed, and as quickly as I get the outlet scenario completed up, I’ll be prepared to start out organizing issues in my cupboards and drawers. For the reason that posts about this mission have been unfold out over an extended time frame, and I didn’t truly end the ultimate step (the filler strips) till yesterday, I needed to place all the details about putting in IKEA cupboards in my studio in a single put up to indicate the complete course of from begin to end.
However first, right here’s a glimpse of the completed cupboards, full with the completed toekick and the filler strips between the cupboards and the aspect partitions.
So let me begin from the very starting and provides a walkthrough of the complete course of that I used, from begin to end, to put in these IKEA Sektion cupboards on the lengthy mural wall of my studio.
1. Connect the hanging rail to the wall.
I didn’t truly use IKEA’s hanging rails as a result of I forgot to organize them, and the transport prices on these alone would have been ridiculously costly. (I don’t dwell near an IKEA.) So as a substitute, I simply used 1″ x 4″ lumber throughout the complete width of the wall screwed into studs.
I additionally put a narrower strip about 5 inches from the ground to behave as a spacer for the underside of the cupboards to carry them off of the wall on the similar distance.
2. Set up the toes on the cupboards (IKEA Sektion toes various)
I additionally didn’t buy IKEA’s toes for the Sektion cupboards as a result of they had been too tall for my functions. I wanted my cupboards to be not more than 33″ excessive, which implies that my toes could possibly be not more than 3″ excessive. The minimal peak for IKEA’s adjustable Sektion legs is 3.5″.
So I used some cheap lumber, ran it by my desk noticed to chop it down to three″ large, after which minimize items that had been about 4″ lengthy. I glued and nailed 4 items collectively to make every foot, as proven beneath.
After which I connected them to the underside of the cupboards utilizing scorching glue. I’ll repeat this once more. No woodworker ought to be utilizing a tiny craft retailer scorching glue gun. Go to House Depot or one other massive residence enchancment retailer, go to the software part, and purchase your self an enormous scorching glue gun that may put out an entire lot of glue with every squeeze of the set off.
3. Connect the cupboards to the rails.
You’ll have to be sure you fastidiously learn the directions (correction: fastidiously take a look at the drawings within the wordless instruction pamphlets) that include the IKEA Sektion cupboards as a result of the way in which by which you put in the mounting brackets onto your cupboards is set by whether or not or not you’re utilizing IKEA’s hanging rails. If you’re, the brackets are connected utilizing one set of holes. In case you’re not (I didn’t), then the brackets are connected utilizing one other set of holes.
Since I wasn’t utilizing IKEA’s hanging rails, I connected my brackets appropriately in order that they might screw proper into the mounting board I had connected to the wall. I measured fastidiously and positioned every cupboard the place I needed it, after which screwed a mounting screw by the large gap within the bracket and into the board.
After which I hung this little bracket (these include the IKEA Sektion {hardware}) over every screw, however I didn’t tighten them fully at this level. I needed the cupboards to nonetheless be capable to transfer just a little bit.
Right here’s what the cupboard appeared like from the aspect view at this level…
4. Screw the cupboards to one another.
With the cupboards positioned within the right order alongside the wall, and secured loosely to the board that was screwed into the studs, I used to be able to screw the cupboards to one another.
This took a while to get it good, and required a minimal of three clamps to carry the cupboards collectively as I used to be screwing them collectively. The cupboards don’t include these screw holes pre-drilled, and the directions don’t say to pre-drill the holes, however I did pre-drill as a result of it’s simpler and there’s much less of an opportunity that you just’ll crack the melamine should you pre-drill the holes. The screws which might be used to screw the cupboards collectively include the cupboards.
5. Tighten the cupboards to the mounting strip
As soon as all the cupboards had been in place and screwed to one another, I went again and tightened these screws holding the cupboards to the mounting strip on the wall. I used my degree with every one to ensure I wasn’t getting the cupboards out of degree whereas tightening the screws.
Right here’s what it appeared like at this level with all the cupboards screwed to one another and tightened to the wall.
6. Set up the toe kick
I had initially not deliberate to do a toe kick. I had deliberate to trim out the underside of the cupboards and not using a toe kick such as you would with a built-in bookcase. However later, I made a decision to do a toe kick as a substitute, which meant that I wanted to maneuver the toes again a number of inches.
I may have averted this problem had I deliberate a toe kick from the start and positioned the toes the suitable distance from the entrance of the cupboard packing containers. Nevertheless it wasn’t that massive of a deal, and it wasn’t something a number of whacks with a hammer couldn’t repair.
I used the hammer to loosen the recent glue, then moved the toes again the place I needed them for a toe kick, and re-glued them.
After which the toe kick simply connected proper to the entrance of these block toes. IKEA sells toe kick strips to match all of their cupboards, however since I painted my cupboards a customized colour, I simply used leftover lumber for my toe kicks. I needed to rip the boards on my desk noticed to get the proper 3-inch peak, but it surely labored simply high-quality. I painted them to match the cupboards first, after which nailed them into place.
7. Add filler strips between cupboards and wall.
The final step was to fill within the areas between the cupboards and the aspect partitions. I used 2″ x 2″ lumber (which is basically 1.5″ x 1.5″) for this. The cupboard packing containers are 30″ excessive, so I minimize a 2″ x 2″ to about 28 inches in size, after which I used my scorching glue gun to attach this to the aspect of the cupboard with the entrance flush with the entrance fringe of the cupboard field. As soon as the glue dries, you’ll be able to comply with up with screws in the identical method that the cupboards had been screwed collectively. I opted to only use the glue, although.
As soon as the glue was fully dry, I put the door on and measured the area between the sting of the door and the wall. I used my desk noticed to chop a chunk of lumber to suit the width of that area (minus about 3/16″), after which used my miter noticed to chop the size to 30″ (the identical peak because the door). I connected this to the wooden spacer piece behind it utilizing 16-gauge 1.5″ nails.
Once more, IKEA sells filler strips that match all of their cupboards, however since my cupboards are painted a customized colour, I simply used scraps of lumber that I had available.
Observe: I used IKEA’s Veddinge cupboard doorways and drawer fronts, that are 5/8″ thick. To ensure that my spacer strip to be the identical, I ran this board (normal 1″ lumber, which in fact, is just 3/4″ thick in actuality) by my planer to shave off that further 1/8″ of thickness in order that it will match the thickness of the Veddinge doorways. In case you don’t have entry to a planer, and your doorways are additionally 5/8″ thick (relying on the model you select), you would possibly wish to transfer the primary spacer strip again about 1/8″ in order that the entrance completed spacer board received’t look thicker than the doorways. Or you’ll be able to keep away from that problem through the use of IKEA’s matching filler strips.
And eventually, I caulked the little area between that filler strip and the wall, wooden crammed and sanded the nail holes, after which primed, painted, and clear coated the spacer to match the cupboards.
After which I repeat that entire course of on the opposite finish of the cupboards. And with that, the cupboards had been fully put in and completed.
This was a fairly simple and easy course of since this was a financial institution of cupboards that stretched from one aspect wall to a different.
It’s a way more difficult course of when you may have a whole aspect of the cupboards fully uncovered, and it’s a must to end off the complete aspect to look completed. That’s the scenario I’ll be coping with on the opposite part of cupboards, so I’ll share that course of quickly.
Observe: This put up was only a recap of the set up course of. However if you’d like extra details about how I trimmed, painted, and accented my IKEA Sektion cupboards with the Veddinge doorways and drawer fronts, or how I constructed my 20-foot-long countertop, you’ll be able to examine these tasks by clicking the titles beneath:
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
