Who doesn’t love an Ikea hack? This week I have an Ikea Alex hack. When my pal Karen was getting rid of this Ikea Alex unit, I knew I could hack it into something perfect for my office. I love the apothecary-style cabinets. However, vintage ones are costly. I decided to recycle the Alex unit and give it a makeover. It is the perfect size for my office, and I needed the extra storage. I have a YouTube video sharing how I transformed this piece, and I will link to it below. Here are more pictures of the makeover.
Creating The Apothocary Wood Fronts
I purchased a sheet of plywood from my local Woodies for €13.99. I only used half of the sheet of wood I purchased. I used the draw fronts as a template, and I traced their shape onto the wood. I then carefully cut each piece of wood to size using my jigsaw. I then sanded any rough edges with some sandpaper.
I used a wood stain to stain the wood to give it a vintage feel. The stain I used wasn’t the exact stain that I wanted, however, I was happy with how it turned out. I had some white wax in my kit and I applied one layer of white wax. The white wax brought out the detail of the wood grain and made it look a bit more aged.
I used Gorilla wood glue to apply the wood to the original Alex drawer fronts. I used clamps to hold the wood in place as it was drying. Once the wood had set, I drilled in the new handles. I picked up the label style handles from Amazon.
I picked up a set of legs from Ikea for my Alex unit. The legs I used are not designed for the Alex unit, but with some drilling and screws, I was able to make them work. I stained the legs to match the unit, but they didn’t turn out the same. I might paint the legs to match the cabinet. Let me know what you think.
I painted the cabinet in “Aged Vellum” by Colourtrend in a satin finish. I cleaned the cabinet with some degreaser and then I lightly sanded it so the paint would be able to grip the piece. I then applied one coat of primer. When the primer was fully dry, I applied two coats of the topcoat and allowed the piece to fully dry.
For more tips on painting furniture, click here.
Once everything was dry, I reassembled the unit and added the legs. I love how this looks in my office. I plan to use it to store my art and craft supplies in my office. You may also notice that my office is a different colour. Next week I will be sharing an office makeover on my YouTube channel and here on the blog. I feel like I am trying to get my workspace ready for Autumn. There is something about a new season that makes me want to refresh.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s Ikea hack. If you want to see more Ikea hacks then click here. Don’t forget to share this post with someone who might enjoy it.
Thanks for reading,
Chat soon,
Catherine.
