IKEA Hack + Recycling = The ULTIMATE Sewing Table with TONS of Storage for $0 (well, almost)

The screws went into the actual material, rather than just a vacuum, but I was still very careful turning everything over so as not to tighten anything.   I put hardware on both ends, where the

table

surface would extend beyond the EXPEDITS, as

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as right in the middle, above the ironing board section, and this was to prevent the hardware from being right on top of the EXPEDITs and made things unequal. .   Next up is the pin-attachable surface, which is only the second thing I've allowed myself to buy so far. Now, most

sewing

rooms use a material called Homasote, which is somewhat similar to cork, except it doesn't deteriorate as quickly, but Homasote specifically is incredibly difficult to find in Montreal, and in fact, I would have had to abandon the island. to get it.   The good news was that I was able to find a replacement.

The bad news was that I was literally two square feet short of being able to cover my entire

table

with a single sheet, so I had to buy two, but that just means I have more to give away to my crafty friends and to use as beautifying tables. ,   and blocking boards, and other similar things. Let me know in the comments if that's something you'd like to see. I had the sawmill cut the panels to size, simply because they literally wouldn't fit on the car otherwise, and the worker was absolutely convinced that he couldn't get this material through the saw, which is a little ridiculous, since it's literally , just shredded wood fibers... that's the only reason you can pin it?!

But anyway, we convinced him to try it and it cut like butter. But Homasote will slowly degrade if you stick a bunch of pins in it, so I wanted to cover it with a couple of coats, just to catch the little particles, and at first I thought about using some of these ~wow~ posters that were abandoned later. . from the spring 2017 theater season, I'd say, but in the end, while I actually liked the look, they were lumpy and uneven, and I didn't like the idea of ​​pinning them in either. on duct tape, so I scrapped that idea and went with an old fitted sheet instead, and it worked much better.

Then on top of that, I put up this pretty wood plank background, which is the third and I think the last one I bought for this project, and I think it ended up being the exact same one that Minjalinjee uses in her studio. so that's really fun. Both layers were stapled to the underside of the table, making sure to keep everything nice and taut as I made my way around the table. So now the table was fully functional and could have been done easily, but instead I decided to drag out the process for several more days because I thought it had to look ~better~   Is there anyone else who has been a serial success?  Does it drive you crazy too?

So my big idea for this Glam-Up, of course, required the use of bigger power tools than we have in town, so we grabbed some spare wood and headed to Phil's dad's house, where we get out the real tools and work on turning our beefy 2x4s into a bunch of thin slats of wood. This is a technique I've used several times before: I did our kitchen table and our coffee table, as

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as several dressers, and sometimes I use paint sticks, the kind you get for free in the paint department, but sometimes Sometimes the project requires larger scale slats and then I have to make my own.

So after a couple of hours we took just a few pieces of fairly ordinary wood and turned them into several attractive and usable slats, and the plan was to turn them into panels that could then be used to enhance the outside of the table. and also hide that middle section from view.   The slats were then glued to a thin backer board with a bit of construction adhesive, and I simply spread it thinly over the panel before laying out the wood and holding it in place with a combination of clamps, weights and discreetly placed nails. Once the six panels were glued, they were sanded to make them all smooth.

The edges were trimmed and then whitewashed with this trash paint from a neighboring alley.   So I mixed up a batch of half paint and half water and used it to whitewash the panels. The exterior panels were held on with adhesive Velcro, mainly because I didn't want to put screw holes in the panels or the EXPEDIT units, so I was finally able to use those magnetic clips I got in my trash removal video last month. to fix the middle doors.  This will allow these panels to be removed quickly and easily, and allow truly complete access to everything underneath. *satisfying magnetic sounds of the door locking into place* (and again, just for fun) At this point, it looked pretty sexy, BUT there was still more to come, and if you feel like this project has been dragging on for a few Sometimes you are in good company;

This table was kind of like my personal Return of the King: every time I thought it was going to end, it would just fade to black, and then continue! I love Alphonse Mucha's Art Nouveau works, so I ordered a print of one of his works, with the correct dimensions for one of those panels, and I don't know how they knew I liked to sew, but they were also kind enough to send the poster with a full length of patterned paper! So the sign was carefully applied to one of the middle panels with some spray adhesive, and the original plan was to cover it with a glass panel from one of these doors that I had salvaged, just cut to the right size, but in In the end, the paper was shiny enough that I didn't feel like it needed glass, so I'll save them for a future project.

Some more molding was taken from the shed, cut to size, sanded and painted to match, and this was used both to help hold the sign and to surreptitiously cover the gaps between the three panels, making the front look a continuous surface. The shelf liners, which were still free-floating and still sliding, were held in place with double-sided tape, ASMR *ripppp rip rip* and remember that edge? Well, it will cover those raw edges, and since I don't care if it's permanently attached, I mixed up some epoxy and stuck it there, using masking tape to hold it firmly in place while the epoxy dried.

And finally it was time for the fun part: loading everything! *thump* *satisfyingly smooth sliding noise* It felt so good to store these rolls of leather horizontally; It's much better for them than standing on their toes and getting crushed, and the other two shelves worked perfectly too. I had to refold all my fabric to fit IKEA dimensions, for maximum efficiency, and then roughly sort it by fabric content into linen, cotton, and wool. Then, I could load up the rest of the cubbies with the rest of my

sewing

supplies, including my overlocker, which just so happens to fit perfectly into one of the cubbies.

I'm super excited with how this table turned out... I don't know, what do you guys think? Is there anything here I didn't think about or left out? I've been able to use it a little since I made it, and so far it basically takes up all my boxes, which is good, because it was a ton of work! There are still some finishing touches missing; I'm still looking for some little white knobs for the middle door with the poster, and I still have to attach a power bar to the table, which is also not yet attached to the rest of the table!

I've been collecting a bunch of these L brackets all over town, I just need to take the time to put them up, so for the moment my table is free floating.  So now you can tell me in the comments: what is YOUR favorite table feature, or if this table doesn't have it, what are your must-haves for the sewing or cutting table of your dreams? Would you design it from scratch or buy something pre-made? I'm looking forward to reading all of these answers, because maybe you can give me some ideas to incorporate into this table in the future, because you know it will continue to evolve as I think of even more features to add. !

He will become the Leatherman of cutting tables! Anyway, if you're still here and enjoy watching me hard at work

recycling

Curbside Curiosities, you'll inevitably enjoy this one too - it's my corgi-sized couch makeover, which is also

almost

100% recycled and repurposed, plus, As a bonus , there is a lot more #corgicontent. Thanks for watching and I'll see you in my next video! Bye bye!