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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Hacked IKEA bar

After looking for a unique but cheap bar solution for our balcony I decided to make my own. Obviously IKEA was a good choice as far as cheap went. Walking around the store I slowly got a plan together in my head. This is what I came up with:


The serving/prep area is on the far side. The Igloo 12-qt. Ice Cube fits snuggly on one of the shelves.


This nice thing is the diversity as the Expedit has many extras you can add.
  • The wine rack insert
  • The door insert
  • The drawer insert
Using these extra parts you can customize this into your ideal bar.


The serving area keeps preparation items off the main surface and discrete.


Parts:

Construction:

Construction is fairly straight forward. The brackets are the only tricky part.

  • Screw only one corner of the Capita brackets to the Numerar countertop at the desired location (a few inches from the edges). Not too tight, you may need adjustment.
  • Align the brackets to the edges of the countertop.
  • Measure the distance between the two bolts on the brackets and use that measurement to drill 2 large holes through the top of the Expedit at the desired spot.
  • Insert the Capita brackets through the holes with the countertop attached and get them straight. If the Vika Byske leg is not on yet you will need 2 people for this. If the holes are not fully aligned you should still be able to adjust because of only using only the 1 screw above.
  • Once you are satisfied that everything is straight and lined up you can use a pen or anything sharp to mark out the remainder of the holes for the bracket screws.
  • Remove the countertop from the Expedit and screw in the remaining screws.
  • Reattach and bolt the Capita's to the Expedit.
  • Attach Vika Byske leg to the countertop.
  • Place the bar where it is needed and adjust the leg until the bar is level.