Dinged up KALLAX? Renew it wood wrapped style

kallax wood wrapped

I just completed a makeover — turning the old unit into a wood wrapped KALLAX. A little bit of glueing, staining and screwing and the old dresser has a new rustic look. 

Firstly, I have a really old KALLAX 2×2, rather it is an EXPEDIT.

IKEA KALLAX

KALLAX 2×2 unit | IKEA.com

It was used in different rooms the last couple of years and looked really worn already. (It had self-made wooden doors for the last few years).

Generally, KALLAX can be easily transformed, so I decided to renew it instead of throwing away.

Materials:

I bought wooden panels and stain. The most expensive item were the furniture legs.


Related: KALLAX as a modern card catalog cabinet


DIY Wood wrapped KALLAX

First, I measured the outer dimensions of the KALLAX unit and cut the wood panels accordingly. For the top and bottom panels, be sure to add a margin to overlap the additional two side wood panels. Then sand the panels down, especially the rough edges.

I then measured the dimensions of the cube. A thin plywood was cut to create an overlay for the shelves. It’s a nice touch to tie in with the new look.

Next, I stained the pieces with wood stain. And let them dry thoroughly.

wood wrapped KALLAX

After that, I glued on the wood panels on the outside of the KALLAX. For added security, I added some screws piercing the wood through to the KALLAX.

Then, I glued on the interior pieces.

The last thing I did was fixed the new legs on to the base.

wood overlay

Quite simple to do once you have all your pieces cut. Now, my KALLAX / EXPEDIT will last me many more years to come.

wood wrapped KALLAX

~ by Martina from Austria