Bespoke Looking Bookcase for IKEA Prices

The New Front Wall
by The New Front Wall
8 Materials
$1200
1 Week
Medium

We wanted a beautiful bespoke looking bookcase for our home office but the quotes we had were insane. Instead, we bought some IKEA units and built them in to the wall ourselves!

Home office Bookcase

This IKEA bookcase hack has saved us over £2k!

Four Ikea Havsta Units

We bought 4 x Havsta units from Ikea.

Once built, we screwed them together and placed where we wanted them in the room.

Adding the back board

The units didn't come with a back so to create a more "in built" look we added some MDF to create a "wall" at the back.


We added batons around the side and top which we would use to board up to create a faux wall.

Adding the edges

We used MDF to start to build up the "wall" around the side and top of the shelving units.

Hiding the joins

We used Decorators Caulk to hide the joins. We also added coving to match the rest of the room to give the impression it was part of the original wall.

Ready for spraying

We added a thin baton down in-between where each unit joined to hide the join between them. This made the units look united and not separate units stuck together!


We added a baton across the bottom of all the units too, this created a "plinth" that they all "sat" on.


Then we were ready for spraying.

Spraying the doors

We invested in a sprayer for applying the paint. It took a little getting used to! Spend 5 minutes practising first, there is a knack to it! It's easy once you get it though!

Spraying the unit

We then went through spraying the entire unit. It didn't take long. We did a couple of coats.

Spraying the unit

Make sure you prepare the room as the paint dust gets everywhere and remember to wear a mask to protect yourself from inhaling it all!

All sprayed

Once it was all sprayed and dried we used a clear paint varnish to seal the paint and make sure it wouldn't chip. We used a matt one which was brilliant, you can't even see it.


In hindsight - we should probably have used a primer first. Would definitely do this next time.


Time to add the leather handles, they finish it off so well.

Ta-Da!

All done! A bespoke looking bookcase for a third of the price!


I hope you enjoyed seeing this Ikea hack. If you like my style, then have a look at my instagram account @thenewfrontwall for more Inso and ideas!


Jo x

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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 5 questions
  • Mitzi Mitzi on May 11, 2021

    What color gray paint did you use? This is the best looking “hack” I have ever seen!

    Beautiful job!

  • Carol Carol on May 11, 2021

    I don't understand how you used the batons?

  • Karen Karen on May 11, 2022

    In hindsight, would you paint everything before installing the units and then touch up as necessary?

    And what thickness of MDF did you use? I have successfully used Masonite as a backing in a similar application.

    Bravo on a spectacularly successful project!

Comments
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2 of 28 comments
  • Tricia Tricia on May 15, 2023

    WOW!! That is totally beautiful!! Y’all did a great job and that was a great idea!! Thanks so much for sharing; I know you are enjoying your wall!! ❤️❤️

  • The New Front Wall The New Front Wall on May 15, 2023

    Thank you for your kind comment x


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