4 ways to hack an IKEA Craft Table with storage

ikea kallax craft table hack

It’s very easy to make a large craft table with the IKEA KALLAX as the starting point. You can further customise it with IKEA KALLAX shelf inserts and drawers to fit your craft storage needs.

For these 4 IKEA KALLAX hacks the basic materials are similar. You’ll need: the KALLAX shelving units in the size that fits your craft room, a table top, furniture legs or caster wheels and some hardware to hold everything together.

The only hard bit is to assemble everything and flip the KALLAX unit up after installing the legs. It’s best to do any heavy lifting with another person.

Let’s jump straight to any of these IKEA craft table hacks:

IKEA KALLAX DIY large craft table
KALLAX Craft Table with additional storage for large
Craft table with removable pine wood top
IKEA Craft table with ironing surface

1. IKEA KALLAX DIY large craft table

IKEA KALLAX craft table DIY
IKEA KALLAX craft table DIY

IKEA item used:

  • 2 4×2 KALLAX shelving units
  • 4 KALLAX drawer inserts
  • 4 KALLAX door inserts
  • 6 KALLAX caster sets
  • 2 LINNMON table tops secured by L-brackets
L brackets to join table and KALLAX unit
Overhang
At bar counter height

How to make an IKEA craft table

My husband assembled each shelving unit and added the doors and drawers. He then added the casters (3 sets on each unit). He then placed the two LINNMON table tops perpendicular to the units so that it created a space in between – perfect for a bar stool height chair!

The table tops are connected to the KALLAX by four L-brackets on the inside of each KALLAX unit. I’ve seen similar IKEA hacks but none that used these particular table tops or the KALLAX casters.

This arrangement gives me a 59″x 59″ work top!  With the casters, the workspace is 35″ tall – just right for standing while working.

~ by Kim Gibson Lane and Walter Lane

2. KALLAX Craft Table with additional storage for large items

IKEA KALLAX craft table with storage for large items

Supplies needed:

  • 2 KALLAX 2×4 shelving units
  • 2 LINNMON Table Tops
  • 6 set of casters (3 per KALLAX)
  • 8 “L” brackets to attach table tops to KALLAX (2 per table top end, attached underneath table tops on inside edge of KALLAX)

The first thing was to assemble the 2 KALLAX shelving units. I attached 3 casters per shelving unit.

Then, I laid the LINNMON tables across the two KALLAX shelving units and attached them to the KALLAX with L brackets. This created a 59″ x 59″ x 38.75″ counter-height work table with openings for bar stools on both sides. If not a craft table, this formula can be used to create an IKEA desk hack.

Next, I laid boards across the bottom row of the KALLAX cubbies, then topped them with one long piece of plywood (perpendicular to the boards) to create a shelf underneath the tabletops to store larger items.

I now have lots of cubbies for storing and organizing supplies and equipment, and a large work surface for sewing and crafting.

Functional additions to the craft table

On one side of the KALLAX I glued some round HEAT cork trivets to use as pin holders or bulletin boards.

Lastly, I added two IKEA Picture Ledges on both sides to use a a trough to hold ruler, pencils, scissors, etc.

The table can be rolled out when needed, and rolled back against a wall when not in use.

The whole project was extremely easy to put together and I was able to do it all by myself without any help from my husband, except for having him carry the heavy boxes to the basement with a hand truck! 

If this configuration is too large for your space, you could use just one tabletop for a smaller table. You could also use a 2×2 KALLAX instead of the 2×4 KALLAX to reduce the size.

~ by Denise

3. Craft table with removable pine wood top

IKEA KALLAX craft table with removable pine table top

Materials: 

  • IKEA EXPEDIT or KALLAX (3 of the 2×2 bookcases)
  • Pine boards
  • Pine edging
  • MDF board
  • Varnish

1. Build the three KALLAX units as per IKEA instructions.

2. Cut a sheet of MDF to size for the table top: (2 KALLAX Width) x (1 KALLAX Width) +1″ all around. These proportions are important because they allow you ultimate versatility with the layout of the KALLAX units once the table is complete. The extra inch is to allow a little wiggle room so that you don’t damage the units when you lift the table top on and off.

3. Nail pine boards to cover the MDF.

4. Add the pine edging along the four edges.

5. Sand the table thoroughly, softening the corners on all of the edges.

6. Arrange the KALLAX units as you wish (H or C shape for example.)

7. Lay the table top on.

8. Stain and varnish as desired. We chose a walnut stain and high gloss varnish.

The table top isn’t secured to the KALLAX units. It has a lip underneath it that fits snugly over the units to prevent it from slipping from side-to-side, while still allowing us to rearrange the units to suit. The beauty of this design is that you can flip the table top (we plan to cover the underneath with felt so that we can use it as a gaming table when flipped), and you can rearrange the KALLAX units as you please. It works perfectly well with 2, 3, or 4 units, so as your needs change, so does your table.

For full instructions visit my blog at Mama.ie.

~ by Mama.ie

4. IKEA Craft table with ironing surface

IKEA KALLAX craft table with ironing surface

Materials: 

  • KALLAX 4×2 units
  • LINNMON tabletop
  • MOSSLANDA picture ledges

This is a cutting table for craft and sewing projects. The base is two IKEA KALLAX shelf units (4×2) that I put on their sides and connected together. To connect them together I used straight metal brackets. I also added KALLAX inserts and DRÖNA bins to a few of the cubbies.

Then I attached BESTA 4 inch legs (10 of them total – 5 on each KALLAX) to the bottom to give the table more height. The legs raise the craft table closer to counter height. This allows for the right height to cut without hunching over.

back of KALLAX unit with DRONA bins and fabric swatches
IKEA picture ledge as trough for pencils and cutting utensils

The tabletop is the LINNMON tabletop. I covered it in a layer of quilt batting and then fabric (the padding makes it better for ironing directly on the table). The tabletop is connected to the KALLAX with L brackets from the hardware store.

On the long edge of one side of the table are two MOSSLANDA picture ledges that I cut to the right size and connected (they are screwed into the KALLAX). I’m using the picture ledges to keep rulers, pencils and other tools organized. The other nice thing about attaching the picture ledges is that the two KALLAX units connected are wider than the tabletop. The MOSSLANDA gives it extra width to that the tabletop overhangs slightly on the other side, which looks more attractive. In addition, the overhang allowed the use of L brackets to attach the tabletop to the KALLAX units.

When attaching the MOSSLANDA, I aligned them flush with the KALLAX in the event I rearrange my sewing room and I want to put the table against a wall (of course, in that case, I lose access to the eight cubes on that side, but it’s an option this way).

~ by Summer Frace, Austin, TX