Besta Framsta Railing

Materials: 4 120cm x 38cm besta frames, 8 framsta panels, 16 glass panels fills, 4 dioder light set , Besta Tofta doors, 2x4's, 2x1's, Shims, Screws, strong friend

Description: Original tv unit sat against an ugly home handy man railing in our 3rd floor (attic) tv room. We had hung curtains behind the unit to hire the many wires and railing. We decided to change the single Besta tv stand into a larger one and clean up all the wires. Visiting Ikea we noticed that the Framsta units could have glass on both sides. After days of measuring and pondering how to fill the space floor to ceiling and have cabinets on top of the Framsta units without a wall. The total height of the units and Framsta unit that where chosen left a 6-8 inch gap (the ceiling slopes) to fill with lumber and make use of Ikea legs.


Placed 1- 1x4 and 2 - 2x4's along the floor for the back of the bottom units and used Ikea legs for the front. Screwed through the floor of the boxes into the lumber at the back, as a railing it is important that the bottom units not move, and I wanted the stairway side to be solid.

We then placed the upper cabinets on top of the lower units and put the Framsta units (without glass) on top. This allow us to measure the differences between the top of the units and the ceiling. Using 2x4's 1x4's, many shims and 4" screws, we created a level surface to screw the cabinets up onto the ceiling. We kept all the lumber in the centre of the cabinet so it would not easily been seen.

Using the Framsta units as support we slid the cabinets up and using 3" screws attached them through the top of the units into the lumber on the ceiling, we also had a wall at one end that we could screw to. We had to work left to right finalizing the finishing of the Framsta units.

Drilled and screwed the Framsta at the top and bottom into the upper and lower cabinets. Fortunately you can slide the glass into the ends of the units as we had to work with the four panels assembled. One of the panels was a bit tight and a piece of the glass exploded sending glass throughout the room, stairs and the bedrooms below.

What I learned, Read directions, then throw them out.
I believe the designers at Ikea had something like this in mind when they designed the Framsta panel, of course they have to only sell it with the simplest and easiest of instructions.

The first photo is the normal Besta, Framsta shot, the second is the back, the light is a nice touch for the stairway.

Hope some of this makes sense,

~ John, Toronto, Canada