Trofast storage to sturdy stair conversion

trofast stairs conversion 4

I would like to share with you all our wonderful Trofast storage to stair conversion. We built these units into our tiny house to enable access to the lofts.

The items we used were

  • IKEA trofast 94x44x91 timber frame
  • IKEA Trofast 46x30x145 white frame
  • 12mm plywood structural sheet
  • Decorative timber pine project sheet for treads
  • Pine lining painted white for risers
  • Lots of wood screws
  • Liquid nails or wood glue
  • IKEA Fintorp rail (optional for kids only)

Step 1
Build the first Trofast 94x94x91 timber frame.

Step 2
Cut down the 46x30x145 cm Trofast sides to a total height of around 120 cm . We had to re drill the base holes in the now shorter sides, so the unit could be assembled. To do this line up the off cuts. Clamp them to the base of the shorter sides. Then use them as a template to drill new pilot holes and use the Trofast assembly instructions to put the unit together with shorter side.

Step 3
Lay down the units on a full sheet of structural plywood and trace the outline. Then cut this out using a circular saw or table saw. To make the Trofast stairs work we moved the larger white cabinet to the front when assembling it and screwed it in place. When you lay down all of the units side by side the white unit is wider then the timber units but not as deep. However in the finished product it will be hard to see this. You can even stash items behind the draws in that section to maximise storage. This is where our winter jumpers sit.

Step 4
Screw the 2 Trofast units together in several places. Then screw the plywood to the rear of the combined units. The structural plywood if attached in multiple places braces the units making them more structurally sound for adults to climb.

Step 4.5 optional
We also wrapped the plywood around the high side of the unit as seen in this picture. You may or may it need this depending on if you intend on installing it in a corner or leaving it freestanding. The additional plywood formed the wall for us, so hence why it’s screwed on in this picture.

trofast stairs conversion 1

Step 5
Cut all the decorative steps and risers and pre paint. This saves a mess later to clean up. We screwed the pine board treads in place using the plywood backing and the front Trofast risers of each tread as the main weight bearing points. If you do not use the plywood structural backing you will find that this unit is not structurally sound on its own to manage ongoing use by adults. We glued on the decorative whitewashed pine lining hence the clamps on the picture above.

trofast stairs conversion 2

Step 6
Secure the steps to the framework wall behind. Again using many anchoring points so the stairs will stand up to many years of use. We had the benefit of a blank wall to start with. If you don’t have a blank wall use what ever means is required to ensure the steps are secured in place before use.

Step 7
Complete the wall behind the stairs. Our wall obviously match the white washed risers. You can no longer see plywood corner backing that went in either, as it has now been dressed to match.

We decided to finish it off with wicker baskets from Kmart and some plywood shelves. However you can use the IKEA Trofast containers just as easily, or find something to match your decor

Addit: Here is the same Trofast units being installed in the same manner on my daughters loft side later on down the track. However we incorporated shoe storage under the 94x44x91 timber unit. The completed stairs have an IKEA Fintorp kitchen rail installed on the wall, as the final step up for little short legs (apparently I’m told this can double as a jewellery holder as well). I probably wouldn’t use the Fintorp kitchen rail for adults to climb into the loft. The larger 145 cm high Trofast unit wasn’t cut down in this stair version either, and will be used when the wiring is completed as a slide out desk for the computer/laptop, with the basket storage underneath.

trofast stairs conversion 5

trofast stairs conversion

~ Hacked by Scott and Nettie Hartnett