IKEA NORDEN Gateleg Table made mobile

I love my NORDEN Gateleg Table. It fits in nicely in my tiny flat and I use it as a dining table, sewing table and prepping orders from my online shop!

However it’s SO heavy which made it difficult to reposition and pull out the other side if I wanted to have more people over for dinner.

After some Googling I found a really helpful Youtube video. The result is my very first IKEA hack!

Norden gateleg table

I just wanted to submit this hack as there are definitely others that have done it, but I don’t think I’ve seen it on IKEAhackers yet, or with castor recommendations with UK/EU specs.

IKEA items used: 
  • 1 x NORDEN Gateleg Table
Other materials and tools: 

NORDEN gateleg table on wheels: 

1. First, I turned the NORDEN table upside-down. I used a duvet for cushioning to avoid damage to table/floor.

2. Then, I removed plastic floor protectors from the legs.

3. Next, I screwed locking castors to main legs, and regular castors to the swinging legs. (The castors are bigger than the legs so the plating will stick out a bit, as you can see in the photo. But two screws should keep it in place.)

casters for Norden

Related: NORDEN goes dark with stain


4. Lastly, I checked all castors are secure before lifting the table upright.

How long and how much did it cost?: 

It took me about 30-40 minutes in total. I’m a DIY novice so some will probably do it quicker than that. The table itself cost £40 off Gumtree but you can still get the table from IKEA. The castors came in two sets at £10 each from eBay linked here. In total this hack cost me £60.

What do you like most about the hack?: 

I love that I can turn and swing out both sides so easily now, which will allow me to keep it out of the way, then pull it out it when I have more people over for dinner. Plus, if I ever move flat, I can easily roll it out the door.

What was the hardest part about this hack? 

It was totally easy! I would recommend this hack to even complete beginners.

What to pay special attention to?

Make sure and buy castors that are small enough to attach to the legs, but strong enough to support the incredible weight of this table. Position the castors so that the screws are not too close to the edges as this might split the wood.

Looking back, would you have done it differently? 

For safety’s sake, I probably should have had someone to help me tip the table upside down and back upright again.

And other thoughts/ comments that you have received about the hack: 

As the castors’ weight limit equals the weight of the table itself, I’m wary that I can’t now have anything too heavy on the table or in its drawers permanently, and to not to lean heavily onto the table.

~ by Claire