Turn Your IKEA Loft Bed Into A Desk That's Perfect For Any Hobby
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Before tossing your old IKEA loft bed away, you may want to think twice. Upcycling this IKEA product could be the perfect solution if you need a new desk, as shown by @teckartt on TikTok. This way, not only will you be producing less waste, but you'll also get a brand-new desk without having to break the bank. All you need is a few upcycled pieces of material, and you should be ready to go. What's more, you can use it for pretty much anything, whether it's a work desk, an office desk if you want to create a home office, a workbench, or a hobby desk. And since it doesn't cost a fortune, you don't have to worry about getting it too messy!
All you'll need is an upcycled IKEA STORÅ loft bed, which is available on the IKEA website for $799, and some plywood board to fit over the top (at least 80 inches by 58 inches). You'll also want to grab some LED strip lights, which you can buy off Amazon for $16.99, a saw, white paint, sealant, wood glue, and a nail gun. The sealant is available for $12.98 off Amazon.
Disassemble your IKEA LOFT bed
In order to re-create this IKEA loft bed hack for yourself, start by disassembling it until you're left with just the bed part and the legs. Next, you'll want to remove the panels around the bed and saw off the legs until they sit at your desired desk height, ensuring they're nice and even. You should now be left with your base for your "desk." Keep the wooden slats from the bed itself. After this, measure and cut your plywood board to size unless it's already the correct size. You can also use two smaller pieces if you don't have a large board — it all depends on the product you have. Once it's the correct shape, give it a lick of paint, allow it to dry, and then add your sealant.
When you finish your prep, move on to assembling everything and add your board to the top of your "bed" piece once it's dry. You can do this by placing it on top and attaching it using a nail gun and wood glue before going in with your strip lights, installing them beneath the table, and connecting them to a power outlet. While this makes a great bedroom addition, incorporate it into an office space or garage if you wish. As a result, you should be left with a DIY desk that you can use for your hobbies or any other work you need to do.
Customizing your DIY IKEA LOFT desk
When it comes to desks, some extra functionality never goes amiss, especially if you're using it for your hobbies. For instance, if you're highly skilled in DIY, add some drawers underneath the table, giving you plenty of extra storage to store files, papers, paintbrushes, paints, or whatever else you need. However, if you're more of a novice, you could implement additions such as pen holders, hooks to hang and store items, or an additional shelf underneath. For example, using the desk for art and painting, you could hang some aprons on the side. On an aesthetic level, paint it a different color to white to match your style and interior, and for a quirky finish, opt for a bright color such as yellow or lime green. When you finish making your additions, style your work-from-home desk however you please.
The reason why this hack works so well is because the bed is the perfect shape, with the bed section of it mimicking the shape of a desk. This makes it much easier to turn it into a desk, as the wooden slats help to give some extra support for the top half. The length of the legs also gives you the extra freedom to choose the height of it, so it's perfect if you're looking for a custom height. For example, if you want to use it while standing, then you can easily achieve this.