"Lego" Approach to Making
Your Own Furniture
how to make furniturewithout knowing anythingor learning
much
TL;DR
blocks+boards+screws+imagination
Why Do It?
brag points
cheaper
exactly to size
You can make almost any furniture with:
a) blocks of simple cheap shelving (more on that later)
b) pieces of wood (cut at the store or easy saw at home)
c) fasteners (such as screws, nails, and glue)
kids love seat
office desk
Blocks
simple cheap compact shelving sold in multiple stores
Closetmaid Stackable Storage Organizer,$20 at Target
ClosetMaid Vertical organizer, $14-$16 at Target,HomeDepot,$12
at Walmart
ClosetMaid Cubeicals 2 Cube Organizer, $20 at Target
What you're looking for
1, 2 or 3 shelf shelving
horizontal or vertical
usually in storage section of the store
under $25
Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc
Boards
rectangular pieces of wood
Which wood?
MDF & particle board are cheapest, but can be too heavy for
big projects
Plywood is better
Pine is cheap and light wood
How?
Pre-cut in the lumber yard to your specifications (Home Depot,
Lowe's, OSH, etc)
Jigsaw (a cheap & compact saw) at home
Fasteners
You can put pretty much anything together with
nails glue screws
* or a combination thereof for true staying power
Example: Kids Love Seat
1. Put together one block (12x12x24in)
2. Set it down horizontally (24 will be the length) 3. Cut a
rectangular board (24x23in) 4. Glue it to the back of the block,
then use 3 screws per side to reinforce the connection (screw wood
to wood, not wood to back panel) 5. Spray paint (or not) 6. Throw
small pillows or fold a blanket to form the seat
screws
Example: Guest Bed: Why
I needed a guest bed that would be:
a) not too expensiveb) pretty comfortablec) temporary (used 2-5
times a year)
Example: Guest Bed: What
The "Lego" Pieces Used:
7 "blocks" I already had (you actually only need 5 for this
project - 4 corners & middle)
5 pre-cut 11x77in pine boards at Home Depot
the nicest "rollable" IKEA queen mattress
rug gripper at Walmart
Example: Guest Bed: How
1) Put together shelf blocks, set them face down in the corners
& the middle of where the bed will be (queen size is 60x80in).
Cover the backs of the blocks with rug gripper (to prevent boards
from sliding)
2) Cover with 5 boards, and cover the boards with rug gripper
(to prevent mattress from sliding)
Example: Guest Bed: How
It takes about 5 minutes to set up and 7 minutes to
deconstruct
When the guests are not here, the bed becomes a shallow shelving
unit (with mattress and bedding stored in the closet)
Whoa, where did the bed go?
Example: Guest Bed: How
It takes about 5 minutes to set up and 7 minutes to
deconstruct
When the guests are not here, the bed becomes a shallow shelving
unit (with mattress and bedding stored in the closet)
Whoa, where did the bed go?
Other Ideas
coffee tableset two horizontal blocks as far apart as you need
to create a table as long as you need, cover with a board, screw it
into the blocks; paint or stain the board
extend shelvesbuild several vertical blocks to match the height
of existing shelf unit, screw them together vertically, set to the
side of the existing shelf (10-30 in), attach precut board shelves
(e.g., by gluing small sticks to the sides of the existing shelf
& new vertical shelf), for stability consider nailing a thin
panel behind both units to hold them together
couchsimilar to kids love seat, except construct more blocks,
e.g., a letter U with the sides the length of one horizontal piece
and the bottom of U with 2 or 3 horizontal blocks; screw them
together in the right shape; attach a back board; cover with a
board to form the seat area; top with futon mattress and throw
pillows
More Resources
Community of people who hack IKEA furniture:
http://ikeahackers.net
Ana White DIY Furniture Plans (for inspiration)
http://ana-white.com
Your head!
Have fun!
