Create this project yourself with sheet material cut to size by TOSIZE.ie!

Laura

Above average

5 minutes

Laura cleverly created a beautiful kitchen in her new home. Using the base of an Ikea kitchen, she had fronts of 18mm birch plywood custom-cut. By enlisting the help of a handyman, the challenging work was taken care of. The end result is stunning!

Description by Laura

Kitchen doors for IKEA kitchen in 18 mm Birch Plywood, including doors for the dishwasher, carousel, drawer cabinet, sink cabinet, side panels, and plinths. These were then sealed and painted in Flexa kitchen cabinet paint Saloon 7.

How I made this project

To save costs in my new rental house, I decided to order the base from IKEA and have the doors made by https://www.tosize.ie/. These doors give the kitchen a much more robust look. Total cost for the whole kitchen, refrigerator, including plastering, rerouting gas lines, and handyman: +/- €3,500. Base for Dishwasher: IKEA (€299), Boretti stove: Marketplace (€275), Extractor hood: Bol.com (€119), Corner cabinet carousel (base, hinges, and carousel): IKEA, Sink cabinet: IKEA, Drawer cabinet: IKEA, Legs and hanging rail: IKEA, Doors from https://www.tosize.ie/

I measured all the dimensions of the doors at IKEA. I took photos of the inside and hinges for my handyman so he knew exactly how to assemble it. IKEA doors already have the correct notches for the hinges. For a regular door, you can also use flat hinges. For carousel doors, this is not possible. You need to rout them. To make the correct holes, I bought the carousel doors from IKEA so we could replicate the holes. I then returned the doors. Tip: first set up the base, measure all sizes again, and only then order the parts from https://www.tosize.ie/.

Doors from https://www.tosize.ie/

I chose 18mm Birch Plywood, a standard thickness for kitchen doors matching the thickness of IKEA doors. Birch Plywood has a natural look and can be easily repainted. Door for drawer cabinet, sink cabinet, and dishwasher door – 3 pieces of 18 mm Birch Plywood each: €50.54. Shape: Rectangle | 79.7 x 59.7 cm. Finishes (both sides have a slight curve): Long side 1: Round off top Radius: 4 mm, Long side 2: Round off top Radius: 4 mm. Carousel doors – 2 pieces of 18 mm Birch Plywood each: €21.88. Shape: Rectangle | 79.7 x 25.6 cm. Finishes: Long side 2: Round off top Radius: 4 mm. Birch Plywood 18 mm. Shape: Rectangle | 79.7 x 25.6 cm. Finishes: Long side 1: Round off top Radius: 4 mm. The carousel doors do not need rounding on both sides. One door on the left and the other on the right. Side panel for along the wall – 2 pieces of 18 mm Birch Plywood each: €9.99. Shape: Rectangle | 100.0 x 10.0 cm. Side panels for dishwasher. My dishwasher is on the side next to the stove. Thus, I needed two side panels. If your dishwasher is between two standard cabinets, these are not needed. I had these panels made longer, eventually needing an extra piece as it stands away from the wall. Birch Plywood 18 mm each: €61.34. Shape: Rectangle | 100.0 x 61.4 cm. Plinths Birch Plywood 18 mm each €17.58. Shape: Rectangle | 160.0 x 11.0 cm. 8 cm or 11 cm height, depending on the length of the legs. Processing 1. My handyman created a sleek grain in the middle of the doors (from top to bottom) 2. I sanded the doors by hand 3. I first treated the edges of the doors 2 or 3 times with edge sealer (for wood) to prevent moisture ingress. 4. Then, I painted the doors with Flexa kitchen cabinet paint in the color Saloon 7. You need a bit more than 750 ml for this job. The paint is washable and highly suitable for the kitchen. 5. Attach the handles to the door. 6. Attach the doors.

Other kitchen parts

Handles: https://www.interieurbeslag.nl/industriele-knop-vierkant-zilver-antiek-binnen-en-buiten Sink: Bol.com Faucet: we already had Kitchen countertop: Two waterproof MDF plates with three layers of concrete cire on top – there are several online shops that offer this, and it's (after watching some YouTube videos) very easy to do yourself. Concrete cire is a bit more sensitive to stains. If you get stains on the countertop, treat it with HG natural stone color stain remover. Tiles: these still need to be placed on the wall behind, but maybe I'll leave it as is and only use the tiles as a plate to put the coffee machine on. Ordered via https://www.designtegels.nl/producten/marokkaanse-tegels/bejmat/bejmat-neige-blanc-m Refrigerator: Haier 70cm wide, bought via Marketplace for €400. Bought a new door for €160 due to a dent. New cost is €850. Difference between standard IKEA kitchen and this kitchen: €84 more. The cost of my handyman was €905. He had some extra work on plastering, customizing the hole for the extractor hood, fitting the extractor hood, and rerouting the gas line. If you're handy and don't live in an old, uneven house like I do, you could save on these costs.