ikea flip MAMMUT plaster stool

just an easy peasy way to elevate that little plastic thing into a textured fun little side table

Need

one Ikea mammut stool

plaster

fabric tape

gloves

surface protection

little container to mix the plaster in

sand paper

build your stool, wich is basically just popping the legs into place

get your tape and try to cover as much surface of the stool as possible without creating crazy bulky folds of the tape

I started with the top and tried to wrap the end bits around the curved edge

you can stretch the tape a bit to follow the curve of the stool

then cover the legs as well

(tbh I was a bit lazy and thought a bit would be enough and do the job, but now after struggling: would have been better to cover the whole leg)

mix your plaster following the instructions on the packaging. usually its kinda fat curing. so I would recommend to mix just a small batch at a time ans use it all up before you mix up a new batch.

usually you have around 10-15 minutes before its kinda too hard to work with it

I started with covering the whole top in a super thick layer, you can flip the whole thing and start with the legs first if you don't wanna be stuck under there when covering the legs

I basically dumped my whole mix on and started smearing it around to cover the whole top with the sides

at some places the tape lifted a bit, don't worry if thats happening with you, you can cover it up in a second layer or just remove the bits sticking out with sand paper once its dry

then I started covering the legs

I did several thin layers and let it cure in between

you can do one super thick layer, I just wanted to make sure to keep the shape of the legs ans not to add super much on one spot and make it look super wobbly and lumpy

once the whole thing is covered let it dry for at least 24 hours

once dry you can start sanding the whole thing down

if you like the texture, leave as much as you like

I went with a pretty smooth top and a bit textured legs, kinda to make it look like its made from stone

this was before sanding

thats after

you can add another layer of plaster on top of cured, if you decide to add some on certain places

mini plaster shelf

the one for every space, wall and totally not as heavy as the big one

need:

plaster

fast curing cement (optional you can use just plaster)

mdf board

wood sealer (paint/primer to make the wood water proof)

jigsaw

wood glue / hot glue

(ikea moppe can act as a base, you can build a frame totally from mdf as well)

surface protection, gloves, brushes

first build a frame, or find some sort of wooden box, moppe etc to cut up.

for example can be an old drawer etc. but you can easily build a frame / box.

if you feel better using brackets you totally can, they will be covered up later

take a piece of mdf and draw the size of your frame on the board to get a back piece

once you have marked the whole back piece, mark the depth of your shelving pieces.

to get some boards you can cut up and use as dividers later

cut out the backing and the divider pieces with your jig saw

play around with the dividers until you like the sectioning

first glue your frame onto the backing

you can use all purpose glue or even hot glue for this, doesn't really matter

glue your dividers onto the backing, its not that important for them to be super sturdy and flush, just glue them on

I did went in with hot glue all around the edges for some extra secureness and to fill up some space

as I said, can be super messy, thats totally fine

Paint the whole thing in a layer of base coat/ wood sealer, to prevent cracks forming later on. The more sealed it is the better.

i used something made for cellar walls that’s sort of like a moisture barrier, but just because I had it on hand, normal wood protection paint / sealant does the job

next get your gloves and quick cement

( you can use just and only plaster, it will take longer to dry. I used quick cement as a base and then went in with the plaster to reduce the over all drying time)

for quick cement: its cement so use protection! and do not stir with some sort of metal, there are chemicals involved wich makes it hot and cure fast so always follow the instructions - also do not put this in your sink after!

usually the time frame you have for this is about 4 minutes before it cures, so mis up just a bit and work your way around in small batches

push the cement into the edges and roughly start to shape the arches

no need to be super precise at this point, better be fast before the cement is cured

if you use just plaster, just do the same. it will take about one to two weeks to fully fully dry with this thickness. it will look kinda dry but still feel sorts of damp and cold, just give it some time, it will dry out over time

work your way around the edges as well as a thin layer on the backboard.

once everything is roughly coated let it dry for half an hour (with the quick cement) for about 2 with just plaster

you wanna make sure you've got a good base on so the final layer of plaster has a good surface to stick on

mix your plaster to a peanut butter / Nutella thick like consistency (also work kinda quick and in small batches)

spread it into the corners and shape your desired arches

smooth and spread it out with the brush

once everything is plastered you can wet your hands and smooth things out a bit

let it semi cure before you put too much water on, to avoid dragging big pieces around

the plaster will get a bit lighter over time. if you wanna paint this wait about 3-4 weeks, other wise you will lock in some leftover moisture

Ikea lack tile bench

the easiest way to make yourself a piece of tile furniture without the hustle of base construction

need:

one or two LACK tv benches (two for the high version)

4 MDF boards

low version 40 x 15,7 cm (1 cm thick)

high version 80 x 15,7 cm (1 cm thick)

(if you dont want to hustle with the air in between the boards get two 2,5 cm thick ones and sandwich them together, this way youll get a solid filler piece. i just felt its a little lighter to use 1 cm wood)

brackets, screws (short ones not longer than 1 cm)

ideally 4x4 cm ones

glue

all purpose glue or hot glue

mosaic tiles

one individual tile: 4,8 x 4,8 cm

one sheet of tile: 29,8 x 29,8 cm

tile glue

grout

spatula, sponge, gloves, floor protection ...

build your bench (leave the board for the below shelving out)

get your mdf boards

for the low bench 40 x 15,7 cm

slide the first one between the legs and level it to be flush with the outside of the legs

put some brackets to keep the board in place

I glued them first and screwed them into the legs and the wood. be careful to not screw through the mdf too far, so you don't have the tip-off the screw peaking out

I put hot glue as kind of a filler along the whole slit where the mdf and the leg meet. just to give it some extra sturdyness and to create a bit of a moisture barrier when the tile glue hits the bench.

if your'e able to find 4x4 cm brackets: they make the perfect spacers for 1 cm thick mdf. you'll be able to push the second mdf board between the legs and have it resting on the brackets in perfect position.

if you can't find these brackets: use other small ones or just a piece of wood thats 3 cm thick as a spacer.

or if you don't want that hollow center: get 4 mdf sheets, same measurements - just 2,5 cm thick. if you sandwich them together you'll get a 5 cm thick piece you can just glue in between the legs.

I wouldn't suggest to get wood slabs like pine or just other woods that are not ground up like mdf. full wood slabs can warp when being exposed to moisture over time, this can mess up grout lines and build up cracks.

just to be super secure I drenched everything in hot glue to be sure its in place. haha

you can also put glue on the sides of the mdf boards before you slide them between the legs, this way they will stick to the inner sides of the legs even more.

(the measurements written on the board are wrong : HAS TO BE 15,7 x 40 cm NOT 14,7) !!

if you want to make a side board height get two lack benches

build one just as above

then take the legs from the second one and screw them under the legs you've already screwed into the base, to basically make them super long ones

measure out the middle of the bottom of the leg and then drill a pilot hole to be sure you get them in straight

screw the second leg into each leg, I did put some wood glue in between just as some extra secureness

then slide on your boards just as described on the low one. it's the exact same, just with longer legs.

now for the tile part:

if you can't find these exact tiles - any small tile thats 5x5 cm or a bit smaller will work.

(I put the link for the exact ones I used in the picture, just click on it)

If you're EU based klick on www.bauhaus.eu to find a store near you.

I have found tiles via amazon in the past, I'll put a few links down below.

cut your tile sheets to fit the bench, when you cut the net make sure you don't have pieces of the net sticking out underneath the tile, the net can mess up your grout job later on.

you can use tile glue for the whole bench, I used hot glue for the font and back because its so fiddle-y to put tile glue for just one line of tile.

both works. but I would recommend to use tile glue for the top and all sides, the tile glue will level out any little bumps and over all will be a faster option for the whole sheets than glueing on every tile individually.

once the whole thing is tiled let it dry over night, ideally 24 hours.

DO NOT put grout over semi dry tile glue, it will make your grout crack because the moisture from underneath the tile will try to go somewhere...

DO NOT put excessive amounts of tile glue, just a super thin layer ( ideally you have one of these toothed spatulas) if you put too much it will squeeze trough the ridges where the grout later goes - if you see some squeezing try to wipe the space clean and empty again, so you'll have space for your grout later on. especially if you plan to use white grout, be sure you don't have that grey glue smudged on the tile or the edges, one its hardened, its hard to get off.

if you feel like hot glue is not as scary: you can use just and only to glue. but make sure you ideally rough up the benches surface a bit before to get better grip.

glue every single tile individually! the glue hardens pretty quick when touching the cold ceramic, so make sure to put a bit of glue then put your tile in pace - put a bit of glue put your tile in place ... do not put glue over the whole surface and then try to align the whole sheet. you'll end up with an uneven tile because the glue hardens too fast.

grout the whole thing, use soapy water to go over it and smooth everything out.

again let dry at least over night before doing the final wipe down to get that grout sheen away.

aaaand done!

I've put little furniture wheels underneath the legs (screwed into the 5x5 cm part of the Ikea bench leg) to be able to roll them around easily.

thats just an option

Links: click on the pictures.

partly amazon affiliate - you don't pay more, you just pay me back a bit for doing all of this for free.

amazon tile option matte

amazon tile option shiny