From IKEA Billy Bookcase to rolling craft cart + giveaway
Most of us at some point or another have probably succumbed to the siren song of IKEA® furniture. It’s cool, modern and – my personal favorite – dirt cheap. That’s why I jumped at the chance to join the HomeRight® IKEA hack challenge this month.
You all know how much I love HomeRight. As an ambassador, I get to use their products in creative ways each month (their tools turn me into a superhero DIYer). Most importantly, I get the chance to give away HomeRight products to you! Stick around for a great one at the end of this post.
This month, my challenge was to transform a basic IKEA bookshelf into something amazing. Here are the materials I picked up to complete my project:
The goal? Build a rolling cart to hold our family’s crafting and art supplies.
I began by flipping the shelf over. I trimmed out four wood blocks on my miter saw to serve as a base for attaching the cart wheels. I used wood glue to adhere them to the bottom of the shelf and to each other.
Tip: Consider adding a plywood base that spans the entire depth of the shelf, so the wheels can be installed as far apart as possible. This will help increase the stability of the cart.
Next, I trimmed out some pieces of all-purpose molding to dress up the shelf. I attached them using a brad nailer.
After the wheel blocks and molding were installed, it was time to prime and paint.
I used a good primer and Rust-Oleum® Chalked Ultra Matte paint in Country Gray for this project.
Tip: Although chalked paint doesn’t require primer, use it anyway on surfaces like melamine-coated shelving. It will improve the durability of the finish.
Of course, my HomeRight Finish Max Pro* made easy, fast work of the painting process.
After the paint dried, I attached the wheels to the wood block bases.
I ordered the swivel plate casters online here for $3.98 apiece.
For the top of the cart, I nailed on a wood piece that I stained in a Kona finish.
I built a rod to hold the craft paper using basic plumbing supplies: two galvanized 1/2″ elbows, two galvanized floor flanges and one 1/2″ pipe.
Finally, I filled the shelves with inexpensive baskets I picked up at Gabes, labeling each basket with a DIY wooden tag. (Find out how to make your own here.) I free-handed the labels for the tags using a nail art pen.
DONE! Time to enjoy the new, rolling craft cart.
Now on to an exciting giveaway! Enter below to win your very own HomeRight Finish Max Pro plus a spray shelter to go with it.
Special thanks to HomeRight for sponsoring this post and giveaway. I’m thrilled to be a brand ambassador for HomeRight and, as always, all thoughts, opinions and projects are my own.
* Links to some products in this post are affiliate links.
would love the idea of spraying without being limited by stock spray paint colors
Liquid stitch is my favorite diy tool. No need to wrestle with the OLD sewing machine…circa 1969!
The spray shelter would be so great to protect the garage from over spray. Not sure why but my husband doesn’t want all the “junk” in the garage to get paint on them. It’s just storage bins and boxes.
I’d love to win this! It would make repainting my wicker table and chairs so much eaiser!
Love your bookcase makeover!! Winning this would make my DIY projects much easier!! Thanks for the chance to win!!! Love your blog!!
I would love being able to paint without having to spend more time on prep and clean up!
I don’t consider myself a DIY superhero at all. If pressed I would say the tool that is most useful to me is the internet and wonderful bloggers like you! You inspire me and give thoughtful directions that I can follow.
And I really could use that paint sprayer. I have a thrifted desk that needs painting and it has been sitting in my family room for months.
The paint sprayer shelter would make it possible to paint my desk on my deck without moving everything on it inside the condo.
The HomeRight Finish Max Pro might save my marriage! Just kidding (a little). My husband is so weary of helping me with painting and unless it is very small I don’t do it by myself. I think he would be happy to paint with this!!
This would be SO USEFUL. I love the cartoon about losing things!
It’s always windy when I paint and I have to do it outside. A spray booth would help with the bugs in my finish. Also, I paint a lot of things, especially outside furniture and that’s continual upkeep. A sprayer would be so much better than a brush or expense of spray cans.
Very cute! Thanks for the giveaway. : )
I have so many pieces to paint, but I haven’t started because I don’t have a covered area to use. This is perfect!
I am a beginner and don’t have a favorite. I am excited to begin working on several projects when I get moved.
A HomeRight shelter would save me from a lot of messes and confine the paint spray where it should be.
A HomeRight Finish Pro would save me a lot of time and energy when I paint. I a glad you teach us about these great resources,.
My Palm sander is my best friend!!! I don’t come accross many wood pieces that can’t be saved!!! The next project is refinishing the kitchen cabinets, the paint sprayer and shelter would make that project SO much easier than painting them all with a brush and mini roller!!
A HomeRight spray shelter would save me from getting paint from my kitchen cabinets all over the garage… which would also save my hubby from getting upset about it… 😉
The sprayer and shelter would help me fix my awful kithen cabinets and make the project a bit easier and less time consuming. With 2 toddlers, that’s VERY important!!! Time is the biggest reason we haven’t painted them yet!! A paint sprayer would totally make it possible!!!
I really need a sprayer and the the spray shelter would be awesome! There is rarely a day that I don’t paint something. It is somewhat of an obsession with me….
Wood Glue is my favorite DIY super hero tool! I’m not a total DIY queen but getting there. Love doing projects and feeling proud of these accomplishments.
The shelter would protect me from over spraying and paint getting all over items we have in the basement. I don’t space in the garage to work on projects so I use my basement. There are toys and items there that don’t need the extra paint.
My favorite tool would be my jigsaw. I cut a mean shelf! Thanks for the giveaway.
Both items would help me finish the bathroom cabinets that have been sitting in my basement waiting for me to paint.
What a great project! Wonderful giveaway, too. I could do so many projects with it.
IT would be wonderful to have a HomeRight sprayer and shelter To use when I Paint. Maybe I could start to get caught up on my painting projects!
I absolutely LOVE the craft cart! It would also be a great way to store laundry supplies. Thanks for your creativity…there is no way I could come up with these ideas on my own! :o) Would love the HomeRight sprayer to paint my kitchen cabinets!!!
I would love to win this ….in process of redoing my mothers old furniture for our ranch house we have retired to…could so use this…money tight and would save time and money!
Oh my gosh!, a spray painter and the shelter!! I’m sooooo excited. I want to come to your house…I’m a visual learner and I would like to spend some time shadowing you as you go about you DIYs. Thanks for a chance at the give away!
I am new to the idea of DIY, so the only tool I’ve experienced is a glue gun; I’m hoping to change that soon with a paint sprayer, so I can refinish my outside brick with paint.
The nail gun is so super powerful gets the job done simple but so effortlessly ..Done ASAP …
A home right shelter would save a lot of messes becoming a bigger mess where I spray painted a table instead of a table plus grass ….
I love the paper holder on the side of the cabinet! Awesome idea!
Very cute idea!
I’m a superhero with a paint roller, but now that I’m getting into painting furniture, a paint sprayer would be amazing. That way I can expand my color options. Love your blog and project instructions!
Susan, you continue to impress me. Your rolling craft cart is sweet!
I’m tackling a number of projects right now — refinishing my kitchen table, creating a bulletin board/work station for my daughter’s desk area, and I’m about to paint the nightstand next to my bed. The spray painter and shelter would be PERFECT for that last job!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Robin. Best of luck with all your summer projects! 🙂
I have a question about your craft paper holder: Do you have to unscrew the elbows from the cabinet every time you need a new roll of paper, or is there an easy way to replace the the roll of paper?
Thank you for you help
My DIY tool that turns me into a hero is my sander because I have used it to refinish a lot!
The shelter would save me from spraying my husbands tools lol
I would fix the rush stroke marks I left in out doors in the house !
I am a craft vendor and paint everything. I would love to have a sprayer.
The shelter would provide a great alternative to painting in pizza boxes in my basement.
Love your cart!! Such a great idea. I have lots planned if I win the sprayer. Keeping my fingers crossed!!!
My husband is my secret DIY tool! LOL
I need a paint sprayer in the worst way ever! Thank you for so many diy tutorials! I’m planning to make this for my daughter as bookshelves.
My husband’s cordless circular saw. I have made a few things with it would love to have that paint sprayer!
Great idea for a hack! I have several projects ready to use a sprayer on!
Love your makeover. This sprayer would make any DIYer happy!
The shelter would most definitely save me from having paint spray all over my carpet when working on projects or even on my grass outside and killing it.
This would be great to work on a project I’ve been putting off which is redoing my kitchen cabinets that greatly need paint!
I’m by no means a DIY super hero, but I like to do my own stuff here and there. I think this would allow me to believe that I am 🙂
A paint brush is my best friend, but this sprayer may take its place…
We don’t have a garage or work space, so the shelter would protect my lawn and garden from being painted!
I’ve been putting off repainting a very old dresser because the thought of it makes me exhausted. This would make it such a breeze!
I am definitely making this for a rolling craft cart and sewing what a GREAT Idea, loving all these Billy makeovers and getting such get Ideas. Ikea is going to LOVE me when I place my Billy order!!!
Well this would be if I had one but I guess second would be Kreg jigs!!!
Over spray getting every where I don’t need it to be and from the HOT Texas Sun!!!
Saving me the tedious work of painting small items and difficult items like Shutters (in door) with spray can paint, and save me from rolling it on bigger furniture items.
I would love, love, love this. Working full time, it could allow me to do more DIY projects! Hope I win!!
this shelter will help me from making a mess every where and keeping it contained
this sprayer will help do many DIY projects around my house and garage ty very much
I am in awe of people like you; I can’t cut a straight line with scissors! I’m a big fan of HomeRight; they make the likes of me look halfway capable 🙂
The spray shelter would keep everything in the garage safe from paint splatter!
Susan,
I love your Ikea Billy hack! The color is awesome, the baskets are pretty and the wheels are perfect. 🙂 The roll of paper? genius!
gail
Thanks, Gail. Your project is super cool, too!
My nail gun makes me a superhero! Thanks for the giveaway!
for me its my kreg jig
I don’t have many tools yet, so I’m not up to super hero yet! I love how you can transform just about anything with paint, so if I won, this sprayer might be my leap to super hero!
the shelter would allow me more freedom as to where I could paint without making the place I’m in a mess. Thanks for the chance to win!
If I won the sprayer, it would enable me to paint our Argosy Trailer. It would be so awesome to restore the outside to the same standards as the inside!
I love my pressure washer. You don’t realize how dirty something is until you pressure wash it and see the results.
It would save our grass more than anything. We also have more than one paint outline on our garage floor or walls.
I can totally relate, David, lol. 🙂
The main problem this would solve for me would be the amount of time I would save. I am always short on time, and this would be a great time saver.
Love the rolling shelf and hope I win the giveaway as I enjoy painting.
My husband is my painter he would greatly love to have this and to be able to use it for other things. To have the
shelter would be to help me keep it clean from his work with children toys he makes. He love to paint them for the kids. Sure would love to win.
Love spray projects! Thanks for your review and give-away!
A spray shelter would save the outside of our poultry house from looking decorated…
The sprayer would fix older wood kitchen cabinets that need an updated make-over but I don’t feel up to painting by hand!
I would love to have this sprayer. Have a lot of projects to do and this would make it so much easier!!! Hope I win.
Every time I use my screw driver I feel like I’m accomplishing something.
The DIY tool that helps me is my electric sander. Love it! Huge helper!
The spray shelter would keep me from over spray from escaping onto surrounding area.
The HomeRight Finish Max Pro would help me paint my outdoor patio chairs and bench very easily and evenly.
I hammer. That’s about as DIY as I get!! But I have some things I need to paint and could probably handle it with the Finish Max Pro.
I am super hero with a paint roller
I can’t believe you managed to do that! You are so awesome! I am not the best DIYer but lately I have been loving spray painting. This sprayer would definitely turn me into a super hero!
Aw. Thanks so much for the kind words, Starla! 🙂
The spray shelter would be so great to protect the driveway I just laid down brick by brick from paint!
This sprayer would help me update some old bookcases in my house!
I am a superhero with my bandsaw! I can easily make a lot of home furniture and projects.
OMG, do you know how long I have wanted something like the Spray Shelter! It would make my life so much easier if I owned one!!! Give me a drill and I can pretty much conquer anything! I would love the spray gun to go with that awesome shelter too!
Very clean, neat look. I like the industrial addition with the roll of craft paper.
Thanks, Maryann. 🙂
My scroll saw is my super power, LOL. I can do some crazy things with it.
A spray shelter would save everything in my garage!! No matter how how I try to stay within the confines of an old cardboard box, it just doesn’t work very well.
I just bought a new house and those ugly oak cabinets need to go!! A paint sprayer would help me keep my sanity. 🙂
We are building a new house, and the Max Pro & spray tent would be wonderful for all the painting of walls & decorations!
I just got a Kreg Jig and wow – I was able to revamp an old daybed. I took out the very heavy metal inside and made a wood frame to set the seat on. I impressed myself! BTW – we got $2.75 at the recycling center for the metal insides.
Would love the sprayer and shelter for spraying !
Tool my visual tool would be the Internet and my material tool would probably be my saw but it really depends on what I’m working on.
These tools would be amazing!! Great book case transformation btw!!
I noticed that you added casters to your bookcase. Do you roll it in front of the fireplace when the fireplace is not in use?
I keep it in another room, typically.