3 peice Ikea Desk build

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pwrusr

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I have been debating what to buy for months as far as a desk goes... nothing seemed to be "just right" until I found that the Vika Alex was the perfect hight for putting a work surface on top of. So I bought two Alexes and searched around for a good work surface. Thought about just going to home depot and buying some plywood, but in the end I didn't think I would like the build quality of simple plywood. Took a trip down to the local ikea and spotted the perfect sized work surface! The Vika Byske.

The last thing I have to decide on is to stain+seal it or just seal with poly...

Pix of project soon to follow.
 
Teasers...

img8067v.jpg


img8068k.jpg

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Panorama of all the Alex parts laid out...

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Some odd artifacts from the re-size :-/
 
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How much did all that set you back? Looks to be at LEAST a $10,000 desk.
But really, looks good!
 
LOL!! yeah looks nice :)
Each ALEX was $79.99 (x2) and the table top itself was also $79.99. So $210 + tax.
I could have done a custom plywood desk for much less, but I felt this was a better fit for the tiny office that it's going into. It's only 7 feet by 9 feet :eek:

Here's a quick slide show/time lapse I threw together of the alex build (don't hate, this is my first time lapse :p)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1561437/quicklapse.wmv
 
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pwrusr said:
LOL!! yeah looks nice :)
Each ALEX was $79.99 and the table top itself was also $79.99. So $210 + tax.
I could have done a custom plywood desk for much less, but I felt this was a better fit for the tiny office that it's going into. It's only 7 feet by 9 feet :eek:

Here's a quick slide show/time lapse I threw together of the alex build (don't hate, this is my first time lapse :p)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1561437/quicklapse.wmv
Click to expand...

For a first time you did a great job.
 
avddreamr said:
For a first time you did a great job.
Click to expand...

Thanks alot :cool:

Sadly, the table top might end up taking a little longer then I would have hoped :(
I'm trying to figure out if I want to stain it or not and just seal it... I am looking for something that will bring out the grain of the wood without going much darker in color. something natural looking would be best.
 
pwrusr said:
Thanks alot :cool:

Sadly, the table top might end up taking a little longer then I would have hoped :(
I'm trying to figure out if I want to stain it or not and just seal it... I am looking for something that will bring out the grain of the wood without going much darker in color. something natural looking would be best.
Click to expand...

Maybe a finish, will give it depth and luster but keep the color basically the same.
http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/one-step-stain-and-finishes/water-based-woodsheen.html#Colors
 
neat timelapse
my next place I maight have to look into some ikea goodness myself.
my biglots desk is totally past its prime. (and freakin' wobbly!)
 
scbjmshpv said:
i've been away from ikea for 6 years now (school) and closest one is about 7 hour from me so ya i do miss it and now i'm gonna play that darn video every morning (well least week) :D
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Jonathan Coulton is genius. I highly recommend a youtube search if that was your first experience. :cool:
 
They are calling for snow this weekend...
Sadly I can't stain the desk until it gets warmer outside because I refuse to stink the house up with wood staining products.
 
Time for a update...
Bought 3 danish oils:


and 4 cabot stains:


From left to right (all danish oils),
Walnut, cherry and natural:






Here's the Cabot stains from left to right,
Dark Walnut, Cherry, FruitWood and Pecan:






Indoor pic with flash + much better camera then the one in my cell phone:




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Decisions decisions :confused::eek:

What do you guys think will go best with the Alex?
 
i like #3, as it is the closest to the natrual color of the sanded wood
 
somehow i missed the danish oil. I had meant the fleetwood, but now I recant my vote. Danish Oil Natural has my vote. wait a moment. shit. i don't even know the color of the material joining the pieces together nor the color theme of your components.....I'll stay with Danish Oil Natural for now until you have that information together for me.
 
xjmtx said:
somehow i missed the danish oil. I had meant the fleetwood, but now I recant my vote. Danish Oil Natural has my vote. wait a moment. shit. i don't even know the color of the material joining the pieces together nor the color theme of your components.....I'll stay with Danish Oil Natural for now until you have that information together for me.
Click to expand...
Cabinets will be white in color. Color of the paint in the room is kinda "sandy" on the walls and white on the ceiling with a beige/slightly off-white carpet.
 
xjmtx said:
then danish oil natural i vote.
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started with fruitwood only:


Thought this was a tad too dark... So I experimented a bit and found that applying the watco natural colored danish oil on top of the fruitwood finish for the most part did exactly what I wanted color wise.
Outside around dusk + weird colored sky before a big thunderstorm:


Inside under a compact florescent light:


Images Uploaded with ImageShack.us
 
Let me know how that Alex feels when assembled. I want to know if the drawers open smoothly and if it feels nice a sturdy/durable. the closest IKEA store is 3 hours away near Wash DC.
 
xjmtx said:
this is the stain that is most beautiful. Great job!
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Thanks alot!
I'll give it a day or so then sand it down with a higher grit sand paper and recoat it. Rinse and repete a few more times for the best feel/look :cool:

Zepher said:
Let me know how that Alex feels when assembled. I want to know if the drawers open smoothly and if it feels nice a sturdy/durable. the closest IKEA store is 3 hours away near Wash DC.
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I have both versions of the Alex. They both feel very well made. The drawers feel very solid once assembled. They glide in and out nice and smoothly as well :)
 
Those Ikea countertops are awesome, I am building a wood bench/router table using 2 of them sandwiched together as the top. there is no way you can get anything like that at the price anywhere else.
 
DeFex, do you have pix :D
And yeah you're spot on, I couldn't find anything close to this nice anywhere else.
 
Finally got it all built!!!
pix will come as soon as I can get a little extra time to pull my camera out :D
 
An update to what it looks like as of about a year ago (minus the speaker wires)
IMG_8558.JPG



...I really need to clean it off so I can get a better pic of what it currently looks like...
 
pwrusr said:
An update to what it looks like as of about a year ago (minus the speaker wires)
IMG_8558.JPG



...I really need to clean it off so I can get a better pic of what it currently looks like...
Click to expand...

nice Beyer Dynamics! Dt770's?
 
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