Hemnes Baby Changing Dresser - IKEA-Hack

In the Netherlands, everything remotely baby-related is priced at least double.

In the next step you can find an IKEA-style manual for putting it together.

As far as IKEA manuals go - they usually come without text. I tried to make mine understandable without text too, so please look at the images or download the PDF.

The sizes are based on a top face of 498mm x 1075mm. If you would like to make the same thing, please measure the top of your drawers, and if necessary adjust accordingly.

The widths of the wood planks are sizes that are readily available in Dutch hardware stores. I cannot say if the same is true for hardware stores elsewhere.

See next steps for some pictures of the actual build.

I used a regular old jig saw to cut the wood into pieces.

Then, with a little help of my husband, all the pieces were hand-sanded. I would advise to use a motorized sanding apparatus if you have one available. It will save you a lot of time.

Find attached the SketchUp model which I used while designing the thing. In it, you will find three versions:

1. The initial design, which I started out to build.

Halfway into the build, I encountered an error: I had underestimated the total depth I would need to accommodate a changing cushion.

2. The thing I actually built.

The back plank is moved back and down a little, and lengthened with a little extra block of wood.
The bottom of the sides is sawn off to compensate for the loss of height in the back.

3. The improved design, with a wider plank width for the flat elements.

Since my set of drawers has a specific shade of greyish brown, I went to the hardware store, not expecting to find what I was looking for. However, I was happily surprised that they did have the exact matching colour.

The only difference is that my paint job came out a bit shinier than the original chest of drawers. I sanded it a bit to compensate, which worked quite okay.

During assembly, I mostly worked on my dining table - the perfect size for this kind of project.

I put the edge together on the far edge of the table, holding it together while pre-drilling with a set of clamps, and weighing it down on the table with a heavy hammer. Worked like a charm. Almost the entire thing was easiest put together while laying down upside-down on the table, with the vertical elements hanging right next to the table.

See step 1 with the IKEA manual for detailed instructions on which part to assemble where and in which way.

Image 1 & 2: On Step 7 in the IKEA manual; this one was a little bit tricky. The sides initially didn't line up in a 90 degree angle when I had fixed them in one direction. Fortunately, there were a few screws left to put in, so I could correct the offset. Using the straight edge of - again - the dining table, I put the elements into a 90 degree angle, and fixed them using clamps.

Image 3 & 4: Before executing step 10 of the manual, I put the preliminary result on top of the drawers and drew a line on the bottom to make sure my final plank would align perfectly to the top plank of the drawers.

And once more, just because I'm so happy with it: an image of the final result!