This weekend is offering me more downtime to relax, but also catch up on some blog posts that I’ve been dying to share with you! Recently all my client renovation projects started at once. When it rains, it pours! But I finally have time today to share the ONLY DIY IKEA HACK YOU NEED TO KNOW.

Construction Helps!

This garage laundry space is soooo gorgeous and an inviting place to do laundry! Part of what makes it so functional is the fact that I invested time and money building out the laundry machine countertops, frame and utility sink cabinet. 

STN Builders were amazing to work with! They not only built the countertop frame, utility sink cabinet but also framed out the ugly water heater to the left. If you want a top notch contractor who does amazing homes for STUDIO MCGEE, then definitely go check them out.

Honestly, when I set out to do this project, all I thought I would do was paint and epoxy. But of course, my creative vision was telling me otherwise. And I’m so grateful for great trade relationships like STN Builders who made my dream come true!

Whenever construction is involved, your cost goes up. It’s definitely worth it. Just look at this space. Can you imagine what would happen if I skimped?

Ikea Cabinet Doors

Alas, there’s always a budget. Luckily, Travis and I agreed on a budget ahead of time, and if there was a way to prove to Travis I could stay on budget, I was going to do it! (Anyone else have a partner that sees money very differently? That’s a whole other blog post!)  I really wasn’t picky about the quality of cabinet doors in the garage. What was important to me was that it was shaker style. 

There are SO many Ikea hacks online about the Ikea Grimslov doors. However, they are not white. Rather, they are an off white with creamy yellow tone—not what I had in mind. 

It took several trips to Ikea to decide what I wanted. And when I saw the Axstad door, my whole body tingled with excitement. The only difference is that there a tiny bevel in the cut out. However it is barely noticeable. I also knew I was going to use cane and glue it to the cut out. So that would be covered up!

The Only DIY Ikea Hack You Need to Know: The Search for Cane

Once I purchased it, I was hit with another DIY challenge. A much harder one. Where the heck am I going to get cane?

I looked online and scoured and scoured. I couldn’t find where to purchase cane in store. I really wanted to see and feel it. 

This is where good designer friendships help! I asked my designer friend Denise from Eclectic Goods, and she told me about Frank’s Cane and Rush. Frank’s Cane and Rush is local, so I immediately got in my car and headed to the shop!

PS. Eclectic Goods has so much great cane furniture! Take a look at these modern cane chairs. I’m obsessed!

Image Credit: Eclectic Goods

At Frank’s Cane and Rush, I found so many wonderful options. But I decided to go with the traditional cane color and tone. It was cohesive with the natural white oak open shelving. 

As I mentioned before in my previous garage laundry post, I like to design in a gender fluid manner. So using big floral bedding or girly colors aren’t really my thing. However, when I do find something that leans heavily into soft and airy, I like to offset it with something with weight that adds a more masculine touch. That’s why I chose not to stain the open shelving into a whitewash or grey stain. I wanted the natural wood to pop and keep the visual focus there, while letting the delicate wallpaper act as a neutral background. 

Using the cane and white oak wood was a stabilizing factor. And I’m so pleased with this decision!

At Frank’s, I was told to use this glue found at any hardware store. The consistency was very much like rubber cement but a tad runnier. It’s really stinky too like rubber cement. However it was extremely effective in getting the cane to stick to the smooth cabinet. 

I used scissors and measured how large the cane webbing was going to cover the cabinet cut out. It cut pretty easily. 

Next, you need to soak the cane so that it’s supple to work with. While researching about all things cane, I came across wickerwoman.com and through her blog post on installing cane webbing, she gave a great directory. Now you can shop online and get the type of cane you want for your DIY Ikea cabinet hack! 

This is what she recommends: Soak the cane webbing or sheet cane in warm water for at least 30 minutes but up to as long as four hours until very supple. Roll up the cane and soak in your bathtub, sink, a wallpaper tray, or PVC pipe with caps on both ends.

I followed her instructions and soaked it in the bathtub. Perhaps my sheets were not very big. In just two hours they were quite supple.

I gently used a paper towel and wipe off excess water and shook it a bit. Then I applied the edges with glue and used my hands to press down firmly. Each door took me about 20-30 minutes.

Guys. When a DIY hack is successful, it’s the BEST feeling!

Travis installed the doors with my find of the century for brass knobs. I got these off of Amazon for a fraction of the designer prices. You can check them out here. 

So, what do you think? Does this make you want to try using cane in your next DIY project? As much as it feels good to buy something very special, I think making something is so creatively fulfilling! Don’t you agree?

Happy day! 

 Anita