IKEA RAST Closet Hack

DIY built-in’s that are inexpensive and make any closet look custom. Thanks to the IKEA RAST closet hack for making a basic closet look like it has custom built-ins. This built-in’s closet project cost about $180. In this blog I will share how I made these and tips that should make it easier for you.

Quick back story:

One night a few years ago, as I was laying in my bed with my newborn daughter, I heard a huge crash and thump. I was terrified thinking someone had broke in. I laid there a few more moments listening and waiting. After a few minutes (seconds?) of not hearing anything else I made my way out of the bedroom and checked every inch of the lower level. There was nothing out of place no intruder. I went to the upper level, the first bedroom I went into answered all my questions and put my anxiety to rest.

Surprise!

It was not an intruder at all; however, what I did find was the whole shelving system, clothes, rod and all laying in a heap on the floor. The closet system had been so overloaded with clothes it came down with a crash! Feeling annoyed and silly I retreated to bed. There lay all the clothes in a heap on the closet floor for years. Until I finally needed the closet space and felt inspired to fix the mess.

The Inspiration :

I scoured Pinterest for ideas and inspiration. I came across a few IKEA RAST closet hack’s that were similar to what I wanted. Instructions for these types of built-ins were a bit lacking, or confusing (in my opinion, I hope mine are more clear). So, after a month of working on this, I am done! Not that it will take you that long, but I work on all my projects in small chunks while my girls nap. I hope this inspires you to tackle that project you have been putting off.

Disclaimer!

Please use my supply list as more of an “idea” of what you will need rather than exact items. You may need more or less; measurements should reflect your own space and desired look. I chose 3 dressers because that gave enough drawer space. You may only want two dressers and add a shelf in between, as seen here:

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Supplies:

• IKEA RAST dressers x3

Home Depot/Lowes:

• 4 mending plates
• 1” screws, 1.5” screws, 2” screws
• 18 g finishing nails
• Paintable caulk
• Trim, measure for the side gaps of closet
• ¾” or 1” dowel
• Stain, which ever color you like, I used American walnut
• polyacrylic sealer
• 1×12 common board, the length of your closet
• Frog tape

Sherwin-Williams

• Paint: urethane alkyd enamel in the shade, pure white (semi-gloss)
• *sign up to be on their email list, they run sales all the time for 25-40% off. This particular paint is EXPENSIVE, but worth it.

Amazon

Knobs– These were inexpensive. However, I do not love them, as they are not tight when screwed in. I may have to use a washer or two to fix them…

Tools

• Sanding block/ orbital sander
• nail gun
• screw driver
• hammer
• mini prybar
• drill
• drill bit
• level
• measuring tape
• caulk gun
• clamps.

Directions for IKEA RAST closet hack

• Assemble all 3 RAST units per IKEA instructions.  Do not insert drawers into base.
• Sand faces of drawers and all 3 units.
• Remove trim from closet so that units sit flush against the wall (mine still had a slight gap, the trim and topper will cover that.

• Remove carpet if you would like. I did not remove the carpet, but after some Googling I found it was a mix if people removed
• carpet or left it. I did not have trouble getting the units level.
• Patch any holes in closet, I had a lot of scrape marks and gouges in mine.

Prime and Paint the Closet

• Priming the whole closet was the best choice for me as I had many patch areas and the paint inside the closet was nearly 20 years old. Old paint sucks up new paint like you would not believe! The super smart paint guys at Sherwin-Williams confirmed that primer is usually needed if paint it 20 years old or more.
• For walls, I usually prime once paint color twice. I added 2 coats of a light gray paint from Valspar (Gravity) in semigloss. Semigloss = very durable

Attaching the Units Together

• Add wood glue to sides and clamp together. Lay all 3 bases down on a flat surface, fronts on the floor. Space out where you want the mending plates to go, secure and repeat x4.
• Use 1″ screws inside to secure the units to one another. Place screws far enough back that you won’t see them with the drawers in them (about an inch). Screws should be flush to wood as to not catch on drawers.
• Find and mark studs, you will need studs to secure the units.
• Put the 3 dresser units into closet. This part required me to do a lot of shuffling.

Securing the Units to Studs

• Right under the back-support board of the units attach a 1×3 x 15 scrap board into the wall (into the studs) using 2-2.5″ screws. Do this x3. This part secures the built-in and prevents any movement of the units or tip over that could happen.

• I did not paint the supports, as they will not show once the drawers are all in. Replacing the removed baseboards didn’t happen in this project because they won’t show either.
• Secure the units to the wall/studs by drilling through the supports of the RAST dresser into the scrap piece of wood (use 1″ screws).

Dealing with Side Gaps

Next, add trim and 1×3’’s to the outer edges of the unit to cover the gap. This is where a nail gun comes in handy, you could use screws too. The technique to this is finding the trim or boards to the size you need to close the gap; this will vary from closet to closet. This is where an oscillating multi tool is needed tocut a section of trim and slip in the side wood filling piece.

Almost Done!

• Caulk any gaps with a paintable caulk. fill any hole or nail heads with wood filler.
• Paint all visible surfaces with 2 coats primer (killz 3 is my fav). Paint 3 coats in all visible surfaces with the color you chose. For me, that meant only about 2 inches deep on the inner surface of unit. Drawer faces and top of unit need paint as well.

Stained Dresser Topper

• Cut the 1x12x (length of closet) common board to size. Dry fit it into the space.
• Sand, stain, and use 2 coats of poly on the board. I recommend the water-based poly as it is lower in VOC, dries faster, and is easier to clean up. Let the poly dry 72 hours.

Filling the Gap

• I had a small gap in back because my 12” board was not actually 12 “. My solution was: Place a 1” square dowel the length of the closet into the gap. Secure with nails into the dresser sides.

Finishing Touches

• Secure Stained board to dresser top I used finishing nails near the edges and along the top where the dresser stuck up.
• Place a piece of trim over the gap/dowel. I used a piece of 1” white trim to cover. Secure trim with finishing nails.
• Screw on knobs, I used the holes already in the drawer faces.
• Put drawers in unit and secure them with the plastic parts provide in the IKEA parts (refer to the IKEA instructions for this part).

Tips

• Use Pilot holes for any areas you will be placing screws. This prevents splitting of wood and helps screws go in easier.
• Put painters’ tape (Frog tape is great for this) under the legs of the drawer frames before caulking/painting (saves the carpet).
• Mark all studs with painters’ tape so you don’t damage walls,
• Double or triple measure everything, even boards from the store that are marked. They are not always exactly at they are marked. This may be “common knowledge.” I did not know this.
• Take off closet doors to give you more room to work.
• Keep in mind these dressers are on the smaller side. The size is just what I needed as the drawers fully open and not hit the walls.

Final thoughts.

I was able to do this project for about $180 as I already had all the paint and some wood scraps. I hope you find these instructions to be helpful as I did find some challenge in this project. For a much easier dual rod, closet bracket and shelf system please check out this project: How to Install Closet Brackets, Shelves, & Rods.

Please share with me if you try this project, I would love to see how it turns out for you. Do you have any tips? Please share in the comments section!