BESTA bookshelf speaker box enclosure By: mn2va

Materials:

• BESTA shelf unit/height extension (x2).
  
  
  
  • I went with this one, as it had the closed back and was cheaper then the other one IKEA sells by $20.
  
  
  
  


• BESTA VASSBO Glass door (23 5/8 x 15 – x2).
  
  
  
  • Spend the extra $5.00 and get the glass doors. Unless you’re good with a saw, This is an easier approach.
  
  
  
  


• Speaker Grill fabric to wrap the doors: Available at most fabric stores (Jo-Ann Fabric, Hancock Fabric, etc.)


• Glass cutting tool: $2.00-$4.00 at any hardware store.


• Rubber mallet/hammer


• Staple gun with staples


• Drill/screwdriver


• BESTA push opener (optional).

I needed somewhere to put my 3-way bookshelf speakers that didn’t look cheap or in the way, but still fit with the rest of my TV stand. This is based off another hack I came across where he wrapped the front doors in fabric. That is one way to do it, but I didn’t like the final product, so I opted for this method. That said, let’s dive in.

STEP 1: Go find the fabric you want to use. Bring one of the doors with you for a couple reasons:

1. Most actual fabric stores sell speaker grill material by the linear foot/sheet and will cut it to the length you need. In short, you want something that will allow the sound to flow through it. It may be listed under “Utility Fabric,” but ask for speaker grill material and they should know what you’re talking about.


2. You can get a near exact look to what the end product will look like and get advice from the people who work there.
   
   
   
   • For this, the standard black grill material didn’t look right. I added a piece of gray utility fabric behind it, to help hide the speaker more.
   
   
   
   

STEP 2: Assemble the bookshelves as stated in the directions. Once done, punch a hole(s) into the back of the bookshelf, to allow for wires to go in and out.

STEP 3: First things first, let’s get rid of the glass. Upon working on this, these doors don’t have a way to easily remove the glass; as they are glued on the sides. Place your door on a towel or other soft surface, to prevent scratches.

Take your glass cutting tool and make a couple passes around the inner edge of the frame. Making sure to thoroughly have a noticeable cut. From there, continue to score up the glass to allow the glass to break with minimal effort. Once done, repeat on the opposite side.

STEP 4: Gently tap the glass with the rubber mallet. Don’t be afraid to give it a couple good whacks. Start with the edges and work your way in. Once it shatters, gently pick it up and shake out the excess glass over a trash can. It’ll make for easy clean up.

From here, you’ll be able to get most of the glass out of the groves, but you’ll notice on the shorter sides, this is where the glue is. I managed to get most of it out with a flat head screwdriver. You can either leave the gap exposed, or find a nice dark caulk/filler to clean this up.

STEP 5: Install the hinges to the inside of the door. It will help you when adding the speaker grill fabric. If you’re wrapping the entire door, make sure you calculate where the hardware will need to be installed. Here on out, I’ll be going through how to mount the fabric on the back of the door.

STEP 6: Lay the door back on the towel, on its front side, so the back/inside of the door faces you. Arrange your fabric over the door, trim down the fabric as needed, but remember to leave some excess; as we’ll be folding it to staple it to the door. Because I was using 2 pieces, I had to cut out wedges for 2 of the folds. As the old saying goes, measure twice…cut once.

Pick a side to start with, I started with the edge that has the hinges on it, because it is the most narrow spot, and I wanted to make sure that I had enough fabric to complete this. Fold the fabric towards the opening where the glass was. Once you’re happy with the size of the fold, use the staple gun to attach it in the middle. Working outwards, add a couple more staples to ensure it won’t move as you work on the other sides. You can always go back and put more in.

STEP 7: Continue on the opposite side that you started on and repeat with the other two sides. Remember to pull the fabric tight as you work on the other sides. It’s sort of like wrapping a canvas on a paint frame. And should a couple not go in all the way, use the rubber mallet to tap them back down.

Repeat the same steps for the next door. How I lined it up, was I made sure that the end of my folds lined up with the edge of the opening. Continue to staple and tap the staples in until you’re finished.

STEP 8: Install/Reinstall the door back on to the bookshelf. Test the fit and place the speaker back into its new home. Reconnect the speaker to your surround sound and enjoy.

All in all, I like how it came out. the door still looks like it matches with my sliding door, in the middle of the stand. The possibilities are endless with this. I guess you could do the same thing with a decorative piece of sheet metal, or chicken wire. Hope this helps.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1AwUVRk From mn2va