IKEA Hacker SAYS - New GRIMSLOV - Gray vs White - is there a difference?

Chapter 1 - Gray GRIMSLOV review

I made a video but still have to upload it to the channel - I love the new Gray Grimslov! What a nice door - very clean, I think that is what attracted me to it. When I caught the sight of it against all the other doors it was the tight gaps and crisp shadows [CRITICAL ON DOOR DESIGN!] compared to other doors. This is the closest that IKEA has come to 'Shaker Style' - of course Shakers have a rich and long tradition that you can research and even likely to pick up couple of DIY books with plans on how to replicate their very beautiful designs, not to mention building a very quality piece. IKEA's Gray Grimslov is different from Classic shaker. But you know what? - most people will glance at it and it will read Shaker to them [not to purists of course] and that is enough to sell that door. It is very reasonably priced - made in Hungary, sprayed light grey, true frame-N-panel door [solid birch frame with a tiny bevel, looks great and sharp; the panel is a veneered 3/16" [?] particle core with what I will guess is a birch veneer - a proper choice of a close grained wood. 

Winner.

The white Grismlov is a thermofoil door - an MDF sandwich is made, which is them machined to create small roundovers that will ease with the stretching of the foil over it and DONE! One drawback, of the process is the fact that the round overs don't create sharp shadow lines -instead they are 'smooth, shade, transitions' - some people like that and some don't - so if you were to look at the white GRIMSLOV vs gray GRIMSLOV side by side you would immediately see how much crisper the gray one is. And if you are a keen designer, or a sharp-eyed DIY-selfer than you will spot that difference and then make an informed decision as to which one you prefer. OH! OH! You cannot re-spray white GRIMSLOV! - I mean you can, but I would never give warranty on such doors - spray over foil? - not sure how long that would last, and I, personally, want things that I build to last. 

Ciao!

SO, You want to be an IKEA Hacker yourself - Beginner's Guide on how to become a Hacker

prelude

[picture shows a living room in a well decorated Toronto home. The featured wall has a medium size, well detailed fireplace with a stone insert; several candles in silver holders fill the fireplace heart. The wall is divided into section using ornate wooden trim painted white, against a light grey wall. A flat screen TV /w media sits on top the fireplace. The fireplace is flanked by dark grey/purple hacked IKEA's  ISALA sideboards - they fit perfectly and area  agreat match]

Chapter 1 - SO you want to be an IKEA Hacker? And make money on it? Ok, here is my advice.

At the end of my Maker Festival presentation, at the end of the Q&A a young man - about 25 years old - approached me and he said that he wants to do what I do. He wants to be an IKEA Hacker. I gave him couple of pointers within the short time that I had to vacate the room for next presentation - BUT I SAID - 'Check out my blog soon - I will post a HOW TO!'

Chapter 2 - This is it - how to become a professional IKEA Hacker.

This here advice is aimed at young people, simply because they have the time allotted in their lives to become proficient at it - plus they have better eyesight; you would be saddened to know that greatest desire to become a woodworker can be ruined with poor eyesight.***

When you become proficient at what you do for a living, then you can start making some serious money. The time and money commitment required to learn a trade is fairly steep in my opinion - it takes about 5 years. Challenge is that there is no 'school for it' - there is no school for 'Ikea Haclers' and it is very much individual driven. BUT, rest assure that the future of craft, skilled labour is, in my opinion, one of individuals running their own show. Running your own show allows you total, and absolute control of your life - professional and personal. 

If you are like me, then you are always on the clock.

If you love what you do; if you are passionate about the product that you are putting out; if you are keen on 'pushing the envelope' and want to make your mark on the world then you have to make this your life. Sounds too much? Consider this: I am Netflix and chilling at 10pm and an e-mail comes in - somebody saw my work somewhere and they are intrigued, they e-mail me - it's a lead.  It's another opportunity to realize your vision, another opportunity to create something beautiful - I immediately reply - I usually reply to a request within 15 min, pretty much up to 1am in the morning. 

This is called customer relations management - you have to become proficient at it. You want to stand out from a crowd of about 100 of other businesses that are vying for the same job - quick replies ensure that the customer is hooked. These days modern devices allow for almost instantaneous connection - seize that opportunity. That is what will differentiate you from the 'old crowd' - you are young, hip and dynamic - you are the new generation of tradespeople. 

STAY IN SCHOOL - today, anyone can graduate with a BA in anything* propelled by the bottomless pit of government backed student loans. I am stunned! Stunned, when I read how much debt people acquire in order to be plunged into a large pool of well qualified, passionate candidates with limited options of employment. I share a personal story - my grandma's [who is still alive] grew up in the 60's, worked in the administration of a medium size city in Poland, and was completely enamoured with 'engineers' - men wearing clean white, stiffly starched collars and dark ties with large rimmed glasses, who had access to  'at work bars' [heee heee heee]. They were a source of authority, people listened to them and addressed them as 'thank you sir', 'will do that sir', 'coming right up sir'. It has been her biggest dream that her grand children [and now great-grand children] be in a 'white collar' positions - dictating others what to do. 

Oh how the times have changed. Good quality education with excellent prospects is still very much in demand, but a simple BA does nothing, NOTHING for you! Even when it comes to engineering, being aggressive helps.

Vocational schools on the other hand offer solid foundation of practical skills - hands on skills that large commercial operators will require, AND, most importantly will be willing to pay top dollar to retain their top talent. If you are considering serious income than you should be looking at trades that will land you working on large government projects, publicly supported institutional expansions. It will be a seamless transition form school to a paid apprenticeship. 

Good trade programs will introduce you to range of software required to do your job well, that you potential employers are using. I personally heard on the CBC radio of two young women who went to trade school, who later realized that there is software niche to be filled and they designed an app that is used on mobile devices to manage projects across southern Ontario - trades can be hi-tech too - be open to new opportunities, seek them out, be pro-active, you may not end up banging nails every day for 10 hours, although in the beginning you might.

Chapter 2 Stay in school - DO YOU LIKE WOODWORKING?

IKEA Hacking is 3 things - Carpentry, Cabinetmaking and Furniture Making. If you must go to school then chose a cabinetmaking course. Cabinet making is a 'accurately close' to IKEA Hacking - I would not call IKEA furniture, furniture grade** See, I am a furniture maker - I love designing and building furniture; the only that is holding me back is the money - I can build you anything your heart desire. Cabinetmaking in modern wood shops has evolved - it is very much automated - when you get an order to bang out 120 kitchens, most of the cutting and joinery is automated - just look at the pricing on a SEKTION box. You will quickly realize that hacking IKEA is more efficient - meaning you can shift the dollar to the DESIGN, of which I will talk more too later; that's where you want to shine. Study well, graduate with high marks get an apprenticeship in a commercial setting - union jobs pay more and are steady. 

You know another advantage of working in a commercial setting? Projects change often and vary in size - knowing how to build a kitchen is great; executing essentially the same solid wood table is exciting - but you want variety. I worked in a commercial shop - I did acres of laminates [that's how I fell in love /w P-lam, as it is spec'ed out] - but also did large built-ins for exotic places; glued up solid wood benches for banks; made up some super-fine glass doors for some private-corporate box at a large sports stadium. I learned how to build and hang up frames for some pretty heavy-ass commercial doors! 

Working in commercial setting will let you experience and work on projects small, medium, medium large, large and gigantic. You will never know what drawing your foreman will give you as your next project. You will get to experience building projects by people light years ahead of you in the profession. You will be like me - 'Ah....that's the size to use on this scale.' Or - 'that's a reasonable choice for this structural member' - I have many mentors, and I have thanked them all personally for guiding my professional development. 

That's the advantage! Don't get stuck in super-fine shop that crafts its products for ages, that cuts its dovetails by the foot, that bookmatches every product  - there is no market for woodworking like this - sorry to be harsh. There can only be one Krenov or Wendell Castle - and you know what, au contraire what you might believe you are not it - or like, the chances that you are it are like winning the PowerBall or 6/49 - you know what I mean. It is better that you strip yourself of any romantic notions - because otherwise people will take advantage of your eagerness and good will. 



Now get your hands on IKEA products - start with installations first. Where I come from IKEA installers charge $100 per box - more for installations of kitchen islands. But there are hundreds of Billy bookcase purchasers that detest the assembly of that unit on Monday, after they purchased it in Sunday. Put in an add and start pricing yourself - let the market price you - if you can do more then you can start charging more. 

You will quickly realize how limiting the IKEA installation systems are. IKEA limits the installation systems for a reason - remember, they are designing this thing for masses, most of whom lack the experience, and occasionally can be quite litigious [especially in America]. The installation systems are accessible - that is the key - there is more people with less money, than there are people with more money. 

Now here comes you, with a good understanding of how to build boxes - that's right, they are just boxes. You can cut them down, you can add to them - a creative person will a myriad ways of quickly generating nice design based on a clients inspirational photos. 

To be continued. 

*this is not a criticism. In a UBI society - which I firmly believe is coming; capitalist snake eating its own tail in annual 4% efficiency -  this will not be an issue at all. People will be most productive, and will want to contribute to society via their passion for labour. People will literally work 24/7 if they see a large, grander meaning in their work. The greatest gift that anyone can give or do, is the fact that they had meaningful contribution to humanity - 'You, kind sir or a gentle lady or whomever, have made this world a better place of others. We, the Society thank you.'

**no diss here. They are really amazing at automation - so cutting and edging panels; rapid work with solid wood - I purchase IKEA kitchen slabs from AS-IS on an impulse - I just can't pass up opportunity to buy a nice slab for 20 bucks people! I CAN'T PASS IT UP! IT'S JUST 20 BUCKS! sorry for yelling. 

MAKER FESTIVAL 2018!! - Handy is the NEW COOL!

[picture shows Karol Kosnik standing in a dim walk-in closet, surrounded by white hacked PAX boxes, attaching - screwing on - a middle cleat that will prevent the back of the large unit from splitting over the course of the life of the PAX box]

Chapter 1 - Handy is the NEW COOL - 'Peak Furnishings edition';

When was the last time you bought a medium, or a medium-large, or maybe a very large item - like a shed for example, or a bicycle, or maybe a fancy BBQ - and you did not have to assemble at least some portion of it, if not the entirety. You also likely had to level it to make it work optimum.

How was it? Did you like it? Did you learn something new?

I had this crazy ideas that part of the HOME-ECONOMICS in high school curriculum would have this 'HANDY portion', where you learn about basic tools, safe usage, home maintenance, car maintenance  - 'dwelling systems'.  We all will end up living in dwellings [Oh and the definition of a dwelling is changing RAPIDLY! - from home owners, condo owners, to renters, to off-gridders, to tiny-homes, to trailers... I don't diss anything anymore, smart and cost effective solution to fit ANY lifestyle are finding their home on the INTERNET! In the future we will work less and less, might as well find a situation that works best FOR YOU. I was off-grid this super super hot Canada Day long weekend - there were challenges but it was AMAZING!].

Regardless of where you will end up living, there will always be some maintenance required that you should be able to do yourself - having an understanding of some simple 'home processes and routines' will help you to save hundreds if not thousands in actual costs, but may also be good for your health! 

Knowing how to hang up a row of pictures using a laser level [arranging, grouping, levelling, use of tools, completion and review!], will come in handy when you need to upgrade to a nursery and need to secure the cabinetry to the studs in the wall OR you just have a large dog that you want to build a custom, more comfortable enclosure -I've been asked to design and build custom, functional 'dog enclosures' for the balconies. That skill set can be easily built upon and expanded - save money, do it yourself!  Hiring a professional can prove to be expensive - and there are pretty good chances that somebody, somewhere out there on the Internet already designed and built something similar! That's how I get my traffic - I provide real tangible solutions to common problems.

Ownership of tools used to be a barrier to the many DIY - that no longer is the case. Tool sharing is the new wave - Toronto Tool Library exists - you can have an affordable membership and rent from them, for example - I am Toronto centrist. Maker spaces and shops offer short term rentals - for a modest fee you can gain access to some serious professional equipment, and given your level of skill, that can really open up a door to creativity, skill building and participation in community. Live your DREAM I say!

And finall, this is where I come in. COME SEE MY SHOW! July 7th, Toronto Reference Library at 12 noon - I can only do Saturday and you have to pay $5 to get in. I usually offer my shows for free, but this was the only way I could schedule this up. We will take a IKEA's plain BILLY bookcase and turn it into my WILLIAM bookcase - Fancy French on display, but I will show you how you can do a New Shaker, or even Modern Kontemporary. I want YOU to do something similar - come in, learn and enjoy yourself, build confidence in your skills, find new sources of learning! SEE YOU AT THE SHOW!

If there is time I will talk about the amazing PAX system and how to DOUBLE its life. SEKTION - Ikea's kitchen box - is the lifeline of my business - I guarantee, after I am done, that you will love this box too!

I end with a pic of a hacked white Hemnes bookcase - when people ask what is your fave hack that you did, this one always is in the top. 

Confessions of an IKEA Hacker - Private PAX opinions

[picture shows designer Karol Kosnik standing in a white, open PAX frame, prior to proper installation of the back. On his shoulder, loosely hanging is an IKEA yellow bag full of PAX hardware - no, not stolen, because those are only for IKEA internal use, but rather gifted by the IKEA delievery people]


Peak furnishings is here - that's the only way I can think of the PAX. With every PAX install OR resurrection, I get pleasantly surprised how efficiently I fill the space with it. And whatever the space remains gets filled nicely with ALGOT and it gets the lights too. 

The universality of it comes with a cost - the install has to be accessible to everyone, but that is NOT the case. Some people should not install and should hire a professional. AND FFS!  - ** cut out the baseboard for flush install ** - always request that. Any installer should do it - simplest way to give it that BUILT-IN look. 

I disagree with IKEA that the PAX should last 10 years. I think it can easily last 20 years - you just have to follow my instructions. Simple modifications and additions dramatically extend the life. No, the hardware is not going to fail - it will be the box! So it is important that it gets the royal treatment. If it doesn't it is guaranteed that it will end its life at a 10 year mark - BUT don't worry, you can then call me and I will resurrect it. When I leave, drawers won't stick or rub, doors will open and close properly. It is crazy stupid that an addition of $5 tube of silicone will give the PAX another 10 years - you will be happy. And you know what? While we are at it? We can make it look pretty. Or modern. Or anything else you would like. That's what I do well - I fulfill people's functional wishes. 

For all the totally custom solutions that I can design and build, there really is no reason to do any of it because of PAX. My very reasonable and pragmatic asks, 'why should I make myself life difficult, when I make it easy and modular?'

Yeezus! 

I love PAX. 

My line of custom PAX hacks is called 'Robert Kalifornia'.