Ikea LACK Coffee Table Cage Project

FlowerPixie · 07-11-2015, 02:14 PM

Hello! Bf and I are beginning to gather all the items needed to build the Ikea LACK Coffee Table Cage for Bee (Tables were bought yesterday). I have a plan in mind but I haven't quite figured out what I will be doing about a door as I have never worked with glass but I am willing to try if I can get the right direction. Are there other options anyone can think of? Possibly a hinge door? I believe I would need extra wood though or another table to accomplish that? Once construction begins pics will be posted. Any tips are appreciated. I have watched and seen most of the tutorials online for this specific cage and the other smaller table LACK cage.

FlowerPixie · 07-11-2015, 08:51 PM

I was also thinking, would it be beneficial to get or make blankets for the bottom of the cage to put the fluff on top of to prevent pee getting into the wood? or would I not need to worry about that?

cypher · 07-11-2015, 11:58 PM

DIY is not my strong point so I'll leave that to someone else but definitely don't put any kind of blanket in the bottom of the cage. If you need to water proof the wood you can use Plastikote & most substrates are very absorbent so they'll soak up any small amounts of pee.
Blankets could be chewed & cause real problems.

FlowerPixie · 07-12-2015, 12:23 AM

Thank you @cypher that was exactly what I was wondering! No blankets it is. The finish on the table seems fine to protect it and I will just use hamster safe silicon for filling in any areas where the pee could sink in. ^.^ I have never taken on this type of project so I'm a little nervous but I am trying to cover all my bases before even beginning and i do have the help of my bf, his father, and friends who work with wood if I need it.

Nancy's Hamsters · 07-12-2015, 07:02 AM

Any Home improvement company (Except Home Depot) sells a plastic coated paneling used in Bathrooms and around sinks which is water proof. It is easily cut to the size of the floor and can be placed on top of the Ikea shelf like a pan which would make it easy to pull out and clean when doing a full clean out. It is non toxic and safe to use with hamsters. You'd need to place a bead of wood glue along the top exposed edge to prevent any moisture from seeping in the wood, and it only comes in White.

Another idea is at Menards. It is a full 4ft X 8 ft sheet of plastic which can be cut with scissors or even better a utility Knife. It can be scored and bent to make a nice liner which again can be removed to do a full clean. I use this stuff for my Guinea Pigs C & C 2 X 4 cage and it has held out way way better then any coroplast board has. It has with stood a 50% bleach water soak and stays white for a very long time even in the potty corners of Two guinea pigs and their pups when they had two litters of 3 pups each.

Mine is duct taped together with rainbow patterned fashion Duct tape but now a days you can get almost every color Duct tape at Walmarts at a very low price so you can connect it with white tape or if you have a color schemed cage with matching color tape. The tape is only applied to the unreachable out side so Hamster could not get near it once placed in the cage .

Kiki_3173 · 07-12-2015, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlowerPixie

Thank you @cypher that was exactly what I was wondering! No blankets it is. The finish on the table seems fine to protect it and I will just use hamster safe silicon for filling in any areas where the pee could sink in. ^.^ I have never taken on this type of project so I'm a little nervous but I am trying to cover all my bases before even beginning and i do have the help of my bf, his father, and friends who work with wood if I need it.

Hi FlowerPixie!

Congrats on your decision to build a DIY Lack!! I took this same project on about a year ago. I have build a Lack coffee table hack and a Billy Extension hack. My Lack cage holds my Syrian, Kernel, who is litter trained, so I haven't had any problems with pee sinking in. However, my Chinese hamster that lives in the Billy cage isn't as trained as I'd like. To save the base of the cage I used peel & stick laminate tiles from Home Depot (you can buy them individually) and I put the aquarium silicone around the edges and on the joints where the tiles met.

I'd love to see your project as you work on it and, of course, the finished product

FlowerPixie · 07-12-2015, 04:51 PM

Thank you @Nancy's Hamsters! I will definitally look into that, anything that will help with cleaning and keeping the cage nice. I like the idea with different colored duck tape as well, now I need a color for Bee hehe.

@Kiki_3173 Thank you as well that sounds like a good idea! I will be checking out all these options when I go to the hardware store and see which I think will be most realistic for me. On your Lack cage, what did you do for the side walls? Glass? Mesh? That is something I haven't figured out what to do yet or what would work best. I will be doing plexiglass up front I believe, and mesh in the back for ventilation, but haven't decided the sides as I'm not sure how to install the glass on the sides or if the mesh will be a good idea.

Kiki_3173 · 07-12-2015, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlowerPixie

@Kiki_3173 Thank you as well that sounds like a good idea! I will be checking out all these options when I go to the hardware store and see which I think will be most realistic for me. On your Lack cage, what did you do for the side walls? Glass? Mesh? That is something I haven't figured out what to do yet or what would work best. I will be doing plexiglass up front I believe, and mesh in the back for ventilation, but haven't decided the sides as I'm not sure how to install the glass on the sides or if the mesh will be a good idea.

The sides of my Lack are plexiglass. I thought about using glass, but I was afraid of any possibility of it breaking, so I decided on plexiglass instead. It is attached only by silicone on both sides. I made sure it was a tight fit to help keep it in place. On the back, I used part wood with about a 5" section of mesh at the top of the back for ventilation.

FlowerPixie · 07-12-2015, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiki_3173

The sides of my Lack are plexiglass. I thought about using glass, but I was afraid of any possibility of it breaking, so I decided on plexiglass instead. It is attached only by silicone on both sides. I made sure it was a tight fit to help keep it in place. On the back, I used part wood with about a 5" section of mesh at the top of the back for ventilation.

That sounds like a good idea overall, I did mean plexiglass as well I wouldn't trust glass with the ham. If I can get the glass cut out snug enough I will probably do the same.

FlowerPixie · 07-13-2015, 04:26 PM

Hello! As an update I put together my LACK coffee tables today without the shelf on the bottom one so I could workout where I'll be putting it as well as get accurate measurements for when I get the plexiglass. I'm very happy with where it is currently placed and using it as a place to put all of Bubble Bees things. Next step will be a trip to the hardware store for necessary items.

I really like this placement in my room as no direct sunlight can hit the cage but its right next to both window openings so if it's getting hot (as it is summer) I can give him some air. I will be pulling it away from the wall though once it is done so there will be room for the ventilation.