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Transform your TV dinners with this uplifting hack

When I started to live on my own I bought the MELLTORP square table. First it was a dining table. Later, when I could afford more space, I got another dining table and I changed the MELLTORP into a coffee table by cutting down the legs to sofa height. But eating from that table or working was quite uncomfortable with the body hunched over. So I decided to hack it into a lift top coffee table. I call it my Magic MELLTORP.

MELLTORP dining table

MELLTORP | IKEA.com

Material:
  • 4 aluminium bars cut down from one piece
  • 8 metal screws (as axles)
  • 16 washers for the screws and nuts
  • 16 nuts to fix the bars and as bolt counters
  • 4 brackets to fix the bars to the back of the plate

Instructions for the lift top coffee table hack

1. I took off the plate by turning out the screws that were holding it.

2. Next, drilled four holes into the metal frame of the table.

3. And put a thin screw with washers and nuts through the holes.

4. Then, added four bars of aluminium to the screws and fitted them with the nuts. The fixing-point of the bars on the frame and on the back of the plate as well as the length of the braces depend upon how high you want the table in the end. I experimented with it (you can see the holes of failed attempts in the picture 🙂 )

Lift top coffee table IKEA MELLTORP Hack

Lift top coffee table IKEA MELLTORP Hack

5. The position of the brackets to fix the plate to the bars could be easily found by turning the table upside down.

Lift top coffee table IKEA MELLTORP Hack

Lift top coffee table IKEA MELLTORP Hack

Now the top of the table can be pulled up and towards one side, giving comfort and safety for the sofa from smudges caused by the snacking in the evening. 🙂

~ by Stephan

Shop for lift top hinges and hardware

You may also like these other lift top coffee table hacks

#1 Lift top coffee table, HEMNES version

lift top coffee table IKEA HEMNES

Adam added a lift-top functionality to his HEMNES coffee table to raise it up and move it closer when seated at the sofa. It’s useful for eating or working at the coffee table. See the tutorial.

#2 Arcade table with lift top

arcade table with lift top

Great find from Source Ikeahacker

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