KOARP armchair upgraded in a very, very good way

Scripto took the KOARP armchair with a metal frame and give it a warm, mid-century modern style. The end result looks like a designer armchair at a fraction of the price.

First thing he did was remove the powder coated steel frame from the seat.

The plan was to reuse all the “soft” parts of the chair and hack a new wooden frame from Sapele lumber.

He then made a cardboard template of the frame.

Related: KLIPPAN two-seater to armchair conversion

Next, he planed the lumber and cut them to size, according to his template.

Next was to test and join the parts together. Scripto used dowels for joints to avoid using any hardware.

With everything in place, he applied glued and clamped the parts tight. Set aside to cure.

Repeat for the legs.

After the glue has dried, it was time for the stress tester to do its job. Judging from its face, it passed.

All edges of the frame were sanded and routed for a smooth, curved finish.

The last step was to finish with a coat of polyurethane.

You can see the effect of the finish in the photo below. One before and the other after the polyurethane.

And voilà! The new frame totally elevates the look of the armchair.

Here’s a closer look at the wood detail.

It’s so good, he made a pair.

How long did it take and how much did it cost?

It took him around 10-20 hours, with the bulk of the time spent in planning.

He got the Sapele lumber at a good price of around $4 per board foot. For both chairs, it cost him around $100.

See the original post on Reddit.

~ by Scripto23

IMPORTANT NOTE: The KOARP armchair comes with a 10-year limited warranty from IKEA. Modifying the armchair in any way will void the warranty.

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