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.

Ikea Koarp Armchair

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.

Plan

He then made a cardboard template of the frame.

Template

Related: KLIPPAN two-seater to armchair conversion


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

Sapele Lumber

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

Pieces Of The Frame

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

Joining The Pieces

Repeat for the legs.

Joining The Pieces

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

Ikea Koarp Armchair Upgrade

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.

Frame

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

Ikea Koarp Armchair Upgrade

Here’s a closer look at the wood detail.

Armrest

It’s so good, he made a pair.

Ikea Koarp Armchair Upgrade
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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