Work bench made from Trofast toy storage units

Materials: Two Trofast storage units, Trofast storage boxes, Numerar countertop

Description: About 12 years ago, when my child was young, we bought two Trofast storage units to hold all the toddler toys. Time passed, and the toys got put away in the attic -- but what to do with the Trofasts? They were super sturdy -- we could see their potential for other uses.

Our idea: Butt them short end to short end, add a 72" countertop, and use the new "unit" as a tool bench in our basement. We used a countertop ordered from Home Depot, because we no longer live close to an Ikea. But if you are close to Ikea, you can easily top these with a 73" Numerar countertop.

Note, while the Trofast is about 18" deep front-to-back and kitchen countertops are 25-25" deep front-to-back, we just adjusted the Trofast toward the front of the cabinet so we could get to the drawers and then added some support to the wall to hold the back of the countertop in place so it wasn't tippy. It's worked just fine.

Another note: You can buy the Trofasts complete with bins -- if the bin colors are okay with you -- and probably save a little bit more.

While this is not a true hack -- we didn't rip anything apart! -- it does show how an Ikea piece designed for one use -- in this case, children's toy storage -- for an altogether different purpose -- in this case, a very functional tool bench. I am now designing a craft room -- and I may use this same idea there.

See more of the Trofast work bench.

~ Pam Kueber, United States