Ikea Kivik Chaise Custom Legs
I have seen a few similar posts from others about their experiences of putting longer legs on the Ikea Kivik couch, but mainly looks at overseas suppliers of the hardware needed, so I thought I would offer up our Australian experience.
We needed to replace our old white leather couch that struggled with two children and two cats. We wanted a couch that was easy to clean with covers that could be put in the wash if needed, and covers that could be replaced easily if a child or cat managed to rip or scratch it. So the Kivik seemed like one of the better options available, but as many have mentioned it is too low to the ground, making it more difficult for older guests to get in and out of.
We decided to go with the 3 seater couch, chaise and ottoman in the Hillard
I had a look at the installation instructions
I looked online for quite a while looking for legs. There were very plain ones available at the local hardware store,
Costs
12 x 13cm Wooden Legs = Free
12 x $1.00 Bolts 5/16" with narrow head = $12.00
12 x $3.20 Leggz Vertical Plate 5/16" Furniture Plates = 38.40
Packet of Bed Raisers $23.95
Wood stain wipes = $5.00
TOTAL = $79.35
The issue of the chaise/lounge connection legs was a difficult one. If we had just the couch or just the chaise it would be a simple process of just installing the new legs in the four corners of each. However, in the section where the couch connects to the chaise, there are two brackets that also act as feet. We needed something that was (height of the new legs & bracket - height of the original Kivik legs), so about 13.5cm - 4cm = 9.5cm
We tried to sit in on some 10cm Leggz wood block legs but it ended up too high and the feet of the couch didn't touch the floor. So we went for the Bed Raisers, which said it was only 7.6cm tall, however we put and an extra layer of foam in the top of it and it worked perfectly, supporting the legs in the bracket but not raising them up too high.
We also decided to put fabric protection on the couch from the outset. I had wanted to use a solar and stain protection one as I had read reviews that the Kivik fabric can get really bad solar fading. But I couldn't find anywhere that had a safe formulation. Most of the products either had really nasty chemicals in them which I didn't want the kids snuggling up to every day, or when I contacted the companies of the products to find out what the ingredients were they wouldn't disclose. In the end we picked a silicone dioxide nanoparticle, which I hope will be safe.
Overall the new couch looks good, for now. Only time will tell how it goes in our busy house.
We needed to replace our old white leather couch that struggled with two children and two cats. We wanted a couch that was easy to clean with covers that could be put in the wash if needed, and covers that could be replaced easily if a child or cat managed to rip or scratch it. So the Kivik seemed like one of the better options available, but as many have mentioned it is too low to the ground, making it more difficult for older guests to get in and out of.
We decided to go with the 3 seater couch, chaise and ottoman in the Hillard
I had a look at the installation instructions
I looked online for quite a while looking for legs. There were very plain ones available at the local hardware store,
Costs
12 x 13cm Wooden Legs = Free
12 x $1.00 Bolts 5/16" with narrow head = $12.00
12 x $3.20 Leggz Vertical Plate 5/16" Furniture Plates = 38.40
Packet of Bed Raisers $23.95
Wood stain wipes = $5.00
TOTAL = $79.35
The issue of the chaise/lounge connection legs was a difficult one. If we had just the couch or just the chaise it would be a simple process of just installing the new legs in the four corners of each. However, in the section where the couch connects to the chaise, there are two brackets that also act as feet. We needed something that was (height of the new legs & bracket - height of the original Kivik legs), so about 13.5cm - 4cm = 9.5cm
We tried to sit in on some 10cm Leggz wood block legs but it ended up too high and the feet of the couch didn't touch the floor. So we went for the Bed Raisers, which said it was only 7.6cm tall, however we put and an extra layer of foam in the top of it and it worked perfectly, supporting the legs in the bracket but not raising them up too high.
We also decided to put fabric protection on the couch from the outset. I had wanted to use a solar and stain protection one as I had read reviews that the Kivik fabric can get really bad solar fading. But I couldn't find anywhere that had a safe formulation. Most of the products either had really nasty chemicals in them which I didn't want the kids snuggling up to every day, or when I contacted the companies of the products to find out what the ingredients were they wouldn't disclose. In the end we picked a silicone dioxide nanoparticle, which I hope will be safe.
Overall the new couch looks good, for now. Only time will tell how it goes in our busy house.
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