07/16/2021
🌱 DIY Ikea Cabinet Greenhouse 🌱
Well, y'all, it's been a number of months, I know, but I've *finally* put together a post about how I built my Ikea cabinet greenhouse! It was definitely a long process working toward my vision, but I love her and I get so many comments and questions about her all the time. So, here's your step-by-step reference post!
First off, I cannot recommend anything more than the Ikea Greenhouse Club fb group. There are a million posts to reference there and so many different ideas. 💚
Second note, the cost of Ikea cabinets are skyrocketing because of this trend. I lucked into mine but you can really use any curio cabinet, just remember to *seal it* if it's wood. Mold and mildew are no fun. 😝
Disclaimer: This method of building is of my own creation, i.e. I made it up, especially the moss wall! Imitate at your own risk. 😂
Now, finally, my cabinet building journey!
(Skip to step 6 for the moss wall build.)
Step 1: Build your cabinet.
I will note, here, that some people prefer to drill their holes before putting the cabinet together. I didn't trust my measuring skills and Ikea part identification enough for that nonsense though. 💁🏻♀️
Step 2: Drill your hole.
Make sure you have a hole saw designed for whatever material you're drilling through (mine was metal, so a wood saw wouldn't have cut it). This was definitely the most terrifying step in the process! I used my battery powered drill but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else, considering it started smoking multiple times while I was trying to drill my hole. 😅 Use a wired drill if you can, and make sure you have a lubricant if you're drilling through metal (I used olive oil because it's what I had in the house 👀). Have some guts and some faith and a lot of patience. I marked my hole, poured the oil, and set to drilling. It was a long process. The drill bit got stuck often and I would have to set the drill in reverse to back it out, then switch it back and keep drilling. I kind of got in a rhythm of this drill, reverse, drill and finally made a hole after about an hour!
[Side note: Most people drill their hole in the bottom. I put mine in the top. I don't have to run the light cords through the cabinet and I didn't have to drill through two layers of metal. Big fan.]
Step 3: Insert your grommet.
I got mine on Amazon.
Step 4: Hang your lights and run your cords.
After much research, I decided on lights from theorchidhobbyist.com and I have zero regrets. I love them! They're hung with magnetic hooks from Amazon.
Step 5: Take a break and enjoy your work.
Your cabinet can start holding plants now, while you finish all of the details!
Step 6: Cut your moss wall foundation to size.
I used the plastic grid made for fluorescent lights, but I've seen other people use egg crate. This is just what I was able to find at my local Lowe's. I measured the inside of the cabinet and cut the plastic with wire cutters, then put it in place to check my work.
Step 7: Zip tie your grid pieces together.
Make sure it's secure!
Step 8: Attach your backing.
I used coco coir mats. I cut them to size and then used more zip ties to attach it to the grid. Then I put it in place to check my work.
Step 9: Hang your fan and enjoy your work.
I found my fan on Amazon and hung it with magnetic hooks. You can use computer fans or really anything that will fit.
Step 10: Seal the cabinet with silicone and weather stripping.
Take everything out of your cabinet first, then seal all of the seems between glass and metal. Mine isn't the prettiest but it works. 💁🏻♀️ I used a silicone safe for under water use because I also keep planted aquariums and thought I might get more use out of it (I haven't 👀). Definitely invest in a caulking gun, as it makes the process much easier.
Add your weather stripping around the doors. I used a 3/4 inch foam weather stripping that I found on Amazon. It took a little finagling to figure out where to place it so the doors would close all the way, but luckily I had enough to pull it off and try a few different placements.
Step 11: Add your sphagnum moss to your moss wall.
I recommend a high quality spag moss (Chilean or New Zealand). I rehydrated mine in a large mixing bowl and stuffed it into the grid using tweezers and fingers. This process is TIME CONSUMING. It took me many hours over many days, but I much prefer the look of it to moss wall where the grid is sandwiched on top of a layer of moss. I wanted my grid mostly hidden, and this accomplished that goal.
Step 12: Place your moss wall.
I used more magnetic hooks to kind of wedge my wall in place. I'm sure there's a better way to manage this, but it worked well enough for me.
Step 13: Put everything in place and take a nap in the glory of your grow lights.
Tada!
