DIY Ikea Flisat Sensory Table

At Jurassic Sands we love the Flisat sensory table made by Ikea. It's simple, beautiful, and functional design makes it one of the best sensory tables on the market. Ikea has designed their Flisat table for ease of switching bins, Trofast are the bins made by Ikea, making it a perfect sensory table to store and swap activities quickly.

In the video below we will show you how to build your own Flisat table. You may not have an Ikea in your area or they may be out of stock, so we wanted to show you how to create your own, the materials you'll need, necessary tools, and the appropriate dimensions to work with Ikea's Trofast bins.

DIY Ikea Flisat Sensory Table Video

Materials

• 4x Hairpin Legs (18")
• 1x 16 1/2" Board
• 2x 32 3/4" Boards
• 2x 17 1/2" Boards

Keep in mind the Ikea Flisat table is built with pine. pine is a great option for this table. In our DIY Flisat table we used MDF wood, because we intend to have our nieces paint the table!

We ordered our hairpin legs off amazon.

Tools

• Router
• 1/4" Router Bit
• 1/2" Router Bit
• Miter Saw
• Table Saw
• Dado Stack (Alternative to a router)
• Band Saw (Optional)
• Belt Sander (Optional)
• Wood Glue (Optional)
• Wood Clamps (Optional)

Step 1- Length Boards

1. Cut your two length wood boards to your desired table length. We used standard 2x4 MDF wood boards cut to 32 3/4" length. This is approximately the length of Ikea's Flisat table.
2. Cut your first rabbet joint. You will use a 1/4" router bit set to a height of 3/4". This cut will hold the bin or Trofast.
3. Cut your second rabbet joint. You will use a 1/2" router bit set to a height of 1/4". This cut will hold the table covering so you have a flush table when the covers are placed on the table.
4. (Optional) If you'd like your table to have rounded corners, trace a quarter circle on each corner of your end pieces. We used a cup in the video to achieve a round edge.
5. (Optional) Use a band saw to make a rough cut following the outline you traced in step 4.
6. (Optional) Use a belt sander to smooth and refine your finish.

Step 2- Width Boards

1. Cut your two width wood boards to your desired table width. We used standard 2x4 MDF wood boards cut to 17 1/2" length. This is approximately the width of Ikea's Flisat table.
2. Cut your first rabbet joint. You will use a 1/4" router bit set to a height of 3/4". This cut will hold the bin or Trofast.
3. Cut your second rabbet joint. You will use a 1/2" router bit set to a height of 1/4". This cut will hold the table covering so you have a flush table.
4. Cut your first lap joint. You will use a 1/4" router bit set to a height of 1/2".
5. Cut your second lap joint. You will use a 1/2" router bit set to a height of 1".
6. Dry fit your frame. Make sure your table fits together as expected.

Step 3- Center Board

1. Using a table saw remove 1/4" of depth from the face of the center board.
2. Cut your center wood board. We used standard 2x4 MDF wood boards cut to 16 1/2" length. This allows for you to have two bins or Trofasts in your table at a time.
3. Cut a rabbet joint along each length side of the board. Use a 1/4" router bit set to a height of 1/2".
4. Flip the board over and cut a lap joint along each width side of the board. Use a 1/4" router bit set to a height of 1/2".

Step 4- Attach Legs/Assemble

1. (Optional) If you would like to use wood glue on your joints, do so now. You will want to leave your frame clamped for 24 hours. We didn't believe this step was necessary, as the table is already very sturdy and the legs, once screwed in will hold the joints together.
2. Take your hairpin legs and screw them into the corners. We recommend drilling a pilot hole and then screwing the legs in with the screws that were included with the legs. Our leg's height was 18".

Step 5- Table Coverings

1. You will need a 1/4" thick wooden board. Using a table saw you will cut two coverings with a length of 17 1/2" by a width of 13 1/2".
2. Stack your two coverings and using a drill bit or hole saw you can make a half hole in the middle of each covering so you can lift the coverings more easily to access the bins in your DIY Flisat table.

Your table is done and you're ready to start playing with your child in their new sensory table!

Additional Features

By building this table yourself, it enables you to swap the legs out, so your sensory table can grow with your child. Also, it would very easy to make this a modular table, extending it to three bins! You would need two center boards and to increase your length boards to fit a third bin. 

Sensory Play

Be sure to watch our other videos about "What is sensory play?" and explore our site for activities to do with your child in a Flisat Sensory table. Also, be sure to check out our amazing sensory sands!