DIY: Ikea Kura Train Track Hack

***Welcome Pinteresters! Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog and my Ikea Kura hack. If you like what you see follow me or like me on Facebook! Also stay tuned the Ikea Kura is getting re-hacked with a Lego theme in the next month! (September 2014)***

OK, I'm going to blow your mind.

Are you ready?

You know those wooden train tracks your preschooler has buckets and buckets of? Yes, the ones that are constantly scattered across the floor and in various states of construction/destruction depending on how you look at it.

Well... they fit perfectly along the top rail of the Ikea Kura bunk bed!

Isn't that cute?

Which leads me to my "hack"....

What you will need:

• Lots of straight wooden train tracks
• 8 small curves
• A 14 inch piece of 2x2 
• Hot glue (or wood glue)
• Optional: hill and bridge wooden train track pieces

I'm going to quickly say something about the glue. I used hot glue on this project because I wanted to be able to remove it as my children's interests change. I plan on having this bunk bed until Kyle is a pre-teen so it really needs to be changeable. I have had this on the kids' Kura bed for a few months now and Kyle has pulled a few tracks off but they are easy to replace, just a little hot glue and we are ready to go again! If you are fine with something more permanent go with wood glue and those train tracks will be there forever!

OK on to the "hack"...

Start with making the removable ladder insert.

Cut the 2x2 so that it is 14 inches long.

Tip: Don't worry about using a saw or hauling a large piece of wood home, Home Depot and Lowes will cut wood for you.

Another tip: you may be able to find the wood piece you need in the scrap wood bin at the back of the store for super cheap. Well, even cheaper than a 2x2 already is.

Once the wood is cut it should just fit in between the ladder space but still be easily removed. Sand, paint or poly it as needed.

Position the curved piece of track so that it lines up with the track that will be around the bed frame. Glue that piece to the ladder insert.

The curve piece will over hang the wood a bit but that is OK! That is what we want!

Get the longest straight piece of track you have, in this case I used an old suspension bridge. A really old suspension bridge! My brother played with that piece when he was a toddler now he's almost 20!

Glue the long straight piece so that it goes past the end of the wood an inch or more. I only needed two pieces for my ladder insert. The one short curve and the long suspension bridge. If you have shorter pieces of track make sure you lay them out first so that at least one goes past the wood by an inch. This over hang is what holds the bridge in place and allows it to be removable.

Now that the ladder insert is done lay out the other track all the way around the edge of the bed until you have a configuration that works. I added a few hills and other bridge pieces to make it more fun. Glue those in place and that is it. You are done! Look at that happy Kyle face!