IKEA LACK Rack Guide: The Famous $10 Home Lab Rack

The LACKRack might be the most famous hack in the home lab community. Take one IKEA LACK side table — ~$10 at any IKEA store — flip it upside down, and you have a functional 19-inch rack that fits standard network gear. It sounds like a joke. It works surprisingly well.

First documented at the eth0:2010 Winterlan hacker event in the Netherlands, the LACKRack spread through forums, Reddit, and home lab communities worldwide. The concept is dead simple: the inner leg spacing on the LACK side table happens to be almost exactly 19 inches — the standard width for rack-mount equipment. No modification needed for the basic build. Just unbox the table, assemble it, turn it upside down, and start sliding gear in.

This guide covers everything you need to know: which table to buy, what fits, weight limits, ventilation, stacking for more space, and when it’s time to move on to a real rack.

What Is a LACKRack?

A LACKRack is an IKEA LACK side table repurposed as a 19-inch equipment rack. The hack works because of a happy coincidence in IKEA’s manufacturing: the interior distance between the LACK’s legs is approximately 19 inches (480mm), matching the EIA-310 standard for rack-mount equipment.

The home lab and hacker communities adopted the LACKRack because it solves a real problem. Proper server racks cost $80–300+. The LACK side table costs ~$10. For someone experimenting with their first network switch, patch panel, or home server, spending $150 on a rack feels excessive. Spending $10 on a table that does 80% of the same job feels smart.

The LACKRack has become a rite of passage in the home lab world — the physical equivalent of running your first Proxmox VM or setting up Pi-hole. It’s not the final destination, but it’s a great starting point.

Which LACK Table to Buy

You want the IKEA LACK side table, 55x55 cm (21 5/8 x 21 5/8 inches). This is the specific model that works. IKEA sells several LACK variants — do not buy the smaller 35x35 cm version or the coffee table (unless you want a deeper build, more on that below).

Key specs for the 55x55 cm LACK side table:

• Price: ~$10 (IKEA article number 801.042.68 in black-brown, or 304.499.08 in white)
• Top dimensions: 55 x 55 cm (21 5/8 x 21 5/8 inches)
• Height: 45 cm (17 3/4 inches)
• Inner leg spacing: ~480mm (~19 inches) — the magic number
• IKEA-rated max load on tabletop: 55 lbs (25 kg)
• Weight of table: approximately 7 lbs (3 kg)

The table comes in multiple colors: black-brown, white, white stained oak effect, and high-gloss white. Black-brown is the most popular for LACKRack builds because it looks closest to actual server rack equipment. White works if you prefer a cleaner look.

What about the LACK coffee table? The LACK coffee table (118 x 78 cm) is almost twice as deep as the side table. Some builders use it for deeper equipment, but it’s overkill for most home lab setups and costs more. The side table is the classic choice.

Buy two tables if you think you’ll need more than ~8U of rack space. At ~$10 each, there’s no reason not to grab an extra.

What Fits in a LACKRack

The LACKRack accommodates standard 19-inch rack-mount equipment — with some caveats.

Fits well (tested by the community):

• 1U network switches (managed and unmanaged)
• 1U patch panels
• Shallow 1U shelves
• Raspberry Pi rack-mount kits
• Most home-grade network gear

Fits with care:

• Small 1U/2U UPS units (watch the weight — see next section)
• Short-depth servers and NAS units
• 2U rack-mount cases

Does not fit:

• Full-depth enterprise servers (the LACK is only ~45 cm / 17.75 inches tall when used as a rack — depth is limited by the tabletop width)
• Heavy enterprise UPS units (weight issues)
• Anything wider than 19 inches with rack ears

Depth limitation: When the table is flipped upside down, the usable depth is limited by the tabletop — about 55 cm (21 5/8 inches). This is fine for switches and patch panels, which are typically 20–30 cm deep. Deeper gear (anything over 45 cm) will overhang and look awkward.

Rack unit count: A single LACK table provides roughly 6–8U of vertical space (about 35 cm of usable height between where gear starts and the tabletop/floor). The exact U count depends on how you mount your equipment and where you position your first device.

A TP-Link SG108E 8-Port Switch is a popular first piece of gear for a LACKRack. It’s compact, lightweight, and doesn’t need rack ears — you can just set it on a NavePoint 1U Cantilever Shelf inside the rack.

Weight Limits

This is where the LACKRack’s charm meets reality. The LACK table was designed to hold a coffee mug and a magazine, not a stack of servers.

The legs are hollow. IKEA’s LACK tables use a honeycomb cardboard interior in the legs, with only the top ~5 cm (2 inches) being solid wood. The tabletop uses the same honeycomb construction. This is what makes the table so light and so cheap — but it also means structural strength is limited.

Practical weight guidelines:

How to reinforce the legs: The most common mod is inserting 44mm x 44mm (roughly 1.75 x 1.75 inch) squared timber into each leg. You’ll need to carefully hollow out the cardboard interior and slide the timber in, then secure it with wood glue. This turns the legs from hollow cardboard tubes into solid wood posts, dramatically increasing load capacity.

An alternative is to use cavity wall anchors or toggle bolts when mounting gear to the legs, which distributes the load across more of the leg surface.

Bottom line: If your total gear weight is under 25–30 lbs and you’re only mounting near the top of the legs, the stock LACK handles it fine. A couple of switches, a patch panel, and some cable management won’t cause issues. A full 2U UPS like the CyberPower CP1500 weighs about 30 lbs on its own — that’s pushing the limit for unmodified legs.

Ventilation and Mods

The LACKRack has one natural advantage over enclosed racks: it’s open on all sides. Air flows freely around your equipment without any modification. For a basic setup with a switch and a patch panel, you won’t need additional cooling.

When you need active cooling:

• Multiple devices generating heat (especially anything with spinning drives)
• Stacked LACKRacks where the upper table traps warm air
• Hot climates or rooms without air conditioning

Common ventilation mods:

1. USB fans on the tabletop. Mount a 120mm USB fan (or two) on top of the tabletop surface to pull warm air up and away. Cheap, effective, and reversible.

2. Drill ventilation holes in the tabletop. The honeycomb interior means you can drill large holes without hitting anything structural. A hole saw creates clean circular vents. Some builders cut a full rectangular opening and cover it with a mesh grille.

3. Side panel fans. If you’ve enclosed the sides with any material for aesthetics, add cutouts with fans to maintain cross-flow.

Other popular mods:

• Rack ears / mounting rails: Screw L-shaped aluminum or steel brackets to the inside of the legs to create actual mounting rails. This lets you secure gear with standard rack screws instead of just resting it on shelves.
• Cable management: Velcro One-Wrap ties wrapped around the legs keep cables tidy without drilling. You can also screw small cable management hooks directly into the legs.
• Feet / casters: Add rubber feet or small casters to the tabletop (which is now the base) to protect floors and make the rack easier to move.
• Shelf inserts: Cut a piece of plywood or acrylic to sit inside the legs as a shelf for non-rack-mount gear like Raspberry Pis or external drives.

Stacking LACK Tables

One LACK table gives you ~8U. Need more space? Stack them.

How stacking works:

1. Assemble two (or more) LACK tables normally
2. Flip the bottom table upside down (this is your rack)
3. Place the second table right-side up on top of the first — the legs nest together naturally
4. Secure with L-brackets or corner braces (4 per joint, one per leg)

The legs of LACK tables align perfectly when stacked. The second table adds another ~8U of rack space and provides a shelf (the tabletop of the second table) in the middle of your stack. Three tables give you roughly 24U — the equivalent of a half-height server rack.

Stacking tips:

• Always use brackets. Without them, the stack is unstable. Four L-brackets and sixteen screws (four screws per bracket) are all you need. Total cost: ~$5 from any hardware store.
• Consider weight distribution. Put your heaviest gear at the bottom. The lowest table bears the weight of everything above it.
• Bolt to the wall if you go three tables high. A tall, narrow stack is a tipping hazard, especially if you’re pulling gear in and out. Two L-brackets screwed into wall studs solve this.
• Leave a gap for airflow if you’re worried about heat. Instead of nesting legs directly, use 1-inch spacers between tables to create an air gap.

A two-table LACKRack stack is the sweet spot for most builds. It gives you ~16U of space for under $25 (two tables plus brackets), which is enough for a switch, patch panel, UPS, NAS, and several more devices.

When to Graduate to a Real Rack

The LACKRack is a fantastic starting point, but it has real limits. Here are the signs it’s time to move on:

Your gear is getting heavy. Once you’re running a proper NAS, a UPS, and multiple servers, you’re easily past what reinforced LACK legs should carry. A StarTech 12U Open Frame Rack handles 200 lbs without breaking a sweat.

You need proper cable management. The LACKRack has no built-in cable routing. With 5+ devices, cables become a mess no matter how many Velcro ties you use. Real racks have vertical cable channels, horizontal management panels, and proper strain relief.

You want adjustable depth. The LACK’s fixed ~55 cm width can’t accommodate deeper gear. Real racks offer adjustable depth rails from 18 to 30+ inches.

You’re adding full-depth servers. Enterprise or even prosumer rack servers (like a Dell PowerEdge or HP ProLiant) are 24–30 inches deep. They physically don’t fit in a LACK.

Noise and vibration. Particle board and cardboard don’t dampen vibration the way a steel frame does. If you’re adding fans or spinning drives, vibration can be noticeable.

For recommendations on your next rack, see the best server rack for home lab guide, or if space is tight, check out the best mini rack options that start at 6U.

Common Mistakes

Buying the wrong LACK table. The 35x35 cm LACK is too small. The LACK coffee table works but is oversized for most builds. You want the 55x55 cm LACK side table specifically.

Overloading without reinforcement. The number one failure mode is cracked or buckled legs from too much weight. If your gear totals more than 25 lbs, reinforce the legs before mounting anything.

Skipping the brackets when stacking. An unsecured stack will eventually fall over. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. L-brackets cost almost nothing — use them.

Mounting gear too low on the legs. The top 5 cm of each leg is solid wood. Below that, it’s hollow cardboard. If you’re screwing into the legs, place your rack ears as close to the top as possible, or reinforce first.

Forgetting about depth. People buy a LACKRack, then try to fit a 26-inch-deep UPS. Measure your gear before building.

No cable management plan. The open design looks great with two cables. It looks terrible with twenty. Plan your cable routing before you start connecting things. A few Velcro One-Wrap ties go a long way.

Wrap-Up

The IKEA LACK side table at ~$10 is the cheapest functional 19-inch rack you can get. It won’t replace a proper server rack for serious builds, but for a first home lab — a managed switch, a patch panel, maybe a Raspberry Pi cluster — it’s genuinely hard to beat.

The LACKRack teaches you something about home labbing that expensive gear doesn’t: constraints force creativity. You’ll learn about rack units, cable management, airflow, and weight distribution — all skills that transfer directly when you eventually upgrade to a real rack.

Start with one LACK table. Add your first switch. See how it feels. If you outgrow it, you’ve spent $10 and learned a lot. That’s a good deal by any measure.

For a complete walkthrough of setting up your first rack (LACK or otherwise), see the home lab rack setup guide. And if you’re building your first lab on a budget, the home lab under $500 guide covers everything you need to get started.