My brother recently passed down his old Ikea nightstands to me (thanks Timmy!). What I love about Ikea is that it’s a convenient, inexpensive way to outfit our homes with furniture named Görg and Flugalhorn. What I don’t love about Ikea is that it’s an inexpensive way to make our homes look like shabby recreations of their catalogue, each apartment similar to the rest.
I believe that a home should be filled with history and character. Although we cannot (yet) stick furniture in a time machine to give it history, we have it in our power to give pieces more character with a little paint and imagination. Materials and instructions after the jump…
Do you 
or yet?
Before
I was inspired by this ($149!) nightstand from Urban Outfitters, it fueled my obsession with mint, so I decided to make them over with the leftover paint I had from my desk redo.
Materials Needed:
- Ammonia and water
- Paper towels
- Sanding block
- Wood filler (optional)
- Spray primer
- FLAT paint (important!!)
- Clear gloss spray enamel
- Paint brush
- Sponge brush
- Mask
- Cane webbing (got mine over at Amazon)
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
1. Clean the piece. Since my desk was pretty dirty I scrubbed it down with a water and little ammonia, then wiped it dry with paper towels.
2. Sand. Since most Ikea pieces are made from laminate, I used a sanding block to sand it lightly.
3. Fill in holes if need be. Fill in all holes and gauges with wood filler. Let dry according to the instructions on the packaging, at least 20 minutes. Sand any excess filler gently with fine sandpaper.
4. Prime. I used spray primer since its a lot faster than the old fashioned kind, but either will work. I just did one coat, although you can be safe with two. Let dry and sand out any little imperfections.
5. Paint. Use FLAT PAINT to get maximum adhesion. Paint two coats sanding between coats.
6. Gloss. Clear Gloss Enamel spray paint turns your piece from flat to glossy. Do as many light coats as you have patience for, at least 4 or 5. Let the piece dry 10 minutes between coats. DO NOT sand between gloss coats.
Credits:
Paint color: Valspar 6003-9C Green Gala
Nobs: Anthropologie
Cain Webbing: Amazon
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I love the colors you used! Great idea!
I like yours much better than the Urban Oufitters! Their piece seems out of proportion to me and conjures up the dowdy settings of my childhood. Nor do I think it does a very good job of earning its keep in terms of storage, especially in a small space.
I’m guessing it would take someone who is an expert in IKEAishness to identify yours as such. Great idea!
Why thank you Ellen! That’s so kind : ) -Meagan
So cute! I clicked over from Curbly. Beautiful job. I’m inspired to try doing something similar this summer.
Thank you for this! I WILL do this for my new office! I’m excited!
You’re so welcome! -Meagan
Love this! I’m wondering about using a paint that has primer in – do you think that could work just as well?
Thank you for sharing!!
That may be able to work, although I think that primer paint is not as good of quality as doing it separately. Make sure you use flat paint so it adheres well.
Have you had any issues with the paint chipping? I have two dressers and a wardrobe in the ASPELUND that I’d like to paint. That’s a lot of painting…
Hi Emily,
I haven’t. The steps that I’ve outlined- priming, flat paint, and the clear spray gloss finish really help the paint stay on there. Hope that helps! -Meagan