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I know people have probably been hacking Ikea goods for as long as the place has been churning out affordable furniture. I also know Im totally late to the hacking party! While I’ve bought plenty of Ikea furniture over the years its never been with the intention to hack from the get go. That is, until this move. Until this Ikea ‘As-Is’ section. Until this Ikea nightstand hack.
The Raw Goods
If you’ve been reading my posts for a while you will remember our latest Ikea haul that maxed out our Prius’ packing capabilities(above). Hidden in that pile of discounted goods were two beat up MALM nightstands priced at a whopping $27. We may have knack for finding crazy as-is deals(what can I say?!). These guys are still reasonably priced new but seeing the pair marked down so much with what I considered strictly cosmetic issues I threw them on our cart as quickly as possible.
The Paint
After rolling around a few color schemes for our new bedroom space I decided on a Navy, Rosegold, Beachwood combo. With that in mind I skimmed the chalk paint color selection and grabbed a jar in the color Nautical
good as better than new!
DIY note: if you’re mixing a custom color its really helpful to weigh as you go. I use our digital kitchen scale and and write down the “recipe” as I mix. This way I can create multiple batches while covering larger areas and duplicate the shade exactly as needed. The final color came out to about 3 parts blue and 1 part black.
The Hardware
I’ve used these simple pulls for other projects in the past and loved them. I knew I wanted to use them again to keep the look pretty clean and modern. Plus, you can grab the multi pack of 10 which is great because I have plans for the other 6 handles (more on that later). I’d been lusting after all the gorgeous rose gold hardware floating around Pinterest for some time but after seeing a couple price tags(who pays this much for handles??) decided I could get the same look with some good ol’ spray paint.
*Update: Amazon has now started making their own version of these pulls for a fraction of the price! I’ve used both and they’re equally well made and versatile for DIY projects.
I started off with the Valspar Rose Gold since it was so highly recommended online. This was great on coverage and it did have a rose-y hue but I like my Rose Gold pushing the line on Copper so I went in search of something else. Now, looking at the Dusty Pink
The Final Hack
I know I’ve been blowing up my social media with a lot of #chalkpaint but I’m still totally in love. Get used to it peeps! Any product that has this kind of coverage and staying power without me having to sand a single square inch is here to STAY! This covered all the scrapes and scratches these floor models had and made it look like part of the wood grain. And again: NO SANDING!
We talked about adding feet/legs(and we may still) but for now we are loving these new-to-us nightstands! So have you intentionally hacked any Ikea goods? Done a nightstand makeover? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
29 Comments
This is such an incredible transformation, I just love the colour you’ve used on this. Ikea furniture is the best to upcycle!
Thank you! And I’d have to agree, it makes for some awesome upcycled projects!
These look amazing! What is the point of the wax, is it necessary?
Wax seals and protects the the paint. Makes it more durable in general 😊
I absolutely love the way these turned out!! I have always heard that Ikea furniture is the best when it comes to upcycling on a budget.
I love how you upcycled this! I always hope to repurpose my stuff like this!
I absolutely love this little transformation! Great color choice 🙂
That color is stunning!! You did an amazing job!!!
Fantastic transformation! I just love that shade of blue.
i love the blue color you chose! this looks like something i could do!
I need to check out the “as is” at Ikea. I haven’t done that before and I love to find a bargain!
Bravo! Truly creative and impressive work! Love the blue hue as well.
This looks like a job well done! I love ikea hacks – but hate putting together ikea furniture lol
So cute! I love Ikea, especially for my daughters’ furniture. You have inspired me to update their dresser.
I absolutely love the color!
So cute!! And I love this color too. My MIL is super big on transforming furniture so I’m having her do a lot of it for us when we move later this year (I am NOT a DIY kind of girl haha).
What a wonderful job you’ve done! I love that shade of blue 🙂
Wow! I love everything about this makeover. The color is beautiful and I think the hardware was a great choice. Very sleek and modern. Nicely done!
This is beautiful! How much paint and wax did you need for one nightstand?
Thanks Amanda! For 2 nightstands I used prob 1/3 a jar of black, most of the jar of blue, and 1/3 of a jar of wax. If you want more shine you will prob need heavier/multiple coats of wax but I wanted a semi-gloss look so I didnt use very much. Obv if you are just doing 1 nightstand you will only need half as much. This paint covers sooooo well Im always surprised how little I ever use for projects!
Thank you for the tip! I was going to buy 2 jars of paint but now I know I don’t have to 🙂
Happy to help! If you share your project on social feel free to tag @kreatinghomes, I’d love to check it out!
Awesome results!
With the chalkpaint, primer and base coats are not required?
Thanks Jan! You are correct- no primer or base coats with chalkpaint😊
I’m curious if there’s a reason you went with the chalk paint vs. a spray paint or regular paint? Looking to transform my Malm too and I’m not quite sure how to tackle painting over the veneer. Did you sand too?
Hi Ericka! I chose this particular one bc it allows you to paint directly onto the veneer without any prep/sanding. It’s been an awesome way to make quick transformations 😊
Great transformation, the deep blue colour is really something special. Thanks for sharing! Carolina at Hamilton Billiards.
Thanks Carolina!
I love this hack. What size was the pulls used for the MALM nightstands?