TODAY I’M SHARING AN IKEA DRESSER HACK. YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS SAD CURB-SHOPPED BEFORE AND AFTER!
Aside from cinnamon rolls, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve bought something from IKEA. When I found this pine dresser curbside, I was 99% sure it was IKEA. It was lightweight – I loaded it into my FUV (Furniture Utility Vehicle) by myself. It had the giveaway plastic drawer rails. And also the signature assembly hardware. But after I lugged it home, I started questioning myself because I couldn’t find an exact match anywhere online.
Facebook #sifamily to the rescue. *big smile – you guys are the best*
Diana and Kelly both left a comment confirming this IS an IKEA Narvik dresser. Even the bun feet are original to the piece. Everything is identical to the ones they bought over 20 years ago!
So I can’t wait to share this Ikea Dresser Hack with you. You’re not going to believe this sad-curb-shopped before and after! And as an added bonus, I have 5 other before and afters for you at the end of this post because it’s my favorite Thursday of the month – Furniture Fixer Upper Day!
Here we go… what do you think?
THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE. YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.
SOURCE LIST::
DIY IKEA DRESSER HACK::
I started by giving this piece a super good cleaning with TSP. Then I removed the feet and hardware.
After the piece dried, instead of sanding (which would have resulted in a TON of bleedthrough!) I used Slick Stick to make sure the paint would adhere. I noticed some scratches and imperfections after the first coat, so I used DB Mud in White to cover them up – then applied my second coat of slick stick right on top.
Once it was ready to paint, I mixed equal parts Coffee Bean + Gravel Road. This resulted in this deep and moody charcoal that you see below.
TIP:: When I use a high-density roller to paint my primer or paint, rather than dirty another paintbrush, I use the end of my roller to get into all the grooves. The foam contours to the shape of the groove and works perfectly. The key to a nice clean look when using this little trick is not to overload the foam with paint. Here’s how it looked with the first coat.
Once my base coat was dry I started stenciling with this cream. I used the combination of a roller + brush to stencil this large dresser. The high-density roller made the job go quicker while the brush made the edges nice and crisp.
This was my first time using a ReDesign With Prima brush for my stenciling. It’s technically called a waxing brush but this brush was AMAZING for stenciling. The best one I’ve tried so far!
And here’s a stenciling tip from Angeline – one of our #sifamily!
“When stenciling furniture and using a few colors on an already painted colored background, make sure your first coat of stencil paint is white so that when you put your colors on top of the dried white coat, the colors will ‘pop’ and not be dimmed by the background-color”. ~ Angeline
Thanks for this! I love it when you all email me and share your experiences, so keep them coming!
Did you notice I’m missing some knobs? I was positive I had a set of 12 but when I went to install them I was three short. It’s a perfect excuse to spend an afternoon shopping. 😉
And now for some FURNITURE FIXER UPPER FUN!
I know you’re going to LOVE what this team of creative girls do. It’s inspiration and techniques six-fold! 😉
Below are their BEFORE photos – visit the links underneath to see the amazing AFTERS and to learn how they did it! I’ll meet you over there! 😉
2. Confessions Of A Serial DIYer
If you missed my last post and want to take a peek at 1/2 of our Furniture Fixer Upper Crew gallivanting around Austin Texas, you can check us out here. I’m wishing you an amazing weekend and I’ll see you all back here next Tuesday!
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS IKEA HACK PAINTED DRESSER … OR FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU.
Thanks for reading. 🙂
Wishing you a beautiful day filled with inspiration and Happy Painting friends!
Denise XO
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How To Apply Furniture Transfers
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Stop Bleed Through When Painting
5 Ideas To Update An Old Desk
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Amazing makeover Denise! Love it! 😍😍😍
Thanks my friend! XO
I love that you changed the legs, it changes the entire feel of the piece! Nicely done Denise 😊
Thanks, my friend. XOXO
Congratulations . Changed with the admirable elegance and beauty, changing bases was a good idea. Excuse me, the color of the template design should be a bit lighter. What do you think ?
For sure Morteza. If you prefer it lighter, you could use a color more similar to the basecoat so it blends in.:)
O.K …….thank you very much . I was sure you wouldn’t be upset..
Congratulations . It has changed with admirable elegance and beauty.
Thanks, Morteza!
Denise this is a FAB IKEA hack! That stencil is amazing and the hairpin legs give it that extra oomph. Sassy and sexy, LOL.
Sassy and sexy is good!! 😉 Thanks Jen! XO
I love it
Thanks, Harjith! 🙂
Spectacular. I’m smitten by the entire piece but especially fixated on the legs/feet because they catapult the dresser into mid-century–except not totally because of the stenciling. I keep coming back to look at this over and over.
That’s such a huge compliment Meredith! Thank YOU! XOXO I prefer the hairpin legs over the original bun feet too. 🙂
Hey Denise!!! You are so brave and confident. I would be scared that I would have bleed through without using a spray adhesive to keep my stencil down. Can i do that on such a big piece? Your transformations are just so amazing . Every Thursday i look forward to your Fixer Upper. You and Christy are my hero’s. I love the Coffee bean and Gravel road blended color. I wish i was that confident. Someday i will be. You never told me where you sell your pieces at.
Thank you for sharing your artistry. You are an Inspiration!
One more thing, can you show me an example of a stencil using different colors?
Hey Cheryl! 🙂 Thanks so much for all your kindness. You always put a smile on my face. Yes, you can use spray adhesive if you feel more comfortable for sure. I sell my pieces on Kijiji but sometimes they don’t even make it to a listing because I get inquiries through the #siblog and social media. And unfortunately, I don’t have any examples of stencils using various colors because I’m not that brave…lol. One day I will be and I’ll be sure to share. 😉
You rocked it and then some, Denise. Beautiful!
Aw, thanks Larissa… means a lot coming from you my friend. XOXO
AAAAmazing! So gorgeous:-)
Thank you Heather!! 🙂
I would never have the nerve to do this but it looks amazing! I really like the new legs too! ~ Nicki
Thanks Nicki! XO
Wow, you totally changed the look with those hairpin legs! Love the stencil and I will remember Angeline’s smart stencil tip. FUV – had a good laugh over that one 🤣 Gosh Denise, you always discover the best curbside finds,
Thanks and I loved Angeline’s tip too. I’m going to give it a try next time I stencil with more than one color! Totally in love with your yellow MCM makeover! That color put a HUGE smile on my face! XO
Very pretty and inspirational! The stencil choice and application are beautiful. I’m not sure about the hairpin legs, but it sure looks pretty in the room you staged it in. I also really appreciate you & your blogger friends listing and linking the supplies you used. You may want to consider having links open up in a new browser window so we don’t have to go back and forth, though. (I’m lazy. LOL) Great job!
Hi Lizzy! So glad you like all of our makeovers and ‘new window’ suggestions noted! Thank you! 🙂
SHUT UP!! This is gorgeous! thats all.. Im speechless lol xoxox
lol…thanks, my friend! It was a fun dresser to do! XO
The IKEA dresser hack is gorgeous! I want to try it myself. I have a question, though: why did you use both roller AND paint brush for applying the stencil paint? Is one better/easier than the other? I have no experience (yet!) with stencilling, and haven’t a clue what to do! But your dresser hack has helped immensely, thanks.
Sincerely,
Linda Hayward
Great question Linda! I probably should have added more detail in the post but here we go. 🙂 Once I layed down the stencil in the appropriate spot, I secured it with painters tape. Then I loaded up my roller with paint, and off-loaded the extra paint onto a shop towel. Whenever stenciling with a brush or roller, they should have a minimum amount of paint on them so that when your stenciling, extra paint won’t run under or bleed under the stencil edge. It looks messy and not good when that happens. Leaving the stencil in place, I waited for the first coat to dry and applied a second coat the exact same way. Once the second coat was dry, I used the stenciling brush for my third coat. The reason being; the foam roller does an excellent job at covering the middle parts of the stenciled openings – but it doesn’t do a great job at creating crips clean lines around the stencil edges. The brush is perfect for the crip outlines! So between the two, it makes a large stenciling project go much faster. 🙂
Denise, you’ve done it again! What an incredible make-over – I would never have recognized that old pine piece.
ANd the tip about starting with white on a colored background makes perfect sense, yet I have never thought about doing it myself!!! Love learning all these little tricks of the trade.
Thanks Lis!!! And ya, I never would have thought of starting with white on a colored background either but to get all the true colors to come through, it does make perfect sense, doesn’t it!? I’m so grateful when I learn something new and I think thats why I love painting furniture. It’s such an amazing creative outlet and forever changing and growing and learning so never a dull moment. 🙂
What a transformation!
Thanks Steph! My BFF is a Stephanie also but always call her Steph… hope it’s okay. 🙂
OMG I’m in love!! I have no other words.. IKEA should hire you ! LOL Really wish I could access DB products locally, the shipping charges are just too exorbitant.
Aw, so thrilled you like it!!! And ya, the shipping is super costly. I know DB is really expanding here in CA and overseas UK, AU etc so hopefully there will be a retailer in your area real soon. Fingers crossed. 🙂
This is one of my absolute favorites that you have done! I LOVE it! Thanks for the inspiration
Aw, thanks AJ! It’s bold yet feminine, right!? Not for a quiet understated decor…lol. 😉
Oh WOW!! This turned out so very cool! You did a great job!
Thanks Cate! 🙂
Oh my word, this is stunning!!!! Your creativity never ceases to amaze me, my friend!! And I never even realized there were knobs missing! XOXO
Thanks Christy… and I was hoping no one would notice…lol
You are amazing! Love what you create, You have such a creative eye, and your instructions are so great.
Oh, thanks for this Connie! When I put these posts together I always try to make the instructions easy-peasy so this means a lot. XOXO
Wow Denise! You turned a completely plain and unremarkable dresser into a show piece. Absolutely stunning. The black and white contrast looks amazing:)
Thanks my friend! The black and white is pretty bold and dramatic but I think it really works on this plain piece. So happy you like it! Hugs