When I first planned out the theme for Teddy’s nursery, I wanted to give it a bit of vintage charm with brown-wood furniture. However, despite over 5 months of searching on Facebook Marketplace, I just couldn’t get my hands on the right dresser. Either they were too broken, too short for the purposes of a changing table, or just darn expensive. So by the time August rolled around, I knew we were on borrowed time with an October baby on the way. I decided to make my own IKEA hack dresser with the IKEA Tarva 6 drawer chest as a base.
So truth be told, there are still many things I’d do differently with this IKEA hack, but I love the end result, and I find the look infinitely nicer than just the plain old Tarva.
Supplies
- IKEA Tarva Dresser
- 42ft 1/4″ moulding
- Clamps
- Wood Glue
- Mitre saw or hand saw
- Measuring tape
- 1 Quart of Stain*
- 1 Sample size can of paint
- Hardware knobs
See below notes whether oil or water-based stain is right for you. In my case I chose oil.
The Idea
To start, I definitely wanted to add dimension to the drawers, so adding some trim was a must. Using some Gorilla wood glue, and 1/4″ moulding I was able to get the desired shaker look using some clamps and mitered angles.
Staining
Initially, I planned to use Minwax Dark Walnut stain, but after doing a few trial runs, found it way too dark by itself. So I blended the stain 1:1 ratio with the Minwax Early American. My mistake here was not preconditioning the wood, so the grain ended up being very visible and more contrasted than I’d like. Pine is already a finicky wood to work with, but on top of it all I chose the cutting-corners route, so my one regret is not conditioning the wood when I should have. A good way to guarantee this IKEA hack is flawless is doing more prep-work. Don’t think that just because it is bare untreated wood that is enough for the stain to penetrate properly.
The above is 1 coat in, and below is 2 total stain coats. It’s also important to note that water-based stains raise the grain of wood, which requires extra sanding before sealing. For this reason I went with oil based – which takes significantly longer to dry and set, but doesn’t need sanding.
To seal I used Varathane’s Satin finish Polyurethane, and did a total of 3 coats, despite saying it’s extra thick, I just felt for a high-usage piece it needed it.
Regrets
I was working pretty much exclusively at night (due to working full-time during the day), so I didn’t notice how uneven my stain ended up looking. Initially I hated the look and thought I ruined a $300 dresser. I had only a month before baby was due so I knew redoing everything wouldn’t work timing wise, but I needed to distract from the contrast of the wood itself. Plus for what it’s worth the top and side part was flawless.
I tried three types of knobs before deciding that black and grey were definitely the wrong choice, and opted for brass hardware instead. It took me a few mock ups, but ultimately painting did the trick in giving it the oomph I needed!
The IKEA Tarva has such a basic look to it, that I realized my problem was simply adding contrast. So I tried a few Photoshop mock ups; then got the same BEHR Wheat Bread paint and painted the trim. Instantly, the dresser looked way better.
Final Result
Now, I would still in hindsight have spent the extra time preconditioning it, but I do really love how it turned out.
The final result looks classic and perfect for a kids room.
If you want to see the full room tour, check it out (soon). You can also see how I achieved the Buffalo plaid walls without using any wallpaper to save on costs.
In the meantime, good luck on your DIY journeys. While there are dozens out there, I hope you enjoy this IKEA hack tutorial and perhaps it inspires you to try something new as well!
Cheers!
