IKEA Dresser Hack
I’ve been loving the fluted furniture trend for a while now, so when we decided to makeover our bedroom I knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow. All the dressers/ nightstands incorporating this were quite pricey and I knew I could DIY something for less. Here’s where I found my inspiration.
I always love a look for less. We have done a few Ikea hacks in our home so I looked there first for a base dresser. I love the Rast because it truly is a blank slate. The raw wood allowed me to not have to remove paint or stain off of an existing piece. The Tarva dresser would also be another great option.
SUPPLIES
Miter Saw | Clamps | Liquid Nails | Caulk | Paint | Pant Roller | Paint Brush | Sandpaper | Hardware | Fluted Trim
I found the fluted trim on Amazon. Each dresser used a little over 2 pieces so I needed 5 pieces at $16 a piece. You can also find a variety of trims at a local hardware store.
Step 1: Cut the trim
Our drawer heights are 9 7/8” high. Everything has to be very precise and the same size so we set up a stop block on our miter saw. We took a scrap piece of wood and clamped it in place so that the drawer face fit between the blade and the block on our saw so every piece would be the same. This also made cutting the trim super quick..
Here’s how the trim looks on the drawer front.
Step 2: Trim off the excess
Each drawer used just under 8 pieces of trim. So we trimmed off the excess material to make it flush with the edges. To do this we used a stop block again to set the distance to keep it consistent.
Step 3: Glue and clamp the trim
The trim is lightweight enough to just use liquid nails to adhere it to the wood dresser. We put the adhesive on then used a foam roller to spread it evenly over the drawer face in a thin layer. The key is not putting too much adhesive on so the trim doesn’t slide around.
Liquid nails needs to set for 24 hours to fully harden so you can move things around a little once everything is placed. The trim is made of urethane so we couldn’t apply clamps directly without damaging it. We also don’t own enough clamps to individually clamp each drawer face separately so we decided to stack them. We placed a piece of scrap wood under the stack and one on top that the clamps would be directly touching. In between each drawer layer we used a piece of wax paper in case any adhesive spilled through the trim. (which it did)
Step 4: Drill for hardware and caulk the seams
Once everything is set and dry we drilled through the existing hardware holes and through the trim.
We then caulked the seams in between the trim pieces. The best way to wipe the caulking is by wetting your finger and moving down the seam.
Step 5: Paint, sand, apply hardware
Once the caulking is dry you can sand any imperfections and paint. I applied 2 coats of satin paint and lightly sanded in between coats. The paint I used was Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige toned down by 50%. I think it is the perfect neutral color.
We noticed once we started to place the hardware they weren’t setting straight because of the trim. So we drilled a hole the same size as the end of the hardware so they would set flush.
The finished dressers turned out really beautiful. I’m so glad we decided to tackle this DIY project. The finished product cost us $222 for both dressers. That is quite a difference in cost from the inspiration piece!
If anyone attempts this project I’d love to see it. So please make sure to share!