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March 24, 2014

Coffee Table (Ikea Hack)

We recently completed our latest Ikea hack.  I am always on the lookout for a great way to customize Ikea pieces.  I knew that I wanted a square coffee table and the dimensions of Ikea's Hemnes table were just what I was looking for.  We used Ikea Hemnes pieces to "hack" our mudroom so we knew that it was all wood and would hold up over time.  Using inspiration from what Centsational Girl and City Farmhouse had done with their Ikea coffee tables, I decided to start hacking yet again.

Ikea Hack hemnes coffee table with planked top - www.goldenboysandme.com

We purchased the Hemnes coffee table in white for $119.

Ikea Hack hemnes coffee table with planked top - www.goldenboysandme.com

Then, we purchased pine tongue and groove 1x6 planks for the planked top.  They cost $6.12 each from Home Depot.  We needed 4 of the 8 ft planks.

tongue and groove pine planks coffee table top - www.goldenboysandme.com

We (meaning Billy) cut them to size and secure them to the top of the coffee table from underneath using 1 1/4 inch screws.  Then, to cover the unfinished edges, he created a picture frame effect.  He used mitered 1x2s.  

Ikea Hack hemnes coffee table with pine tongue and groove plank top - www.goldenboysandme.com

Next, it was time to finish it.  I used the idea from City Farmhouse to create a vinegar stain to age my new pine planks.  I simply put a handful of steel wool in a mason jar and covered it with white vinegar.  I left it alone for about 5 days.  When I opened it, most of the steel wool had dissolved in the vinegar.  I painted the table top using a foam brush.  In the picture below, you can see the difference the vinegar stain made.  On the left, the pine is untreated and on the right, has the vinegar stain.  

Vinegar and steel wool stain on coffee table planked wood top- www.goldenboysandme.com

After this stain completely dried, I created a "wash" stain using some watered down Behr Castle Path paint.  I used the same paint we used on the walls in this room.  I added about 2 tbsp of water to 2 cups of paint to create a milky stain.  Then, using cheesecloth, I wiped the grey stain on the wood, let it dry for a minute, and then went back and wiped some of it off.  Here's what it looked like after one coat.  Pretty blotchy and too much red.

Vinegar and steel wool stain on coffee table planked wood top- www.goldenboysandme.com

And, after two coats...

gray weathered wood look using vinegar stain and paint- www.goldenboysandme.com

Billy then added a coat of Minwax clear furniture wax to the top to seal everything.

Ikea hack Hemnes coffee table with gray weathered wood plank top and Pottery Barn beachcomber round tray basket-www.goldenboysandme.com

Ikea hack Hemnes coffee table with gray weathered wood plank top and Pottery Barn beachcomber round tray basket-www.goldenboysandme.com

Pottery Barn's Beachcomber round tray fits perfectly on the bottom shelf and will be perfect to hold some magazines.  I picked that up at the Pottery Barn outlet last week.

Pottery Barn beachcomber tray basket on Ikea Hack coffee table-www.goldenboysandme.com

This room is now filled with Ikea furniture.  The Hovas sofa is holding up remarkably well.  The white corduroy fabric needs to be cleaned way less often than the white cotton Ektorp slipcover I have in my Master Bedroom.  And, this sofa is incredibly comfortable.  On the other hand, the Jennylund (gray check) chair recently broke and Billy needed to do some major surgery on the back legs to get it sturdy again.  I like the size and look of this chair, but it is truly uncomfortable to sit in for more than 10 minutes.  I am not sure how much longer it will be in this space where it gets so much use.

Pottery Barn beachcomber tray basket on Ikea Hack coffee table-www.goldenboysandme.com

Want to see more of our Ikea hacks?


54 comments :

  1. Love your table hack! I'm gonna have to try that vinegar stain. Hmmm.
    The whole room is fun and comfy. I just wanna hang out there for a while :)
    Have a great week!
    Kelly

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  2. That's amazing! I agree with Kelly...the whole room is wonderful.

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  3. Gorgeous as usual. I just love your style. So glad I found your page for inspiration.

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  4. Looks great! Where is your rug from?

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    1. Thanks Kim! The rug was purchased at Target a few months ago. It is by Mohawk home style 9072. Color is Persian Neutral.

      Have a great day,
      Courtney

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  5. LOVE it Courtney- the planked top adds so much character, it doesn't look IKEA at all!!

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  6. You and your husband are one talented team! Nice job!
    -Shelley

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  7. Just ran by to say thanks for your sweet comment on my entry way. :)

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  8. What a great hack-job, once again! I was just in Target and saw a knock off of your PB Beachcomber basket! It was a bit smaller at 18" in diameter, but had a much better price tag of only &19.99. I have buyer's regret, so I'm going back tomorrow to buy one!

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    1. Thank you! Thanks for letting me know about the basket at Target. I have been looking for a smaller one and that is a great price. I paid $29 for the large beachcomber tray at pb outlet so I was happy with that price too.

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  9. I think your table looks fabulous! I found you by searching for what to do with my bland white hemnes ikea table. I think I'm going to do this to my table. Could you tell me where you got that cute terrarium that's sitting on top? Love that, too! It's such a perfect accent.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. I love how the coffee table looks with the planked top. I got the terrarium at Christmas Tree Shop...not sure if you have that store where you live. I also saw a very similar one at HomeGoods recently. Hope that helps!

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    2. I have both stores where I live, but HomeGoods is closer so I'll try there first. Thanks for the help!

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  10. Awesome job! We've been looking for a way to spruce up our Hemnes coffee table. Curious if you left the original Hemnes table top on and built on top of it...or decided to not intall the original at all? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Aaron,

      Thank you! This was definitely a fun project. We kept the Hemnes tabletop on there and built the planking on top of that.

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  11. The third pic from the top looks like there is a layer of some kind of wood under the planks. Did you put a thin piece of plywood on first? I want to do this but I don't want to mess up my table top by doing it wrong. Also, did you use any wood glue? Thanks. It looks fabulous!! Also, I noticed the post above regarding the terrarium and at this time, both places are out of or not carrying it anymore. Boo! I love it and have looked endlessly for one. If you see one, will you please post?

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    1. Hi Karen,

      Thanks! We did not use plywood. The wood you see in the pic is the table top it came with from Ikea. We had put the table together exactly as Ikea specified in their directions and then later added the plank top. We used no wood glue, just screws from the bottom. It is still solid after a year of use. I haven’t seen the terrarium anywhere as of late (and I have been searching because one of the glass panes was broken on mine by one of my crazy boys). I will definitely post if I find one.

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  12. I love the color on your walls. Do you remember what it's called?

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    1. Hi Heather,

      Thanks so much! The color is called Castle Path and it is Behr paint from Home Depot. We love the color so much that it is in our master bedroom as well. Hope that helps!

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  13. How did you attach the mitered 1x2s? Thank you!

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  14. Beautiful! You are so fortunate to have a man who is handy. He did a great job on the mitering. Nice project!

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  15. Would you ever want to do something like this and sell it?

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    1. I would definitely consider selling one of these, but I think shipping costs would be prohibitive. Are you local? I’m in Bergen County, NJ.

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    2. Aww that is too bad.. I'm in GA so I have no idea how much shipping costs would be on a furniture item like that. I would definitely buy it if you were local!! :(

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  16. Hello.....beautiful job! Was wondering if you cut the tongue and grove boards to the exact measurements of the table or did you over hang a bit....and also what size did you cut the mitered boards? We are doing this for daughters first home and are getting a list together. She also want two end tables done like this also...lol

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  17. Such a lovely table!! How did you attach the mittering?

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  18. I just stumbled onto your blog, so glad I did! Such a beautiful table, love the color and the planks "make" it!

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  19. Love this hack. I bought the table and now am going to follow your steps to creating my own. Thank you for the detailed steps. By the way, where did you get the checkered chair cover? It's adorable.

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  20. Looks great. I like this wooden DIY project very much. Your coffee table look so cute. I’m doing some research on DIY projects. I want to do something like that for my family. But I have no idea now. Thanks for sharing your idea.

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  22. Looks great! Can I ask, where is the rug from? I have dark gray couches and i think it'll lighten up the space. Thanks in advance!

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    Replies
    1. Hello and thank you! The rug was from Target a couple of years ago. I purchased it in store.

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  23. I like this post. Thanks for sharing DIY project guide. Keep posting such blogs. I’ll keep coming back and will suggest you to my friends as well.

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  24. I like the size and look of this table and The whole room is so bright and comfy. Thanks for sharing DIY project guide

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  25. Hi Courtney. I like the color in your room. DO you have to cut the wood or keep the size when you buy?
    I really want to do a coffee table like yours but I think I'm not as handy as you.

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  26. Hi, great job I love everything. I would like to know where did you purchase the center piece on top the coffee table? And what is it called?

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  27. Hi, great job I love everything. I would like to know where did you purchase the center piece on top the coffee table? And what is it called?

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  28. I like to say what an awesome job. I just love everything! I would like to do what and where did you purchase the centerpiece on top the coffee table? I would very much appreciate it. Thanks

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  29. This coffe table very nice. I love DIY project like this. Thank for share !

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  30. Thank you very much for this awesome idea!! We used your idea to give our small Hemnes coffee tables a makeover :) I was wondering: are you bothered by dirt that gets in the grooves between the planks? I wonder if I have to caulk them..

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  31. I so love this IKEA coffee table hack! In fact, I totally adore the whole household. The color and choice of furniture are really awesome. Something that I would want to incorporate to our resumes.expert office for next year's renovation.

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  32. LOVE it Courtney- the planked top adds so much character, it doesn't look IKEA at all!! Karen @ Daily Buzz

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  33. Hi Courtney. I like the color in your room. DO you have to cut the wood or keep the size when you buy?
    Mia @ Hoops Report

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  36. I like your Ikea hack coffee table idea. Finally those look so nice and perfect for a small room. The color variation also noticeable. You are also very lucky that you got a good man to make your ideas real. In fact I was looking for dining table cover ideas, but I am glad I got into this amazing stuff.

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  40. Amazing! and very well explained. Keep it up.

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  41. Hello,

    Is there a chance the measurements on the paint wash are backwards? I did the two cups of water with two tablespoons of water and it really didn’t change the consistency. Is it supposed to be the consistency of stain?

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