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Take you decided that you lot want to paint a piece of IKEA furniture? Not certain where to showtime?

No worries!

Let's accept a wait together at all the all-time ways to pigment IKEA furniture that will aid you achieve a professional-looking and long-lasting stop.

This guide will cover how to paint:

  • laminate furniture
  • solid wood furniture
  • metal piece of furniture
Beautiful example of painted IKEA cabinets in a deep navy blue
Livet Hemma

IKEA and I accept a long history together.

Similar many other humans out there, I've bought countless pieces from IKEA over the years.

I've besides eaten many meatballs.

Once you're there, it's tempting to purchase everything because it's all so dang cheap.

And sometimes impulsive decisions are made, and I'g not only talking near eating likewise many meatballs. Information technology happens to the best of us.

Perhaps you bought a lot of black pieces and now yous're more into light colour schemes. Information technology may likewise be that your dresser or bookshelf is just a bit scruffy looking after a few years of apply.

Or your living room is screaming for a bold popular of color.

Lovely IKEA cabinets painted in violet purple
Sofie Wrede

The aspect I find liberating about IKEA furniture is that commonly their items are not and then crazy expensive that y'all experience scared to try your hand at DIY'ing them.

If the project is an epic failure, well, at to the lowest degree y'all tried and y'all didn't lose thousands of dollars ruining an expensive piece in the procedure.

And say what you volition about IKEA furniture, merely in full general their furniture is pretty robust; information technology can last you lot many years.

If yous aren't in a place where you can buy new furniture, and then painting your IKEA furniture can be a relatively fast and very toll effective manner to upgrade your space and inject new style into your home.

The desire to accept an cheap, mass-produced IKEA detail and put a personal spin on it is nothing new – there are and so many IKEA hacks floating around the cyberspace that information technology inspired the creation of the wildly popular website called IKEA Hackers back in 2006. The site is a fabulous resource if yous're looking for some "hacky" inspiration.

There are countless means to personalize (or "hack") your IKEA products and paint is just one of the many.

And so, whatsoever your reasons may be for wanting to paint your IKEA furniture, you're in the right place.

Let's dive in!

Hacked IKEA cabinet painted in red, with pulls replaced with custom gold pulls
Anika's DIY Life

How to check what cloth your IKEA piece is fabricated of

The first thing you lot demand to do is bank check what material your IKEA piece is fabricated of.

The style you pigment your piece is going to depend on its material! This is really important.

If you don't know what your product is called, there is a 99% chance you'll find a sticker on the production somewhere that says the name of the series (like LACK, MALM, Baton, etc).

Search in inconspicuous places like underneath or on the back. Literally every product that is big enough is sold with a sticker on it.

Once yous know what your furniture piece is called, you need to caput over to the IKEA website, look up your product and check the materials.

Here is what to look for.

Laminate (aka plastic) looks like this:

How to find out if your IKEA furniture is made of laminate

Solid wood looks like this:

ikea solid wood bed and where to check on their website to see if the product is solid wood

Metal looks similar this:

ikea hallan metal steel furniture and how to find out if your IKEA furniture is made of metal

What is laminate?

You may be wondering what the heck laminate actually is. You could google it, or you could just read on. I recommend you read on 'cause information technology'll be faster.

Call back how in unproblematic school everything was laminated in plastic? Well it's the same thing.

Something that is laminated is essentially covered in plastic.

Then, if your IKEA piece says it has a "clear acrylic lacquer", that means information technology's covered in plastic. Which means information technology'south laminated.

Laminate furniture is essentially a photo of wood slapped onto a piece of particle board, covered with a clear plastic coating.

cross section example of a piece of laminate

Practice I paint assembled or disassembled?

Y'all are going to brand your life a lot easier if you paint your IKEA furniture when it's disassembled.

If you already know you are going to paint your piece right off the bat when you buy information technology, then great. Don't assemble it!

Maybe you lot don't have fourth dimension to disassemble, or you've had your piece then long that you lost the tools (I actually have about two one thousand thousand different IKEA allen keys).

It's ok. You can still go ahead and paint.

You can cut corners by non disassembling, just be warned that certain steps later are going to have yous a fleck longer.

Time wise, in the end information technology kind of evens out.

If you choose to paint with your slice still assembled, you may need to mask off certain areas: yous can do this with painter'south record to get clean lines and minimize the risk of the paint bleeding where you don't want it to.

Moral of the story: if your piece is already assembled, I would strongly suggest disassembling. You will go a more professional person looking finish if yous have the fourth dimension to do this.

Do I need to sand my piece first?

Should I sand my furniture before I paint?

It depends. This is a widely debated topic so I will tell you lot what I know from my own personal feel. I've been painting unlike types of piece of furniture for virtually 20 years.

  • Painting metal does not technically require sanding (unless information technology's rusty), although some advise you to do so. If you want to sand your metal piece, start with an 80 grit piece of sandpaper for the rougher $.25, and then brand your way up to a 120 grit. The idea is that your paint will adhere amend to the surface if you roughen upward the metallic. Simply primer will also help with that so … you determine!
  • If you are painting solid wood, and then yeah, you should sand it. Sometimes people are a bit lazy (myself included) and don't sand. That's ok too. It'due south upward to you. But I would recommend sanding solid wood.
  • If yous're painting over laminate, then NO, sanding is not necessary. Contrary to what a lot of tutorials say out there, you don't Accept to sand your laminate piece of furniture before painting … provided that y'all follow the correct steps , which I cover below. To learn how to correctly paint IKEA laminate article of furniture without sanding, proceed reading!

If yous are sanding a solid forest piece, a good orbital sander volition get the chore done apace.

Some orbital sanders similar this one even come with a little vacuum/microfilter system and so that the dust gets sucked upwards as you go and prevents you from breathing it in. Pretty cracking!

What'southward a primer and practise I demand it?

Primer is basically a base of operations glaze of paint that prepares your surface for receiving the final finishing paint. It helps provide a smooth surface to pigment your final color on and helps with paint adhesion.

Some people alive life on the edge and skip the primer, and it doesn't even haunt them late at night.

However, I would advise y'all do Not skip priming your piece.

This shellac based primer is the i all the professional painters rave most:

  • information technology sticks to ALL surfaces WITHOUT SANDING, so it will work for laminate, solid wood and metallic.
  • dries really rapidly.
  • covers all odors, fifty-fifty nasty ones like true cat urine and stale smoke.
  • seals stains and knots and provides a perfect base of operations for your cease pigment.
  • works with Whatever height coat.

Then you lot really cannot go wrong. I highly recommend you cull to use this primer; if you do, then you tin skip the balance of the post-obit information on primers.

Annotation: Brand sure you go SHELLAC Base PRIMER !!!
zinsser primer is the best primer on the market!

If you don't plan on using the primer mentioned above, then you will demand to go along the following things in listen:

  • If you lot're going to exist painting with a water based latex paint, then you must use a water based primer. Technically you lot can use an oil based primer and then paint on meridian with latex pigment, but just continue your life simple and make sure they lucifer.
  • If you lot are painting with an oil based stop pigment, yous must use an oil based primer. No exceptions.

No matter what, you really demand to apply a primer. Don't skip this.

↓ QUICK TIP ↓

If your concluding paint color is going to exist night, ask the pigment mixer to tint your primer. The tint can exist a greyish bluish color, or you tin have it tinted to a similar color to your terminate paint. This will help coverage, won't be as difficult to conceal versus having a pure white primed base, and thus will crave fewer coats of your final color.

What kind of paint should I use? Pros and Cons!

what kind of paint to choose when painting furniture
Wise Geek

So by now you have learned that if you go with the Zinsser Primer mentioned in a higher place, then you tin choose any kind of paint you lot similar.

If you take some other kind of primer, bank check to see what kind information technology is and make sure to get the advisable type of pigment.

Pros and cons for the near popular types of paints for painting article of furniture.

Water BASED

Pros:

  • Water based paints (latex, aka plastic) are pop considering they emit fewer toxic fumes than oil based paints
  • They are easy make clean upward as you but demand water
  • They dry chop-chop and are flexible
  • Will not yellow over time

Cons:

  • The disadvantage to painting article of furniture with h2o based latex paints is that you run the risk that sometimes the paint won't bear equally planned, which can result in stains and wood knot bleeding, which is disastrous (this has happened to me – I didn't prime first). If you use primer, you lot should be able to avoid this happening, nevertheless water based primers are known to take the same issue (staining/haemorrhage).
  • Less durable than oil based paints

OIL BASED

Pros:

  • Oil based paints provide first-class immovability
  • They cover any odors that may be stuck in your furniture much improve than water based paints

Cons:

  • The clean upwardly is slow equally you demand mineral spirits or turpentine to clean your paint brushes every bit opposed to just water. If you don't clean your brushes with mineral spirits later painting with oil based paints, you can osculation your brushes goodbye once they dry
  • Oil based paint can yellowish over fourth dimension
  • Less flexible than latex water based paints, meaning information technology tin crack
  • Very potent odor during application
  • Longer drying times

CHALK PAINT

Pros:

  • Lends itself well to pitiful for a "shabby" or vintage look
  • Some stunning effects can be achieved by layering chalk paints

Cons:

  • Visible brush strokes
  • Often requires multiple coats to become an even finish
  • Less durable than latex paint

Chalk paint technically does not require a primer ON SOLID Forest. If you are painting laminate furniture with chalk paint, you will still need to prime number first. You must seal furniture painted with chalk pigment with wax. All chalk paint is is latex paint with pulverisation mixed in – usually plaster of Paris.

Information technology is incredibly easy to DIY your own chalk paint if you don't want to buy the ready-fabricated stuff.

Learn more than almost how to chalk paint IKEA furniture here.

Layered green chalk paint on an antique dresser
Salvaged Inspirations

SPRAY PAINT

Pros:

  • Like shooting fish in a barrel to apply
  • Even coverage, provided that it's applied properly
  • Dries quickly

Cons:

  • Tin require multiple cans for a large project, which gets pricey
  • Difficult to get fifty-fifty coverage on large pieces
  • Can drip if non sprayed properly
  • Stiff odor during application

What are the best tools to use my pigment?

required painting tools for painting IKEA furniture

To pigment your furniture you can use whatever of the post-obit:

  • spray gun
  • roller
  • synthetic or natural bristle brushes
  • foam brushes

Spray guns can be tricky to use because you can't merely dump the pigment in the canister and spray – you need to thin your paint first. If y'all don't get the paint consistency right, you volition have a lot of problems getting your paint to spray properly – information technology won't come up out at all if information technology's too thick, or will come out in fat droplets if it's too thick or thin. Cleaning your paint spray gun is too a massive pain. Simply once you become the hang of them they speed up the procedure significantly.

Rollers are handy and let for lighting-fast paint application. If you use a roller that is wider than the opening of your pigment can, you'll demand to call back to go a tray or something to put your pigment in.

↓ QUICK TIP ↓

If yous apply a paint tray, you can line it with plastic for super quick clean up.

Cream brushes are good and generally ensure smooth awarding in terms of castor strokes. They are cheap and pretty much only skillful for 1 fourth dimension apply so y'all'll accept to throw them away in one case you're done. You lot could try to clean them with h2o if you lot're using water based products but it may not be worth the effort.

Bristle brushes are my favorite method of awarding for painting furniture, but they sometimes tin can lose a hair or two along the manner. Exist sure to remove any stray bristles immediately if you run into any. Tweezers help, or only pinch with your fingernails then touch up with another stroke of paint. I prefer angled brushes to apartment brushes as it allows for a more comfortable wrist position while I'm painting.

Brushes can come up in natural bristles or constructed bristles. Choose whichever you similar. Natural beard tin can exit more than obvious castor strokes whereas synthetic beard by and large provide a smoother application.

↓ QUICK TIP ↓

Don't brand your life difficult and buy brushes that are as well small. It will have you forever and volition be incredibly frustrating. I recommend using a combination of tools when tackling furniture painting projects: a roller for large surfaces and a couple of different sizes brushes for harder to achieve areas or for areas similar grooves.

When you're done, y'all must make sure to clean your brushes accordingly based on the type of paint you used. Water for h2o based pigment, and turpentine/mineral spirits/paint thinner for oil based and shellac paints.

What should I apply to seal my piece? Everything you demand to know about topcoats

Sealants, varnishes and pinnacle coats can exist really disruptive. They're also especially intimidating because they are the very last step later all the piece of work you lot've put in to repaint your piece.

If you lot get information technology wrong, you lot risk messing everything up. I have done this and information technology sucks.

If you're not sure what kind of topcoat to use, read on. It's best to not have any doubts when choosing a topcoat.

One matter is for sure, and that is that you lot definitely want to utilize one. It volition ensure that your piece and the paint job underneath is protected from wear and tear.

POLYURETHANE

I recommend using water based polyurethane topcoats.

Oil based height coats will yellowish over fourth dimension (like to oil based paints!). You really don't want this happening, especially if yous're sealing a very light or white piece.

↓ QUICK TIP ↓

You Tin can use a water based top glaze over an oil based paint, you merely need to make sure the pigment has dried completely before sealing.

My top recommendation for a water based sealant is Minwax Polycrylic (cheque links below to buy).

You tin choose either a matte finish, semi gloss finish, a gloss finish or a satin finish.

You lot can utilize Minwax Polycrylic over both oil based and h2o based paints.

To be condom, you can e'er test a small patch in an inconspicuous expanse before finishing the whole piece.

WAX

If you painted your IKEA furniture with chalk pigment, some say that the best mode to go is by sealing with wax.

I would tend to disagree.

Wax sealed pieces give a dainty velvety finish only are non as durable as pieces sealed with acrylic varnishes.

Wax is not a permanent finish, significant that it will need to be reapplied every so oft. The other tedious affair almost sealing with wax is that if you lot ever want to repaint your article of furniture, the wax MUST be removed otherwise your new paint will not adhere to the surface.

Removing the wax topcoat involves wiping everything down with mineral spirits and ain't nobody got time for that.

If you lot practise want to seal with wax, I recommend Minwax Paste Finishing Wax in Natural.

But I would recommend using the Minwax Polycrylic Matte Poly finish instead.


Now that you know:

→ what your furniture is fabricated of

→ whether or non you need to sand and prime number it

→ what type of paint to use

→ how to apply the paint

→ what kind of final topcoat to use …

you can finally get started!


I'm not going to go into how to protect yourself from paint fumes, or how to avert getting paint all over the place.

Utilize common sense and stay rubber.

You may besides require basic tools like screwdrivers or a drill.

How to paint IKEA laminate furniture

Painting laminate pieces is the trickiest surface to become right, and so we'll start by talking about that one.

Tired of reading? Watch my video instead 🙂

Yous can also sentinel me pigment and transform this tedious Kallax unit:

You hear a lot of horror stories about how it all went wrong and the paint started peeling off after 2 days.

I assure yous, your paint is not going to peel off if yous follow these steps!

Because of the vast number of laminated (acrylic covered) IKEA products, it's likewise probably the about common scenario yous'll encounter if you want to paint IKEA furniture.

This method doesn't require sanding your piece before priming and painting. Some people swear by sanding every single layer in order to get a perfectly pristine and polish finish. Past all ways, do this if y'all want to, it certainly won't ruin any of your work! Decide if it's worth the try and go for it if y'all feel similar it'south necessary 🙂

MATERIALS:

  • Shellac-base primer – I recommend this one from Zinsser (if you missed the part nigh why it's crawly, then ringlet back upwardly!)
  • Sanding paper (optional)
  • Brushes, rollers or spray gun
  • Rag or paper towels
  • Pigment
  • Topcoat
STEPS FOR PAINTING ON LAMINATE:
  1. Disassemble if you can. If you can't disassemble, at least remove whatsoever hardware like knobs or pulls.
  2. Wipe downwardly your furniture with water and a damp (not sopping wet!) paper towel or cloth. You want to remove any dust, dirt or residual that can exist removed so that it doesn't go trapped underneath the paint. Allow to dry, it doesn't accept long.
  3. Prime – usually merely one coat is needed. OPTIONAL: You tin scuff the primer with sanding paper one time information technology's dry if you desire just it's non really necessary. If y'all really desire to sand your primer, become alee and do it! Let time to dry out according to instructions on the production.
  4. Paint your piece. Y'all may require multiple coats of paint – make sure you allow time to dry in betwixt coats. OPTIONAL: Yous can sand between coats of paint if you want to! I recommend doing this if you take visible drips, brush strokes or any modest debris caught in your pigment. Sanding volition smooth all of that out.
  5. Once your piece of furniture is completely dry, you tin add your topcoat. Allow fourth dimension to dry according to instructions on the production.
  6. Reassemble if needed, and put back all the hardware.

Bank check out the videos higher up if you missed them, they demonstrate a couple of my IKEA painting projects!! And beneath is an example of laminate furniture that I painted one summer for my mum. It'southward actually not an IKEA piece, it was only an former laminate dresser that my mum wanted to chuck out. Instead, I transformed it into a Tv panel for her, because she needed one.

Distressing nearly the messy photo, lol!

before and after painting on laminate furniture
Posh Pennies

It was really a super easy transformation – I just removed the mirror, primed it with ane glaze of Zinsser (did not sand!!) and gave information technology 4 coats of a paint colour that my mum picked out. Information technology's like a low-cal sage green but I don't think you lot can really tell from the photos? Anyways, the paint used was just your regular, run-of-the-mill indoor water-based latex pigment.

The matter I really liked almost the original was the brass trim and handles; the piece itself was in great condition – all information technology needed was an updated color!

How to paint IKEA solid woods article of furniture

Solid wood is more than forgiving and in that location are many methods out there if you do some research.

I take tried many of these methods and have plant the following to piece of work best:

MATERIALS:

  • Sanding paper and a sanding block
  • Orbital sander (optional)
  • Rags or paper towels
  • Brushes, rollers or spray gun
  • Primer
  • Pigment
  • Top coat
STEPS FOR PAINTING ON SOLID WOOD:
  1. Disassemble if you lot tin can. If yous can't disassemble, at least remove whatsoever hardware like knobs or pulls.
  2. Lightly sand your piece with either sanding newspaper or an orbital sander. Wipe away the sanding grit with water and a damp rag or paper towel.
  3. Prime – unremarkably but i coat is needed. OPTIONAL: Yous can scuff the primer with sanding paper once information technology'southward dry if you lot desire only it'due south non actually necessary. If you really desire to sand your primer, become alee and do information technology! Allow time to dry according to instructions on the production.
  4. Paint your piece. You may crave multiple coats of paint – make certain y'all let time to dry in between coats. OPTIONAL: You tin sand between coats of paint if you want to! I recommend doing this if you have visible drips, brush strokes or whatsoever small debris defenseless in your paint. Sanding will shine all of that out.
  5. Once your article of furniture is completely dry, you can add your elevation coat. Allow fourth dimension to dry out according to instructions on the product.
  6. Reassemble if needed, and put back all the hardware.

How to paint IKEA metal furniture

To exist honest, if I am going to spray paint a metal piece that isn't overly elaborate, I don't bother disassembling it.

Yet, I take learned from experience that metallic DOES require a primer and ideally a topcoat. Otherwise, the spray paint will just scratch off, fifty-fifty with the tiniest bump!

If your piece has any rust, or flaking or loose paint, you *will* demand to sand it.

MATERIALS:

  • Scraper
  • Wire brush
  • 80 grit to 120 grit sanding paper
  • Orbital sander (optional)
  • Sponge
  • Rags or paper towels
  • Primer
  • Paint
STEPS FOR PAINTING ON METAL:

IF YOUR Piece HAS FLAKING OR PEELING Pigment:

  1. If your piece is flaking or peeling you must sand and remove all flaking paint. Use a scraper and a wire brush.
  2. Sand the piece starting with 60 or lxxx grit sanding paper and progressively make your way upwards to 120 grit.
  3. Wipe downwards your slice with a sponge and some water to remove all dust and rust particles. Allow to dry completely.
  4. Prime number
  5. Paint, may need several coats. Allow to dry according to instructions on tin.

IF YOUR Slice *DOES Non* Accept FLAKING OR PEELING Pigment:

  1. Give your slice a quick clean with h2o and a damp rag or paper towel.
  2. Prime
  3. Paint information technology, it may require a few coats. Permit to dry according to instructions on can.

Taking IKEA customization beyond just paint

Customized IKEA cabinets with updated paint, scalloped cabinet fronts, new legs and pulls
Superfront

In that location are a few companies out in that location that have go specialized in selling products specially made for "ikea hacking". These companies mainly sell luxury looking products that you tin can add to your IKEA piece of furniture to make them appear more custom and high cease.

You can buy legs, pulls, fronts for your cabinets, geometric overlays, decals and fifty-fifty marble tops.

Here are a few to bank check out:


Superfront

Customized IKEA cabinets with updated paint, scalloped cabinet fronts, new legs and pulls
superfront

This Swedish visitor has a stunning range of Carrara marble tops, cabinet fronts, leather pulls, forest, brass and copper accessories and more.

If y'all live in Europe, you can buy whatsoever of their products.

U.s.a. and Canada tin can only buy handles and legs at the moment.


Norse Interiors

Customized IKEA cabinets with updated navy paint, cabinet fronts and new legs.
norse interiors

Norse interiors makes wood tops, cabinet doors, panels, dresser drawer fronts and accessories like knobs, pulls and legs, for the Besta and Malm serial.


Overlays

IKEA drawers customized with orange and pink paint and overlays on the drawers
overlays

As the proper noun suggests, this company specializes in kits containing overlays for some of the most popular IKEA series, like Besta, Kallax, Malm and Pax and many more than.

You can buy overlays to apply on top of your furniture to give them a more glamorous and personalized look. Most of the designs offered at the moment are geometric.

Check out their inspiration gallery for an idea of what yous tin can do with their products.


Pretty Pegs

custom ikea furniture add ons, custom legs
pretty pegs

Pretty pegs ships worldwide and sells legs, pulls and front layers for IKEA furniture. They carry a truly impressive option!


Behang Fabriek

decals for ikea furniture
behang fabriek

If you lot're into decals, this is the place to purchase them. Their website is a petty confusing, every bit they besides sell wallpaper and the bill of fare is a little crazy. If you want to see all the decals they sell specifically for IKEA furniture, and then only become here directly.


Semihandmade

Custom IKEA cabinet fronts and hardware
semi handmade

This company carries a pretty decent selection of cabinet fronts for IKEA kitchen, bathroom and media storage units. Also a pocket-size selection of decorative hardware (pulls and knobs).


I promise this commodity gave you the confidence to tackle your side by side (or your first!) IKEA furniture painting project!

I'd love to hear what yous get upwardly to, and I'm always available to answer any questions! Do not hesitate to drop me a annotate beneath!

Now get painting, buddy! 😁

NEED SOME IKEA PAINTING INSPO? THEN Y'all MIGHT LOVE THESE ARTICLES:

ten LITERALLY PERFECT WAYS TO HACK THE IKEA IVAR

17 HACKS TO COMPLETELY TRANSFORM YOUR KALLAX


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