DIY Ikea Hack!

I'm really delighted with today's tutorial because it's officially our first ever Ikea Hack! I've had my pastel pink Malm Ikea drawers for some time now, and whilst I love them dearly, I felt they needed a little update. Being obsessed with scalloped patterns, it seemed like the perfect way to refresh my furniture with a vintage twist. Cute, huh? 

I've been reading up online to find out the best way to do this... as you'll know as a crafter there is a lot of 'right' solutions out there! After a little bit of debating with David, we decided simple was best. As we're only going to be adding white scallops, the job shouldn't be a tricky one...

You'll need:

sanding paper

primer (we used this cupboard makeover primer )

a really fat masking tape

a compass

a scalpel (or exacto knife) with a sharp blade

a small paint brush

Start off by cleaning where you're going to paint. Some primers tell you not to sand your laminate cabinets, but as it's a shiny surface and we want to make sure the paint sticks, we recommend giving a light sanding over where you're going to paint. Nothing hardcore, just enough to see it's made a mark.

Cover the top of the drawers (or where you're going to be adding your pattern) with the fat masking tape. As we're going to create a wide design, we need the masking tape to be really deep. You could try layering up thinner masking tapes if you're really struggling to find a large one, but bare in mind these might create a little inconsistency in your pattern and will be harder to remove as there are several pieces. 

Work out how large you want your scallop pattern. You can do this by measuring the length of the unit and calculating how large each semi circle needs to be to fit a specific amount in propperly, or you can do what we did; guess. Haha! And it turned out on the money too :) Winner! Use a compass (with graphite or a pencil attached) to mark out where each semi circle will go.

Then, using your scalpel cut out each circle individually by tracing around the pencil markings. Make sure your blade is sharp so you can do this by only pressing very lightly; you don't want to make a deep cut and damage your units. Slowly and gently, pull off each semi circle of masking tape as you go.

Now you can paint! Give your tin of primer a good mix with a chopstick or something long before you start. Using a small brush, carefully paint in each semi circle; now you've taken the time to mask your pattern, you can go outside the lines without worry :) 

The key to getting good, even coverage is to apply the primer in thin layers. We recommend 3-4 coats of it, leaving about 20mins (till it has dried) between each coat. By your final coat, you're primer will be a block of white with no streaks. Perfect! Once you're happy with it, leave the final coat to dry for the recommended amount of time (ours was 2 hours)

When the drying time's up, you can unveil your incredible artwork! Gently peel off the masking tape, making sure not to go too quickly as you might damage the paintwork. Try and take off the whole piece in 1 part. There may be a few tiny pieces left (like at the skinny parts of the pattern) so make sure you're extra careful removing these pieces at the end. Fidgety but worth the effort!

*Ta*Da*

Isn't she a beaut! I have to admit, this has to be one of my all time favorite DIYs. So pretty and incredibly easy to achieve!

If you're wanting to paint your furniture a different colour, use this guidance to begin with and finish by adding your chosen colour of paint after the primer has dried. Works a dream :)

We'd love to hear any tips you have on up-cycling furniture. We've got a whole apartment ready to be redecorated with your inspiration :D

Happy Making!