Directions Not Included

DIY and craft adventures of two humans, three dogs and two cats.

  • home
  • about us
  • house tour
    • before & during
    • the afters
  • project gallery
    • renovations
    • furniture & decor
    • holidays
    • events
    • crafts
    • archives
  • featured
  • contact
    • advertise
    • disclosure
    • privacy

diy ikea chalkboard table – ikea hack

July 25, 2011 27 Comments

We only have furry kids but I am surrounded by a bunch of little ones thanks to all my friends. Most of them call me Tia – which is Spanish for Aunt –  so I try to keep up with the proper Auntie behavior and spoil them rotten.
I have always wanted to pick up the Rustoleum Chalkboard Paint but had no idea what I would make to justify the purchase. In comes the IKEA Lack Side Table and a reason to finally buy the paint. IKEA hacks are great because you can take a relatively inexpensive piece and completely customize it without having to spend hours thrifting to find that perfectly inexpensive piece.

You can get this:

From this:

Lack Side Table
Simple and CHEAP! I spent all of $15 for two of these. The hubby gave me that look when I loaded them into our cart in IKEA. 

“Where are you putting those?” 

“Just trust me.” 

I like to paint furniture when he is not home. It makes it easier to hide the mess I make :). I pulled out the tables and took the tops outside to prime with my trusty Zinnser Cover Stain. No need for a picture because white paint on a white table = white table. I let them dry for some time in the hot Florida sun and moved the tables inside for painting with the Chalkboard Paint. The back of the container mentioned humidity and temperatures when using and it was HOT so I didn’t want to take any chances.
I put on a good coat of the paint ignoring the streaky finish. The paint is very similar to a primer in that it is more watery in consistency than regular paint. I let it dry fully for a few hours and gave it another good coat until it was completely even. I did the first two coats with a brush because I was being lazy and didn’t want to go out and buy refill rollers. Definitely use a roller for a smoother finish. I gave them another once over with the roller and it made a big difference.

I let them dry overnight and and painted the legs with two coats. Since the tops were going to be the main painting area I wanted more coats on them. 



I bought these Chalk Ink Markers and was excited to try them out to write out my notes. 

 
I paired the tables with some .99 chalk from Target in order to complete the present. Now two lucky little ones are getting chalkboard tables from Tia!

Perfect little table for a playroom or their own room so they can get creative. No one is going to get yelled at for drawing on the furniture now 🙂 Go make one of these for a little one in your life. I’m sure they will love it!

Linking up to my favorite parties all listed here: Link Events
And Metamorphosis Monday


Edited to add my seal of approval from Alexander. I think he likes it 😉


Thanks for following Directions Not Included!

you might also like:

and behind this door - florida room plans
a sweet treat - honey wedding favors - UPDATED
5th birthday celebration - streamer birthday decorations

Filed Under: crafts, home decor, tutorial Tagged With: chalkboard, craft tutorial, IKEA, kid friendly, paint

About Anna@DirectionsNotIncluded

Hi there! I'm Anna, the voice behind Directions Not Included. I'm a marketer, crafter, DIYer and lover of all things home related. You can usually find me covered in paint, cuddled with one of my pets or in front of a computer or other digital device. Thanks for reading Directions Not Included. I hope you stick around.

Comments

  1. Maggie says

    July 25, 2011 at 4:15 am

    what a great idea for a kids room…
    I’m inviting you to add this to our linking party at
    http://www.passionatelyartistic.com/2011/07/american-pickers-with-linking-party.html
    Have a great weekend,
    Maggie

    Reply
  2. April @ A kitchen table for two says

    July 25, 2011 at 4:19 am

    So cute and creative!! Thanks for the tips on the paint, I’ll be doing my pantry doors in a few days!

    Reply
  3. the cape on the corner says

    July 25, 2011 at 6:36 pm

    fabulous! what a wonderful present!

    Reply
  4. Cortneyloo says

    July 25, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    What a sweet and creative idea! You are definitely taking that aunt role seriously 🙂 They’re going to love their new fun furniture!

    themusingsofasimplegirl.blogspot.com

    Reply
  5. Laura Ingalls Gunn says

    July 25, 2011 at 4:44 pm

    What an adorable DIY project! Thank you so much for sharing.

    Happy Monday!

    Reply
  6. Carmella says

    July 25, 2011 at 5:26 pm

    Great price for the tables..but you made them look like a million bucks! And Chalk Ink, I haven’t heard of these but how fun! Thanks so much for sharing at Creative Bloggers’ Party and Hop, I am co-hosting this week and I was so happy to find you there! I am now following…I hope you will be able so stop by and visit soon!
    creativecarmella.blogspot.com

    Reply
  7. EAKaHouse says

    July 25, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    What a nice Tia! I love buying things for our friend’s babies (it saves me from having them). This would be great to have for when they come over and play (and they look classy enough I’d use them as side tables when they were gone). I have a long hallway I want to cover in chalkboard paint but my husband just rolls his eyes at me.

    Reply
  8. Sacrial says

    July 25, 2011 at 7:06 pm

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    Reply
  9. Tanya Anurag says

    July 25, 2011 at 7:38 pm

    Thanks for the idea Anna. Pinning it so that I can use it in future 😉

    Reply
  10. Tanya Anurag says

    July 25, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    Also, following you now! There’s a lot to read on your blog 🙂

    -Tanya
    http://tanyaanurag.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  11. SJ @ Homemaker On A Dime says

    July 25, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    I’m so honored that you chose to join the Creative Bloggers’ Party & Hop. Thank you for adding this special masterpiece to rock my party 🙂

    Reply
  12. Handy Man, Crafty Woman says

    July 26, 2011 at 3:59 am

    Such a great idea, love it!!

    Reply
  13. About Mrs. G says

    July 26, 2011 at 4:41 am

    Adorable gifts. Lucky kids! Thanks for visiting Growing up Gardner.
    Following back 🙂

    Reply
  14. Rachel says

    July 26, 2011 at 1:08 am

    These are great. I have always wanted to get those little IKEA tables and I have always wanted to use chalkboard paint. I would love it if you would stop by the crafty link party I am just starting and link up this post!
    http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com/2011/07/craft-link-party-1-cure-for-common.html
    :)Rachel

    Reply
  15. Erin of HomeSavvyAtoZ.com says

    July 26, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    I am chalkboard paint obsessed and had never seen the chalkboard ink! Those are fabulous! Your table looks great. I hope you will come to my HomeMade Monday blog party next week at HomeSavvyAtoZ.com to share! Looking forward to blogging with you!

    Reply
  16. Erin of HomeSavvyAtoZ.com says

    July 26, 2011 at 1:11 pm

    PS… I am your newest follower and “like” you on FB!

    Reply
  17. Coley says

    July 26, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    cute! What a great idea 🙂

    http://www.whatyoumakeit-coley.blogspot.com

    Reply
  18. Molly says

    July 26, 2011 at 3:45 pm

    it looks great. this makes me want to steal my roommates tables (which are the same) and paint them!

    Reply
  19. Alicia says

    July 26, 2011 at 9:25 pm

    great idea! great gift! i’ve never even heard of that chalk stuff…learn something new every day 🙂

    Reply
  20. Ginger@gingersnapcrafts says

    July 27, 2011 at 3:09 am

    Very cute! Following from I Heart Naptime link party. Would love to have you link this up to my {wow me} wednesday link party going on right now over on my blog {if you haven‘t already!}. Hope to see you there.

    Ginger
    gingersnapcrafts.blogspot.com

    Reply
  21. Handy Man, Crafty Woman says

    July 27, 2011 at 12:52 pm

    Great idea. Love the chalk ink! Thanks for linking to Wicked Awesome Wednesday!

    Reply
  22. Angee says

    July 28, 2011 at 1:35 am

    So cute. I want to make one for our playroom. Thanks. Visiting from Sugar and Dots.

    Reply
  23. Kristina says

    July 28, 2011 at 6:32 pm

    Gosh so cute! Very lucky sobrinos indeed 😉

    xoxo
    Kristina
    @PearlGateway

    Reply
  24. Allison {A Glimpse Inside} says

    July 28, 2011 at 7:07 pm

    Very cute! They look great! And how nice of you to spoil them rotten. lol Thanks for linking up to this week’s party.

    Reply
  25. Tracy @ CraftJunkieToo.com says

    July 29, 2011 at 3:04 am

    I found your fabulous project and blog through the linky party at Somewhat Simple!
    I’d like to invite you to my weekly T.G.I.F. Linky party to share your projects — I’m looking to grow my party with good quality projects just like this one….here is the direct link if you’d like to join us sometime – the linky is up Thursday evening – Tuesday….:)
    T.G.I.F. Linky Party

    Reply
  26. Erin of HomeSavvyAtoZ.com says

    August 2, 2011 at 2:37 am

    Thanks for linking up, Anna! Your chalkboard tables rock!

    Reply
  27. Melanie @ bear rabbit bear says

    August 19, 2011 at 2:20 am

    Love this! My daughter would adore it!

    I’d love for you to link up to our Crafts for Under Twenty Somethings Party going on now until noon Saturday!

    Melanie
    http://bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com/2011/08/crafts-for-under-twenty-somethings_17.htm

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

hi there, i’m anna

dnirssyellow dnipinterestyellow dnifacebookyellow dniinstagramyellow AnnaDNI2014 Welcome to Directions Not Included. I'm Anna, the voice behind the blog. I'm a marketer, crafter, DIYer, and lover of wine and sushi. Oh and I love my husband Ray, too. I also seem to be a magnet for scruffy mutts and cats. Want to know more about us and what we are doing? Learn more here.

what we’ve been up to

looking for something?

pinterest addict

Visit Anna [DirectionsNotIncluded]'s profile on Pinterest.

our lovely sponsors

RMPotteryButtonFINAL2AD-Button adad

about

Directions Not Included follows the DIY and craft adventures of two humans, three dogs and two cats as they take one old Florida home and make it theirs.

This blog will feature DIY tips, before and after photos, craft tutorials, home decor trends, and gratuitous pictures of our five rescued furry children.

Copyright 2010 - 2014. Directions Not Included - Anna Cruz-Morales.

The contents of this blog, including text, original photos and ideas are the sole property of the author. If you intend to use my text or images, please link back to my site and credit given to Directions Not Included. Please share only one image and direct readers to my site. A notification email would be greatly appreciated.

like us on facebook

like us on facebook

don’t miss any of the fun

dnirssyellow dnipinterestyellow dnifacebookyellow dniinstagramyellow dnitwitteryellow dnigoogleyellow

subscribe via email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Copyright Directions Not Included 2014 * ·Daily Dish Pro Theme * Modified by Directions Not Included * Genesis Framework * by StudioPress * WordPress * Log in