DIY Farmhouse Coffee Table - Ikea Lack Coffee Table Hack

July 16, 2019 3 Comments

My husband and I were in dire need of a new coffee table. We'd been using a $35 coffee table from Walmart that was entirely too small for our couch. I had a very specific look in mind & didn't want to break the bank. So we took on the adventurous feat of DIYing it. It only took us three trips to Lowe's and almost quitting five times, but in the end, it turned out great. We spent about $150 on the whole project.

Here's what the IKEA Lack coffee table looks like on its own. Pretty simple, nothing to write home about.

For the project you'll need:

• One white Ikea Lack coffee table (We used the bigger $50 one, not the smaller $30 one)
• Seven 4.5" x 47.25" pieces of white pine wood This will give you 3/8" of overhang on all four sides. We got bought four 8 footers and had them cut in two. This gave us one extra four-foot piece a couple of small chunks to test the stain on.
• 2-1/2" wood screws & screw gun
• Wood glue & glue gun
• Sandpaper
• Pre-stain wood conditioner
• Wood stain(s)
• Satin finish polyurethane
• Natural hair paint brush

1. To make sure you get the color you want, practice conditioning & staining the wood on either the back of a piece or any extra pieces. You may need to mix multiple stains like we did. We used the second color from the left (a mix of 2 parts Minwax golden oak, 1 part special walnut, 1 part weathered oak) Here's a good video on how to stain wood.
   
2. Once you get the stain right, lay out your wood on the ground to decide how you'd like the pieces set up. Pay attention to the knots to make sure they're evenly distributed around the piece.
3. Flip the wood over face down & add rows of wood glue to the back of the wood.
   
4. Place the Ikea tabletop face down on the wood, making sure it's centered & all the wood is pressed very tightly together.
5. Screw the wood into place using a screw gun. Be careful not to screw too far down into the particle board.
   
6. Flip the table upside down, put weights on it, & let the wood glue dry for 24 hours. We got one final use out of our sad Walmart coffee table by using it to help distribute the weight.
   
7. Sand the wood tabletop by hand in the direction of the grain. Wipe away sanding dust. But sure to sand the cut edges really well so they don't end up scratching anyone's legs.
8. Apply the wood conditioner onto the wood. Let dry for 5-15 minutes. Remove excess conditioner with a dry cloth.
9. Apply the wood stain in the direction of the grain. We used socks, but you can also use a rag or a natural hair brush. Let absorb for 5-15 minutes. (We did 5 to get the lighter color we were going for.) Wipe away the excess. Let the wood stain dry for at least 8 hours.
   
10. Apply a thin coat of polyurethane using a natural hair brush. Let dry for 4 hours. Sand very lightly, wipe off the dust & apply a second coat. Let dry for 24 hours.
11. Assemble the tabletop using the Ikea instructions.

When it was all said and done, I think it turned out really great! The farmhouse vibe goes perfectly with our boxwood vase decor from Ever Blooming Originals.

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