Rustic IKEA Hacked Cabinet

The cabinet was short and not very deep. Plus, it bore the mark of the popular 90′s hunter green. It was ugly. Why didn’t I get rid of it years ago? Maybe I was attached to it because it was the first piece of furniture I ever stained myself. And it brought back fond memories of calling the fire department because I smelled gas. Turns out you aren’t supposed to use an oil-based stain indoors, especially if you have a gas stove. Lesson learned.

Fast forward two decades and it’s still hanging around. The other day as I was lamented the fact that our foyer is too small to fit a cute dresser, I found myself looking at this sad little IKEA chest. I picked it up and put it in our foyer. The fit was perfect in the small space behind the front door! But, it was short and let’s not mention the hunter green again. Plus, it just wasn’t cute. And it doesn’t reflect my warm and weathered style. But, you know me, I wasn’t deterred.

I did some mental gymnastics and began to hatch a plan to create a marriage that would last longer than two decades.

It began with some pieces of old picket fence that I found by a dumpster. They were perfectly chippy and rustic! Luckily the 3M Lead Check results were perfectly negative. I carefully took the fence apart and removed all the nails.

Ready to see how I convinced the two polar opposites that they belonged together — rustic and modern — to create a match made in heaven? Let’s explore this couples’ counseling further:

Materials:

    IKEA cabinet (or other plain smallish cabinet)
    Reclaimed pickets or lumber
    Wood glue
    Finish nails
    Old table legs
    1×2″ boards for table skirt
    Pocket hole screws
    1.25″ wood screws
    Paint
    Primer
    Polycrylic
    Paint brushes
    Knobs
    Sharpie Marker

Tools:

    Kreg Jig
    Finish nailer
    Drill
    Sander
    Miter saw

Instructions:

Adding new legs to the cabinet.

Begin by removing the legs from the IKEA chest. Short and stubby block legs aren’t very cute, so they had to go. (A small right angle driver works great for tight spaces.)

Determine the height you would like your cabinet to be. Subtract the height it is now. This gives you the measurement to cut the salvage table legs.

Cut four pieces of 1×2″ lumber to fit in between the legs and act as a table skirt. (Measure the base of your cabinet and subtract the width of the table legs to get the skirt piece dimensions.)

Drill a pocket hole into both ends of the 1×2″ boards.

Attach the skirt pieces to the legs with pocket hole screws.

(Hint: Attach the short sides first and leave one of the long lengths for last. That way you’ll be able to fit your drill inside the skirt without the other sides getting in the way.)

Sand any rough edges smooth.

Drill pilot holes into the base of the cabinet where the skirt will rest.

Drive screws through the holes and into the skirt to attach the skirt/legs to the cabinet.

Prime the cabinet and paint it white.

Adding the reclaimed pickets:

Using a miter saw, cut the pieces of picket down to fit the sides and top of the cabinet.

Run a bead of wood glue on the back of each picket.

Flip the picket over and secure it to the cabinet with finish nails.

Repeat the process of adding glue and nailing the pickets to the top of the cabinet.

Ooooo, she’s starting to look beautifully rusticated!

Sand any flaking paint and sand to distress the newly painted areas of the cabinet.

Paint the drawers a variety of colors. You can bring out your inner dominatrix with whips and chains or invite it over for a little tea staining. Add new knobs (a clearance score at Hobby Lobby) and add numbers with a Sharpie permanent marker.