Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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An Old Ikea Coffee Table Hack

Every once in a while someone asks us where we found the table in the sunroom and it reminds us that we owe you some details.

Reveal Final 22

We actually DIYed it a few years back with a $7.99 lack table from Ikea and the old tabletop that came with the inexpensive thrift store pedestal that we bought to create this table in the corner of the very same room (see how we removed the original square tabletop and replaced it with a larger round top from Lowe’s right here).

Wild Backyard Iris Purple O

And since that original square tabletop was then up for grabs we decided to put it to good use as the new top for our lack table. Of course if you don’t have a thrift store tabletop on hand, you can always buy a nice chunky square piece of wood from the hardware store (and even have it cut to size by them) to create one. Here’s a view from below so you can check out the undercarriage:

Ikea Hack Coffee Table Lack

We just used simple metal L-brackets to attach the lack table to the new top for a chunky game table that we use all the time (we sit on the floor cushions and play Scrabble). Oh and our tip here would be to make sure the screws that you use to attach the L-bracket to the tabletop are short enough so they won’t poke through the top of the table. That would be bad.

Ikea Hack Coffee Table Deta

In case you’re wondering why the top of the lack table is wood-toned while the legs are white, we originally used a wood-toned lack table and later switched the legs for white ones (we also had a white lack table around) when we decided we wanted them to match the top as opposed to having a two-toned look. We were just feeling lazy so we screwed the white legs into the wood-toned lack top since it was already attached with L-brackets to the new larger wood tabletop. We figure no one but Burger sees the evidence that the lack table was once a different color so it’s fine. So that’s how that little sunroom game table came to be. Have you guys done any more elaborate Ikea hacking lately? Any Target or HomeGoods hacking going on?

Psst- Here’s our biggest Ikea hack to date, in fact it even landed us on ikeahacker.com a while back. We heart that site.

Comments

  7. Kim says

    Hey Guys! Love the blog! But I’m curious why you guys decided to paint those knots on the floor RIGHT before you put it up on the market?! They work with the way you guys have the room set up, but as someone who is looking at houses right now, I see it as something I would need to paint over if I bought the house—because I might not decorate that room the same way. Just curious! Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Kim,

      We’re of the thought that something that can easily be painted over isn’t a deterrent for home buyers and we would even gladly paint them ourselves if a potential buyer put in an offer and asked us to do that before we leave. Here in Richmond, Sunny’s stencils (which we used to paint the floor) are actually held in high regard (some of the coolest local shops and a home that was in featured in Domino magazine have them on the floor) so we view it as more of a selling feature for most local house hunters than anything else. So far we’ve gotten great feedback on them from agents and individual buyers alike. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  8. Irina@CanDoGal says

    You’re like the Europeans with a pig; you use every part :)! I haven’t hacked anything yet, as I’m just getting started with my projects, but this is yet another great idea for for future reference.

    Reply

  9. ErinEvelyn says

    Oh how I wish I could hack some IKEA pieces apart/together…… but our closest store is 3.5 hours away (180 miles). John & Sherry, I love love love YHL, but why must you always rub it in that my IKEA is nearly a world away? ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry! It’s a true travesty indeed. We vote for more Ikeas so everyone has one nearby. If it makes you feel any better ours is 2 hours away (4 hours round trip) but sometimes we just can’t resist the drive!

      xo,
      s

  10. Shannon says

    Thanks for posting this hack. I showed Hubster the picture of the table in the past and tried explaining what you had done but just got a “HUH?” response. Now I can show him a plan! I’m going to copy this hack for our living room. As a family of four in a small house custom size furniture that we can use all the time (snacks, games, toys, etc.) is critical. We’ve been on the serious hunt for a specific size table that fits those needs without breaking the bank to no avail.

    What brand/color of paint have you found to match the Ikea white? I tried the Fresh Air off the shelf white but it’s more brite white than the Ikea Pax wardrobes.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Shannon,

      We used off the shelf white paint from Behr (in semi-gloss) for that table and it seems to work well. For an exact match just bring home white paint swatches and hold them up to your Ikea stuff to see which one blends in best. Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  12. maggie says

    Do you guys go to the Woodbridge one? I went to my first Ikea by University of Maryland a few weeks ago and i loved it!

    Reply

  13. Chandeen says

    My husband and I were looking for floating shelves, but the shelves and brackets were too expensive, even at Ikea. Then we found the same shelves (but bigger, which was better) all put together in the “as is” section. They were a bit long for our space so we cut off the end, put the brackets back on and now we have great shelves for the price of just the brackets in the regular department.

    If it is any consolation Erin we live 3.5 hours away too. We can only go when we visit the in-laws.

    Reply

  14. Kelley says

    What great timing!!! I have a bench I’m going to redo for a coffee table and we need a new top on it. (It was left in our garage when we bought the house and I can’t wait to see its potential!) I just wasn’t sure how to attached a new top to the bottom. Thanks guys!!

    Reply

  16. Chari says

    Colorado gets an ikea NOV 2011- seems far away, but I can’t wait! In the mean time, we must drive to AZ or UT :( booooo

    Reply

  17. Meredith says

    Sorry to be a kill joy, but there are a lot of “lacks” (lack table, lack top) in the post where I think you might mean to have “hacks”? Or maybe you do mean “lack”, I don’t know the lingo…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Meredith,

      We meant actually meant “lack” – that’s the name of the table that we hacked. Just follow the link (the first time we wrote lack, we linked over to Ikea.com so people could see the specific table we were referring to). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  19. Nina says

    We hacked some World Market furniture. We had a console table and coffee table but we needed to ditch the coffee table when our little one started walking. We also needed a larger dining table instead of our bistro set. We switched the legs on the coffee table and console table so now we have a dining table and bench. We also used the bistro table where the console table used to live. No Ikea hacks yet, but I’m sure we’ll get there.

    Reply

  20. Nicone says

    I am planning to hack another IKEA coffee table (Liatorp – is the Norvegian name anyhow) but it is still on the drawing board (read: in my head :). I also have a few Lack tables that are ready for the junkyard, but now I’m going to reconsider, thanks to this post. Great idea!

    Reply

  21. hjc says

    Okay Sherry, I didn’t think it would happen so quickly, but I definitely thought “Hack of Yore” was John talking – maybe you guys are like Clark Kent and Superman…except we see you both in the same pics (although that could involve some mad Photoshop skills). Nah, you’re just simpatico!

    Reply

  22. Jenn L @ Peas &Crayons says

    IKEA hacking? Genius!!! I never knew this existed! As if I wasn’t obsessed enough… oh man! Past ikea purchases beware!

    yay! Now if only I still had my lack table… that was involved in a rather unfortunate move in which I decided it should go over the balcony of my apartment complex instead of down the stairs… dun dun dun!

    Reply

  23. Kim says

    I wanted to paint a piece of furniture the same white as my lack table to I took the table leg to Home Depot and they color matched it.

    Reply

  24. kelly says

    OMG!!! I love IKEA and just went on Saturday…my closest store is 2 hours away and well worth the trip! I bought a gorgeous bathroom sink/vanity and cannot wait to get it in…I love your wardrobes that you did in your bedroom and on my next trip to IKEA will be the proud owner of these wardrobes thanks to your blog!

    I bought an awesome lamp that looks like a huge rose…so many ideas, so little money! LOL

    I love following your blog and look forward to every post!

    Reply

  27. Melissa says

    We hacked a
    malm headboard that we were already lucky enough to get at a deep discount into an entertainment center. When we got our flat screen we moved the headboard to the living area and turned the main piece where the solid part faces out to the room. The drawers hold our DVDs and our wii controllers and games. In either room, and in our new digs, we ended up having to use those mats for rolling office chairs; putting a piece under so the sides could roll out on the carpet.

    Reply

  28. molly p-h says

    Bisque Rhino Sighting on Nate Show Today!! Did you guys see your inspiration rhino on Nate today?! And he collects/makes bisque ceramics too! Bet he got that from YHL! ;)

    Reply

  29. Katja says

    Hi,

    great blog, the sofa is fantastic. Where did you get that one, pls?

    greetings from Katja in IKEA-land (Sweden)

    Reply

  30. Danielle says

    Looks great! Is there anyway you could paint the sliding door trim in white…I don’t know, but my eye keeps on telling me that would look a tad more fabulous than it already does! And awesome job on the floors!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Danielle,

      You know we love to paint stuff, but we actually really like the tan tone on the trim in the sunroom (in person it reads gorgeously with the blue ceiling, but for some reason in pictures it never translates as well).

      xo,
      s

  32. the artist says

    Glad to see you’re not LACKing tables. One of the biggest hacks for me(and i’m not even sure this really counts as one)begins with the careful use of Craigslist. I have recently developed a bit of an infatuation with the good ol’ fashion papasan chair. Concidentally, people are selling them like hot cakes (very very cheap hot cakes) online. Top 3 reasons this is my favorite “hack” to date:

    1). Light and easy to move (can be jammed into a ford focus)
    2). Easy to paint frame= endless possibilities
    3). Cushion possbilities (I’m a fan of the double cushion, myself)

    Reply

  37. Amy b. says

    Not sure if it’s been posted or not, but we recently purchased a Knappa shade only to discover it was a plug-in, not ceiling mounted light fixture (poor research on our part). I knew there had to be people using this as as ceiling-mounted light fixture and was happy to find this link to “hack” an Ikea fixture. We will be converting this and hanging it soon above our kitchen table. http://www.ikeafans.com/home/knappa-light-gets-hardwired/

    Reply

  38. Meredith K A says

    The most hacking we’ve done on an Ikea purchase is to our black leather Klippan sofa. The four legs it came with were silver-grey metal tubes with black plastic caps over the ends. I didn’t like them to begin with, and first thought of just painting them black, but then after we slid the sofa around the room while finding that perfect spot for it, two and then three of the plastic caps cracked right in half and came off! Then it’s just a hollow metal tube on the floor, and that’s no good! I e-mailed Ikea to complain and ask for replacement legs (just on principle), but they didn’t even respond. Luckily my handy hubby bought a length of square oak fence post at Lowe’s, cut it into 4, drilled and counter-sank four bolts up through the middle of each, and painted them all black. Now the couch has four square black legs that look MUCH better than the round silver ones ever did (it’s a boxy couch, so the square legs make complete sense), plus they’re WAY more sturdy and won’t hurt any floors with the addition of felt pads on the bottom. And since they’re a lot bigger, they barely even dent the carpet!

    Reply

  39. Meredith K A says

    Oh thought of another one: we wanted tall bookcases on either side of our fireplace, so to get the perfect height we stacked a 2×4 Expedit on top of a 2×2 Expedit. It goes almost to the ceiling, leaving just enough room for our ceiling-mounted surround-sound speakers to peek out over the top. The shelves are secured both to each other and to the wall, and they look like they were meant to be!

    Reply

  40. Meredith says

    Thanks for the explanation re: lack table! Sorry, I’m a lame brain about Ikea stuff. To be honest, I went once and got so overwhelmed I had to leave.

    Reply

  42. muriel says

    I absolutley love your entire house! I wish we lived in richmond and could purchase your home when you sell but we live all the way in utah… I was wondering if you will be selling any of the lovely things in your home when you move? Like maybe your front room rug?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Muriel,

      We’ll definitely announce if we’re selling anything when we move (although we’re too obsessed with our living room rug to part with it). Stay tuned!

      xo,
      s

  43. Meaghan says

    I always love what you guys do! Just curious, on the topic of pedestal tables, if you have an easy way to reinforce a wobbly pedestal table? We have a pedestal dining table that we love (which is a tad wobbly) but when we add the leaf it gets really bad. I’m always embarrassed to have company for dinner :)!! Thanks!

    Meaghan

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Meaghan,

      Hmm, without seeing your table in person it’s hard to diagnose it, but maybe have one of your most handy friends or relatives look at it and see if you can reinforce it with some screws or something? Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  44. Erin L says

    We did an Ikea hack with a Lack table too! I had a rectangle shaped Lack table that I bought back in college (which I don’t think they make anymore). We realized fit perfectly over the top of our doggy’s kennel (which needed to be hid from view since it sits in our family room). The only problem was that the coffee table height legs that the Lack tables come with did not touch the floor when propped up on top of the dog kennel. So we bought another Lack table, took the new table legs and screwed them to the bottom of the existing legs, after we had measured the perfect length to touch the floor of course. So now it just looks like a cool modern side table. I made a black canvas cover to go over the dog kennel too to hide just a little more from the side view. We think it was a genius idea. Much cheaper than buying one of those fancy wooden dog kennel/side tables for $100! :)

    Reply

  46. Jen says

    I love your IKEA hack! I actually just did one recently, too. I’m waiting until next payday to completely finish it, then I’ll be posting about it on my blog. In my living room, I don’t have nearly enough seating, but I have these random arch windows that would just look funny if I put a couch or big chairs in front if, so I decided I wanted some long benches. Well, being the cheapskate I am (and stealing lots of fun ideas from you guys), I decided I could make benches out of Lack tables. I put two together underneath each of the windows (I’m going to be attaching them together with a flat bracket). I’m going to get those faux fur rugs from IKEA that you posted about to put some padding on top of each of the benches and to hide that they’re two separate tables. Then, put up some cute pillows. Oh, and underneath the benches, I built some wooden crates from Ana White’s blog and we use it to store books and games in my living room. I LOVE the benches! Like I said, I’ll be posting about it on my blog probably next week once I finish the whole thing.

    Thanks for the great ideas! Keep them coming!

    Reply

  47. Amy says

    This is a little off topic from the tables, but did you use a corner curtain rod or elbow for your curtains? I have a sun room with very similar windows in the house my husband and I just bought and I am perplexed at where to get an appropriate curtain rod. Where did you find yours?
    Thanks!!
    Amy

    Reply

  49. Cora says

    Ikeahacker.com is actually where I first met you guys and fell in love! I’ve been doing some semi hacking but nothing too big. I painted a table using only Martha Stewart paint samples that are $3 at Home Depot. It was quite an accomplishment! <3 you guys!

    Reply

  50. Laura says

    where did you get the couch/daybed? I keep seeing those as an alternative for a couch and I absolutely LOVE them!

    =)
    Laura

    Reply

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