Looking to revamp your dining chairs without breaking the bank? This easy DIY IKEA dining chair hack was created by Humble Hands, and it’s perfect for giving your furniture a modern, chic look.
Materials and Tools Needed
- IKEA dining chairs
- Random orbit sander
- Wood pre-stain conditioner
- “Special Walnut” stain
- Minwax spar urethane (finish)
- White paint
- Paintbrush
Step 1: Disassemble the Chairs
The first step is to take the seat off the chair. The nice thing about IKEA furniture is that it’s usually pretty easy to disassemble.
Step 2: Sanding the Seats
The first seat I took off already had bare wood underneath, so I thought I’d just try sanding and staining to see how it looks. For the next chair, the seat didn’t have any bare wood, so I sanded the paint instead.
As it turned out, the second piece was much easier to work with during the finishing stages.
Step 3: Sand the Rest of the Chair
Next, I started sanding the rest of the chair. Since I’ll be painting this part, I just needed to scuff it up a little to help get a more even finish.
Step 4: Apply White Paint
Once all the surfaces had been sanded, I gave the chair a coat of white paint. And violà!
Step 5: Pre-Stain Conditioner
Next, I applied wood pre-stain conditioner to help even out the stain. Pre-stain is especially helpful on softer woods. I let it set for about 2 hours.
Step 6: Staining the Seats
Then it was time for my stain of choice, “Special Walnut.” I’m applying stain to the bare wood seat, but it wasn’t applying as evenly as I hoped, mainly around the edges.
The seat on the left was the bare wood, while the seat on the right is the painted one I sanded. You can tell that the sanded piece received the stain much more evenly.
Step 7: Re-Attach the Seats
After staining, I just needed to re-attach the seat, and I was done!
Final Thoughts
I’m really happy with how this turned out, especially considering the minimal tools used and no wood altering. This is a great way to spruce up your IKEA dining room chairs!
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