IKEA HEMNES DRESSER HACK

August 05, 2015



That sounds like a fantastic find and a great opportunity to refine your painting skills! Taking on a project like refurbishing an IKEA Hemnes dresser not only gives it a new life but also allows you to experiment and improve your DIY skills. It’s always rewarding to see a transformation, especially when you're the one making it happen.

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BEFORE:


Supplies I used:

Patience (Get tons of this!)
Kilz2 Latex primer 
Behr Premium Plus Ultra Sample paint. (I used one full can and a quarter of another)
Sandpaper (Fine and Coarse)
Wooster Synthetic bristle Angled brush
Paint roller

STEP 1: PREP

Remove knobs and give all surfaces a quick sanding and then clean up.
Honestly, I wish I had used a really coarse sandpaper for this, but I only had a medium grit one and I just sanded it for a total of 15 minutes tops.




STEP 2: PRIME

Apply Latex primer using the brush. The first coat of primer looked really ugly on the drawer. I got the hang of it by the next drawer, and things looked much better after that. I applied a second coat within 2 hours. I also sanded very lightly between coats. (I tested the blue paint at the back , in case you were wondering)


STEP 3: WAIT

This is where patience comes in handy!
 
Even though the label said I could paint over the primer in 1 hour, I left it to dry for almost 2 days. A day would have been more than enough, but the next day was very humid so I did not want to paint on a humid day anyway.

STEP 4: PAINT

Apply paint. I used the shade  'Very Navy' by Behr and applied 2 coats of it. For painting I used my Wooster angled brush for applying the paint. On large surfaces I used a foam roller to smooth out the brush strokes. This tip comes from Virginia of  LiveLoveDIY.
 
For the second coat, even though the can said I could apply in an hour, I waited 2 days. I found that people complained about having been left with a tacky surface if they painted too soon. Theoretically, I was supposed to wait a couple more days before the topcoat, but after 2 days I applied a second coat.

STEP 5: WAIT

I told you, you need tons of patience!
 
Apparently latex paints take 30 days to cure. But this is if you are using the topcoat without any protective poly coat. At first I decided to wait 2 weeks before applying polycrylic.
 
Several websites mentioned that if I was applying a poly coat, then I could go ahead and safely poly once the paint dried completely. But I also read somewhere that poly-ing (that's a word right?) without curing  made the poly to bubble and crack because the paint was still releasing moisture as part of the curing process. I didn't want to risk it, so I waited. Hardest thing I had to do. Well I couldn't wait 2 weeks. I ended up waiting 5 days before applying poly.

STEP 6: POLY PROTECTIVE COAT

I did not sand the final topcoat before applying poly. I was advised to, but I couldn't make myself to do it. I applied 3 coats of Varathane Poly, because the can said so. I have read that water based poly requires a dozen or so coats compared to oil based poly, but I think more than the recommend number of coats might not let the poly cure from inside out. I decided to listen to the manufacturer's advice in this case. I took 2 days to apply a total of 3 coats, taking care not to apply more than 2 coats in 24 hours. Recoating within 24 hours, does not require sanding in between.

STEP 7 : ADMIRE YOUR WORK AND DO THE HAPPY DANCE

I let it dry for 48 hours, gold spray painted the knobs and then assembled it. And I LOVE it!
 
I am thrilled with the color I chose - navy. I didn't use the top for at least 1-2 weeks. I wanted to let it cure first.

AFTER:




 

All in all it took me about 2 weeks to complete this. Right now I don't know if all the waiting in between was worth it. But anything is better than the paint peeling off in a few months. So better safe than sorry!
 

 
All the research I did pointed to a few main things - Don't skimp on Sanding, Priming, and most importantly give enough time for each coat to completely dry. Remember drying and curing are 2 different things. And since it is not humanly possible to wait for curing before each coat, the least we can do is wait for a little longer, find that middle ground and let the primer, paint or poly do its job!


 

Although the painting part was easy, I found the waiting part was tough. Would I do it again? For the right piece, absolutely!

Hope this helps!

Update: It's been over two years since this project and there has been zero peeling, chipping or stickiness! I have left many items on top of the dresser for days expecting them to leave a mark when I pick it up, but that has not happened. The spray paint on one of the knobs has worn off , but that's about it.

Cheers,
Vinaya

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35 comments

  1. AnonymousApril 26, 2016 at 8:57 PM

    This came out amazing!!!! Thanks for posting.

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  2. VinApril 27, 2016 at 1:54 PM

    Thankyou so much!

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  4. UnknownJune 17, 2016 at 12:19 AM

    This is a beautiful makeover!! Thanks for sharing!!

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  5. VinJune 17, 2016 at 11:54 PM

    Thanks so much Jessica ! Glad you liked it :)

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  7. sharon friedbergJune 19, 2016 at 6:25 PM

    That's a nice navy paint-not too dark. What brand/shade is it?

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  8. VinJune 23, 2016 at 10:02 PM

    Hi Sharon! Thanks for stopping by! It's 'Very Navy' by 'Behr Premium Plus Ultra' ! I should probably include it in the post! :) Hope it helps!

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  10. UnknownAugust 1, 2017 at 6:40 PM

    Hi! Now that it's been over a year, how well has the paint held up? Any chipping, peeling or scratching off easily? Any stickiness?

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  11. VinAugust 2, 2017 at 2:21 AM

    Hey Lana, thanks for your interest! It's actually been 2 years since the project and I am happy to report there's been zero peeling, chipping or stickiness! I have left many items on of the dresser for days expecting them to leave a mark when I pick it up, but that has not happened! Yay! The spray paint on one of the knobs has worn off , but that's about it!

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  12. UnknownAugust 4, 2017 at 10:29 AM

    Fantastic! Glad to hear it. I'm planning a similar transformation. Keeping fingers crossed it turns out as good as yours. :)

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  13. UnknownAugust 4, 2017 at 10:39 AM

    Can you please write which exact finishing coat you used? Was it Varathane? Or the Minwax Polycrylic? Thanks!

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  14. VinAugust 7, 2017 at 10:04 PM

    Good luck on your project! I used the Varathane Poly as the final top coat.

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  15. UnknownMarch 3, 2019 at 2:33 PM

    Hey there! Guess what? I did that Ikea repainting project and it turned out brilliant! I did a large hemnes wardrobe that was originally black, and I painted it white! And I didn't bother with a top coat at all. It's been two years and it has also held up well! If you're interested, I wrote about it in my blog that I recently started. Check it out here: www.acreativehome.ca/how-to-paint-furniture/

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  16. VinayaDecember 15, 2020 at 12:30 AM

    That’s so great!!! Time for the happy dance :)

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  18. redheaded1August 6, 2017 at 2:28 PM

    This is an excellent demonstration of quality DIY work. I have Hemnes furniture and I'm so tired of the brown. I might do white. Or I might do colors. But it won't be brown any more. Yay!

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  19. UnknownMarch 3, 2019 at 2:34 PM

    Hi there! I redid a black hemnes wardrobe in white! Check out my tutorial here: http://www.acreativehome.ca/how-to-paint-furniture/

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  21. UnknownAugust 26, 2017 at 3:31 PM

    Beautiful!!! ♡

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  22. UnknownOctober 19, 2017 at 11:41 AM

    Hi there!

    Can you tell me the process for the knobs? Did you sand and spray paint? Just spray paint? Did you seal the knobs with poly too? Thank you!

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  23. VinNovember 3, 2017 at 8:26 PM

    Hi Eliana, I actually just spray painted the knobs without sanding and they chipped after a year. I should probably sand and spray paint again because it's such a heavily used part! Cant't open them without touching the knobs.
    The dresser itself though has held up really well with ZERO chips. Looks as good as the day I painted it!

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  25. cindyMarch 26, 2018 at 8:34 PM

    HI, I wanted to paint them the same black-brown, from wear/usage... would I still need to prime after sanding? Read that there is a similar color from Behr matching the black-brown. thanks..cindy

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  26. VinayaApril 8, 2018 at 10:34 PM

    Hi Cindy.. yes you would still have to sand before priming. The existing black brown is just a stain and you would need to follow the same steps regardless of what color you intend to paint. The sanding and priming is to ensure that the paint sticks to the surface well. Good luck on your project!

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  28. AnonymousAugust 27, 2018 at 3:11 AM

    Hi Cindy, can you please tell me what sheen was used for the paint and the polyurethane?

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  29. VinayaNovember 25, 2018 at 1:16 PM

    Oops I can't recall.. I think it was something similar to eggshell/satin... Not glossy,not matte - somewhere it the middle

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  31. RoosOctober 9, 2018 at 4:10 AM

    Beautiful result! Nice job and Thanks for sharing!

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  32. VinayaNovember 25, 2018 at 1:17 PM

    Thankyou!

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  34. AnonymousOctober 21, 2018 at 10:37 PM

    Hi! I love the look of the dresser ;) did you apply the poly with a brush or roller?

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  35. VinayaNovember 25, 2018 at 1:19 PM

    I used a brush

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  37. AnonymousDecember 3, 2018 at 10:32 AM

    I applied a Polycrylic coat to the dresser after several coats of paint, and the entire dresser began to suffer from alligatoring. It looks like garbage and I basically have to start all over again. Very disheartening.

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  38. VinayaDecember 15, 2020 at 12:21 AM

    Oh no that’s so disappointing! I don’t have a lot of experience to think of what could have gone wrong.

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  40. Angie GordonJune 5, 2019 at 3:34 PM

    I have a hemnes dresser I'd like to redo and as you know, only parts of it are real wood. Did you have any problem with the paint adhering to those areas?

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  41. VinayaDecember 15, 2020 at 12:22 AM

    Hi Angie, I did sand and prime and had no issues. It’s been 6 years now, and it looks just like the day I painted it :) . Except for the knobs - I didn’t put any effort into doing them except for spray paint

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  43. Angie GordonJune 5, 2019 at 3:35 PM

    Hi! I have the same dresser and as you know, only parts are real wood. I'm wondering if you had any trouble getting the paint to adhere to those areas, or if the sanding and double coats of primer are what helped.

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  44. NoorAugust 21, 2019 at 12:27 AM

    Hi! Is it possible to paint it inside the room? Don't have a big space and can't really take it out. Thanks!

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  45. VinayaDecember 15, 2020 at 12:23 AM

    Hi Noor! Absolutely ! I painted the entire thing In our guest bedroom. I just sanded it outside on my balcony. Just have your windows open as much as possible

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  47. Sandsj21October 9, 2019 at 1:33 PM

    I love this so much. Do you think I can paint the dresser before I put it together or paint it after putting it together?

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  48. VinayaDecember 15, 2020 at 12:24 AM

    Hmm I’m wondering if you should assemble
    The frame and then paint it .. just in case the screws don’t fit in as well with several coats of paint,
    Primer and topcoat .. you could do the drawers and frame separately ... . Good luck!

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