Before & After: From IKEA Dining Table to Chic Desk

IKEA hacks aren’t always for the faint of crafting. But if you’ve got the time and the skill, this hack isn’t just clever – it’s downright stunning. Just get an unfinished Ingo Table for $69 and you’re on your way.

The Ingo is a simple pine table, which you’ll find in the kitchen section. It’s small, measuring only 47 1/4 ” long by 29 1/2 ” wide, so it is more than suitable for a larger workspace. The project comes courtesy of fellowApartment Therapy Contributor Katie Steuernagleand her blogmatsutake.

After sanding and painting the table, she got started on constructing the new sides. She cut sections of wood into 1 foot by 2 inch strips to form the bases that make up the squares and then one 2 foot x 2 inch strip to create the new bottom or base. Then, she joined all the pieces together with wood glue and dowels by drilling a hole in the end, filling it with glue and sticking a cut piece of dowel inside. To join it to the rest of the structure, she drilled a hole in the adjoining area of the corresponding piece of wood, filled it with glue and stuck the first dowel inside it. Be sure to wipe away any excess glue.

After four coats of fresh white paint, the result is pretty stunning.

You can see her full explanation of this $5 IKEA Hack onher blog.

(Photo Credit: Katie Steuernagle)