How to Make IKEA Storage Look Like It’s a Hundred Years Old


I have had these pine IKEA drawers for a long time.  They were never my favourite, but they provide convenient storage so I have always hesitated to get rid of them.  painted IKEA pine storageAt some point I gave the boring drawers a coat of cream coloured latex.  Still never liked them though.  sanding painted pine before stainingLast week I finally had enough of them and decided to give them a makeover.

My intent was to stain the drawers a dark colour to mimic a nice rich wood and then paint them with Milk Paint.  I imagined the Milk Paint being really chippy so it showed the dark stain underneath.

For the makeover, I began by giving the latex a [easyazon_link identifier=”B00002N6FE” locale=”US” tag=”recredesig20-20″]light sand[/easyazon_link].  I wasn’t sure how well the stain would adhere to the latex so wanted to give it a little tooth.  Applying General Finishes Gel Stain in Nutmeg with a chip brush to painted pineTo give the wood the rich colour I wanted, I brushed on a layer of [easyazon_link identifier=”B001DT59P8″ locale=”US” tag=”recredesig20-20″]General Finishes Gel Stain in Nutmeg[/easyazon_link].

I used a [easyazon_link identifier=”B01M3V09DZ” locale=”US” tag=”recredesig20-20″]chip brush[/easyazon_link] to apply the stain.  The bristles on a chip brush are thin and loose and helped to give the stain a streaky, old and worn look.  rubbing off excess stain with a shop towel  A quick wipe with a [easyazon_link identifier=”B00NO7BWJE” locale=”US” tag=”recredesig20-20″]shop towel[/easyazon_link] got off the excess easily.  The stain adhered to the painted pine beautifully.General Finishes Gel stain in Nutmeg on pine woodAt this point, my plan was to paint the drawers.  I was just going to use the stain to give the appearance of dark wood under the chippy milk paint.

As it dried though, I was loving the look of the stain.  General Finishes Gel Stain in Nutmeg on new pine drawersLetting the stain pool up a bit in the corners just added to the charm and made it look like it had been there for years.

I couldn’t believe how different the stain made the boring little drawers look.   The more I stared at them, the more I loved the aged look they had now.  reclaimed knobsThe drawers were actually dovetailed so I turned them backwards to make it visible.  Once they were turned, some vintage hardware completed the old, antique look.reclaimed knobs on stained pine drawersOh man I love that old hardware ♥  Having a collection of it to use on projects like this makes me so happy!ikea storage tranformed with General Finishes Gel Stain in NutmegPine IKEA storage transformed with reclaimed knobs and Gel Stain from General FinishesI would not have guess when I started that I would end up with storage that I looove so much.  They look 100 years old now and have such a gorgeous vintage feel.   I am so glad I gave these little IKEA drawers one more chance!

Pin for later… How to easily make boring IKEA storage look vintage

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2 Comments on " How to Make IKEA Storage Look Like It’s a Hundred Years Old "

  1. Lisa

    How amazing! I love the technique you used. You can’t even tell it is a cheapy Ikea product (No offense!) LOL

    1. Lisa

      Haha I totally agree! It looks completely aged and not IKEA-ish at all 😉

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