I’m about to give you the easiest, most affordable IKEA Side Table Hack ever. Why?  Because, who doesn’t love a good IKEA Hack?

I was looking for a stand for my newly purchased record player. I wanted something that had a shelf where I could lay the records flat and something that was fairly small. After looking everywhere for a table that fit my criteria and coming up blank, I decided that a DIY was the way to go!

I completed this IKEA side table hack for part of my One Room Challenge that I participated in this Spring. To say I was crunched for time when I decided to add this record player to the mix would be an understatement. I needed a table for my record player, like yesterday!

(Oh and I  want to add in that the record player I purchased was from Amazon ! With Amazon Prime Free Shipping I could not go wrong!)

Now that I have had my little rant about my record player (can you tell I love it?) Let’s get back to my IKEA side table hack.

IKEA really is one of my favourite places to go shop. I always find the coolest things there. They seriously have everything you could ever need for your home. From IKEA organizing solutions to plants, you will find anything you need.

The NESNA Nightstand is a cute little side table that I love because it can be added to any room. It is simple, yet has character at the same time. The best thing about this side table is the price. At $19.99 CAD – that’s a price you really can’t beat.

Taking the price into consideration, I really did not have high hopes for the quality of this side table. I am glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

The side table took approximately 15 minutes to put together and did not require a second hand to help. Once it was put together I got to started on my IKEA side table hack by staining the wood.

What you need for this IKEA side table hack:

• IKEA NESNA Nightstand
  
• Pre-Stain MINWAX Wood Conditioner – $11
  
• Penetrating Stain MINWAX Wood Finish – $9
  
• Clear Finish MINWAX Fast Drying Polyurethane (I got the satin finish) – $11
  
• 120-grit and 220-grit sandpaper sponge (I find the sponge easier to handle) – $4
  
• Natural Bristle Paint Brush (I already had these so I didn’t have to buy any) – $15
  

If you read my DIY Stained Wood Crate post then you know I already have all of the above items. The only item I purchased was the wood stain because I stained the side table darker then the wood crate. For this project I chose the Red Oak stain finish.

The process:

There are two ways you can go about this. The first way, is the way that I did it, where I put the whole piece together first, and then stained it. The other option would be to stain each individual piece on its own first and then put the side table together.

If you decide to put the side table together first, just make sure you apply tape to glass part so that it does not get ruined by the stain.

You are also going to want to do this in your garage or outside. The smell of the stain can get quite strong and it tends to drip a lot.

If you have never stained anything before then I highly recommend checking out my DIY Stained Wood Crate post where I explain in detail exactly how to stain wood.

Once you have tapped up your glass top it is time to begin!

FOLLOW THE BELOW STEPS:

1. SAND DOWN THE SIDE TABLE

Sand down your side table with 120-grit sandpaper

2. APPLY THE WOOD CONDITIONER

With your natural bristle brush apply the wood conditioner to your sanded side table.

Let the wood conditioner sit for 10-15 minutes, then wipe off any remaining conditioner with a clean rag.

3. START STAINING

*IMPORTANT* Stir the stain with a stir stick before you use it – do not shake it.

After mixing the stain, apply it to the side table. I started by staining the inside of the table first and then worked my way to the outside.

You can leave the stain on for up to 15 minutes. The longer you let the stain sit on the wood, the darker the stain will appear when you are finished.

When you are happy with the stain colour, take a clean rag and wipe off the excess stain.

Once you have completed this, you will set aside your side table and let it dry for 4 hours.

After the 4 hours are up, if you decide that you want your side table to be a little bit darker, you can repeat these same steps and apply a second coat (I did two coats for mine).

4. APPLY THE PROTECTIVE FINISH

*IMPORTANT* Stir the finish with a stir stick before you use it – do not shake it.

Using your natural bristle brush, apply the finish. Use long smooth strokes to complete the finish. This helps to even out that first coat.

The MINWAX Fast Drying Polyurethane takes about 4 hours to dry.

After 4 hours has gone by, check to see if the wood is dry. If it is dry, then it is ready to be sanded.

5. LIGHTLY SAND THE FINISH

Sand down the finish very lightly using your 220-grit sandpaper and wipe off any dust.

6. APPLY SECOND COAT OF FINISH

Apply your second coat of finish.

After you have applied the second coat of finish, you can let it sit overnight.

7. REMOVE THE TAPE

In the morning remove the tape from the glass. You may find that some stain seeped through the cracks. If this did happen then just get a damp towel or paper towel and rub it off. The stain should come off no problem.

8. STYLE YOUR SIDE TABLE

Your IKEA side table hack is finished! Bring it up into your room and style away!

Take a look at how I styled this side table below.

I love how the colour of the stain blends in with the floor so well. The best part about this is you can stain this side table any colour you want to match any flooring you have in your home.

If you are looking for a record player table I highly recommend this IKEA side table hack. It is seriously the perfect size and holds the right amount of records.

Keep in mind that IKEA markets this as a nightstand. This IKEA side table hack can be used for any room in your house and for any purpose. It would look fantastic in a bedroom or a living room.

It is a great find for a great price that can be customized to anything you really want!

I hope you enjoyed this IKEA Side Table Hack!

If you love DIY’s let me know know in the comments below and I will try to do more of them!

If you want to see more about how I styled this office, click here.