IKEA HEMNES HACK

I never even considered doing a IKEA Hemnes hack because I thought it would be really difficult and would look cheap and tacky… But then I started searching Pinterest and found some truly incredible IKEA hacks, all with a few coats of paint and a new set of handles. I thought I’d give it a go myself – how hard could it be?!

Turns out, super easy and was done in less than a day! Keep reading to find out how I did it…

The process

The transformation for my IKEA Hemnes hack started with a new set of handles, I used these ones from Ironmongery direct and they were an absolute bargain!

We had to take away the top layer of the trim on the drawers so that they sat flush when they were closed but this was really easy and required a saw, a chisel and an electric screwdriver to attach the new handles. I then filled in the old handle holes with wood filler and sanded away the excess.

I lightly sanded down the frame and drawer fronts to create a key for the paint to stick to and wiped everything down.

The next step was paint. I used Zinsser All Coat Matt in a colour match of Farrow and Ball Railings from The Decorating Centre Online and used less than a 1 ltr tin for the whole set. The paint is self priming so it’s a real time and effort saver!

The first coat is the ‘omg what have I done?!’ stage but trust me, it gets so much better! I used a mini foam roller and a small paint brush for the corners. It took between 3 and 4 coats of paint depending on the area for it to be fully opaque but it’s quick drying paint so it really didn’t take that long at all!

The paint does smell a bit like burning so try to keep your windows open for as long as possible. The smell does fade after a few days so not a huge deal.

After

It’s completely changed the look of the drawers and I don’t think anyone would be able to tell they were from IKEA! I’m not dissing IKEA by the way, I’m a huge fan, it’s just that sometimes it’s nice to have something that not everyone else has, isn’t it?!