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You are here: Home / Decor / Ikea Malm Hack

Ikea Malm Hack

April 3, 2015 Decor, DIY

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Welcome to Refashionably Late.  If you are new here, please join 23,954 subscribers and followers for weekly DIY projects & ideas!  I’d love to get to know you and answer any questions you may have.  You can also follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, & Facebook.IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.comI have been searching high and low for the Ikea Malm dressers on Craigslist.  I wanted dressers to use for nightstands in our bedroom so that we had more storage.  I had previously bought these amazing dressers on craigslist but then discovered they are Original Conant Ball Stamped Dressers.  I wanted to paint them but when I found out what they were I knew it would be a huge sin if I touched them.  I was back to the drawing board and I liked the idea of making over the Ikea Malm dressers because I liked their size and had seen lots of hacks online.  My inspiration for this Ikea Malm hack was from one of my favorite bloggers, Amy from Homey oh my!  I originally wanted to replicate it with the same colors and detail but I decided to add a few of my own touches to the project.faded floral background with text join along with 16k followers on pinterest for more inspiration

I had been searching for Ikea Malm dressers for quite some time on Craigslist and I came across someone selling two of them for $5 each!!  5 DOLLARS EACH!!  I couldn’t pass them up!  My husband and I got in the car immediately and went to buy them!  One of my other favorite bloggers, Gwen from The Makerista, has a great article on Craigslist shopping.  I had no idea you could set up email alerts when you are searching for a specific item!  Such a time saver!  Check it out!

IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com

To start I needed to prime the dressers and I used Zinsser Bulls Eye 2 Multi-Purpose Primer and Sealer.   This primer is great especially for laminate furniture…which is almost all of IKEA. 🙂  It went on really smoothly and I didn’t even need to sand the dressers beforehand.  I did do a good cleaning to the dressers before I primed them just to make sure all dust and gunk were gone.

IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com

I let the dressers dry overnight and then I began paint them.  I wanted to go bold with the dressers.  I figured if I ended up hating them it wasn’t too big of a loss as they were only $5. 🙂  I chose the color Indigo Streamer by Valspar.  I loved the richness in the blue and I thought the color would really pop in our bedroom.  I painted the dressers with 4-inch foam rollers and used a brush in areas that were hard to reach with the roller.  The dressers needed three coats of paint since the blue is a fairly bright color.  After the second coat it was pretty close to complete coverage, but as you can see below, it needed a few touch-up spots here and there.

IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.comIKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com

After all the coats of paint dried I applied 2 coats of polyurethane on the tops of the dressers to protect from scratches and spills.  I did not want water rings on my freshly painted dressers! 🙂

I picked up these adorable gold hammered knobs at Hobby Lobby.  When buying knobs (or really anything) at Hobby Lobby you always want to wait for it to go on sale.  When knobs are on sale they are 50% off.  These knobs were originally $4.99 and so I was able to get them for $2.50 and a total of $15.  As I’ve said before, I’m always looking for the best deal out there!

I marked the center of each drawer and my husband helped me drill holes into the drawers so I could screw on the knobs.  We chose a drill bit similar in size to the screws on the knobs so that they would fit tightly and not come undone.

IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com

It was then time to screw on the L brackets into each corner of the drawers.  I purchased the L brackets at Lowes.  They are 2.5-inch brackets.  I wanted something smaller but would still make a statement.  I found it hard to just screw the screws into the fiberboard so I decided to start the hole with a drill bit that was similar in size.  It created a grip for the screws and then they screwed in quite nicely and quickly.  I would highly recommend doing this rather than other ways as the fiberboard can be quite tricky to work with.  (Side note: When putting the screws on the top of each drawer make sure to do it at an angle because the drawers slant at the top.)

IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com

The last small detail I added to my dressers was decorative drawer liners.  I purchased these at Dollar Tree and I needed about 5 rolls to complete the drawers.  There were a few stains from the previous owners of the dressers and I wanted to hide the stains and make it feel more sanitary. 🙂  (I did clean them out too, of course.)  I love how the black and white liners look with the bright blue.

IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com

I was a little nervous about the bold color but I absolutely love how it looks.  I love how it compliments the blue in our bedspread and how it gives the room a pop of bright color!  I spent a total of $50 on materials (brackets, knobs, paint, liners) and $10 on the dressers.  That in total is still cheaper than buying one Ikea Malm Dresser!  SCORE!

IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com

IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com IKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.comIKEA Malm Hack - www.refashionablylate.com

I hope you love what I did with these dressers as much as I do!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend and is able to spend it with friends and loved ones!

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Comments

  1. Pam @ House of Hawthornes says

    May 18, 2015 at 3:12 pm

    I love those gold corners. You’d never know that started off as a plain Jane dresser!

    Reply
  2. Carmen says

    May 20, 2015 at 7:55 am

    Wow! They turned out great! I love that blue!

    Reply
    • Ruthie says

      May 20, 2015 at 2:01 pm

      Thank you! I love that color too! Was so excited when I came across it!

      Reply
  3. Iris Nacole says

    November 5, 2015 at 1:11 am

    Beautiful makeover! I love the knobs especially!

    Reply
    • Ruthie says

      November 5, 2015 at 1:25 pm

      Thanks Iris! I love the knobs too!

      Reply
  4. Amy Dowling says

    November 5, 2015 at 6:35 am

    What a great makeover! Amazing what paint can do to freshen up a piece of furniture! Thanks so much for sharing on Your Home Decor & More link up party! 🙂

    Reply
    • Ruthie says

      November 5, 2015 at 1:15 pm

      Thank you so much Amy! I love how they turned out!

      Reply
  5. Rachael @ This is our Bliss says

    February 24, 2016 at 12:57 pm

    That bold blue is beautiful!! and you had me at gold, L brackets and Hobby Lobby knobs! Thanks for linking up at the Pretty Project Party 😉 -Rachael

    Reply
    • Ruthie says

      February 24, 2016 at 10:06 pm

      Haha those are a good combination aren’t they?! I love me some Hobby Lobby!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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My name is Ruthie, I was born and raised in the Midwest.  I met the man of my dreams in Nashville, TN and decided to follow him back home to California.  First came love, then came marriage, then came the baby in the baby carriage.  My husband got a new job when my daughter was 2 months old and we packed up and moved halfway across the country to Minnesota, back to my homeland. We now have two beautiful little girls.

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