Fiscally Chic

IKEA Vittsjo Entry Table Hack

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Do you have a room in your house or apartment that’s really easy to decorate? That’s our front room. In the past few weeks, I bought a few things for the back room that have wound up in the front room. First was this mirror (thanks to MintLife). Most recently was our entry table.

Thankfully, this little beauty is an easy IKEA hack. Which means I’m going to “make” another for the back room :)

Supplies
IKEA Vittsjo laptop table – $39
1/4 in. thick wood (I used oak hardwood plywood) – $27 for 4′ x 8′ board
Sandpaper in assorted grits – $5
Extra fine sanding sponge (~220 grit) – $3
Tack cloth – $3 for a 3-pack
Minwax Polycrylic protective spray finish in clear satin – $9

The table originally came with a glass top, which I replaced with wood. Since we have a meager collection of power tools, one of the helpful men at Home Depot cut the board to size (38″ x12.75″).

Sand the edges: I used the assorted sandpapers to smooth the edges and ensure a snug fit on the table top. I started with the roughest grit in the pack (60), moving to a finer grit (100 then 150) as the edges became smoother.

 
Once the edges of your boards are as smooth as a baby’s bottom, it’s time to tackle the top. Since I liked the grain and color of the natural wood, I only needed to seal the surface. You can always stain the wood a darker color.
 
Prepare the surface: Grab your extra fine sanding block and lightly sand the surface; making sure to sand with the grain. Looking at the picture above, that would be sanding left to right.
 
Then wipe the surface with the tack cloth. It’s a soft, slightly sticky cloth that picks up all the dust and sanding residue from the wood. This is critical because you want a clean surface for your stain, spray paint, or poly.
 
Spraying/sealing: Holding the spray can vertically (about 12 inches from the wood), spray a thin coat in an even, sweeping motion with slightly overlapping strokes. Following the instructions on the can, I waited for the poly to dry between each coat (about 25 to 30 minutes). I also lightly sanded the surface with the sanding sponge and cleaned with the tack cloth before spraying the next coat. In total I applied 3 coats.

 
And if you’re wondering, here’s how the entry table looked in the back room before we snagged it for the front room. The Lively’s were over on Saturday for dinner and helped us do a little furniture rearranging.
 
Lookin’ good, if you ask me!
 
 
Yea, I like you here too :)
 

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Comments

  3. omg — i love you! can we get married? i have the vittsjo shelf i bought on a whim but it sits in corner because i hate the glass and need to figure out something to do with it. pair it with the desk and some plywood, and i got ideas!

  4. I just bought this today since it was the perfect size to cover up my shoe rack. I currently have a dark gray king pillowcase over the glass so I can’t see the shoes below. I will either get a better fabric to cover, or find a shelf in the As-Is section that fits.

  5. I just bought this today since it was the perfect size to cover up my shoe rack. I currently have a dark gray king pillowcase over the glass so I can’t see the shoes below. I will either get a better fabric to cover, or find a shelf in the As-Is section that fits.

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