How to paint an IKEA Hemnes nightstand the simple way
Looking for a way to change up or upgrade your IKEA Hemnes nightstand? The Hemnes is a staple in may homes. Raise your hand if you love the IKEA Hemnes dresser as much as we do! It honestly is the best IKEA dresser. So naturally the nightstand is a favorite as well.
We had these nightstands in white for years. They needed a refresh, so we opted to paint them instead of buying new ones. We are obsessed with the green color that we used.
Today we are going to walk you through a great IKEA hack. Well, to be honest it is one of our favorite IKEA hacks that we have done to date. We are giving you step by step instructions on how to paint an IKEA Hemnes nightstand the simple way. This is much easier than you might think!
So what is an IKEA Hack?
We absolutely love IKEA hacks. We love them so much there is an entire section of our blog dedicated to them. This term is simple really… You take a basic item from IKEA and transform it into something that looks more high-end or creative or personal. It is a wonderful way to give an old IKEA piece of furniture a new life!
You can make your hack into something more modern or Scandinavian or boho looking with paint, trim, new hardware and more. This is a way to epicycle furniture that you may be over and you can give it a nod to your personal style.
Often, painting laminate IKEA furniture is the easiest and most simple way to change up or up-cycle the piece of furniture.
What kind of primer to use on laminate furniture
Primer – using the right primer is key for painting Ikea furniture. We highly recommend using Zinsser BIN Shellac-based primer. This specific primer goes on so smooth. Using a good primer makes applying paint over laminate a breeze! By using this primer, you do not have to throughly sand the piece prior to painting, just a quick sanding will do.
Using a good quality primer is key to a successful laminate Ikea furniture transformation. It allows the new paint to “adhere” to the laminate. If you do not use a good primer, the paint will easily scratch off the furniture piece, especially in a high traffic area.
You will not regret using a good primer. It will make painting the IKEA furniture so much easier.
What kind of paint to use on laminate furniture
We love using cabinet paint on high traffic laminate IKEA furniture like the Hemnes nightstand. This type of paint has a bit of enamel in it to give a super sturdy quality and finish. But latex paint works well too! We tend to go ahead and use the more expensive cabinet paint because it has worn so well for us.
You can also use chalk paint. That is a favorite type of paint for many furniture flippers and refinishers. It gives a chalky like look and wears well. We do not recommend to use plain old spray paint.
What kind of paint brushes to use on laminate furniture
We love to use paint rollers that are specially designed for painting cabinets, like there cabinet paint rollers. They give a smooth finish and are so easy to use. And it helps deter having brush marks on you laminate pieces of furniture.
How to prep IKEA furniture to paint
It will be entirely up to you if you want to assemble the piece of furniture before you paint. Typically we will assemble prior to painting.
We highly recommend a light sand prior to painting. This minimal effort gives the piece a smooth surface to prime and paint. The right prep work will help you in the long run!
IKEA Hemnes Nightstand supplies
- Ikea Hemnes nightstands
- Our go-to primer (zinsser primer)
- Paint (we love using cabinet paint) (we used Flora color by Valspar)
- sanding sponges/sanding block (or sand paper)
- paint brushes (we love these cabinet paint rollers)
- painting supplies (like tack cloth, paint tray, paint stick)
- Gereral Finishes topcoat
- new hardware (if you want to change things up!)
- wood filler (if needed for changing hardware)
How to paint an IKEA Hemnes nightstand the simple way
Step 1: Your first step is to assemble the furniture (in some cases it is easier to paint the piece when not assembled – you will determine this).
Step 2: Lightly sand the furniture. You can use a sanding sponge for this. Then wipe down the piece with a tack cloth or microfiber cloth. You will not want to skip this part, wiping the sanding residue off is very important.
Step 3: No it is time to prime! I love using these paint rollers. Apply the primer in an even coat. Once dry, make sure that you have evenly primed everything.
Also make sure to paint in a well ventilated area.
You can give it a second coat of primer. Allow to dry. Prime all sections of nightstand (from the sides, to drawer fronts, etc).
Step 4: Now is time to paint. When we are painting furniture pieces, we typically like to use a matte finish cabinet paint. It has enamel in the paint that allows it to be a tougher paint.
Apply a first coat of paint using a cabinet foam roller. A good quality paint brush is key. Allow to the paint to dry, then apply a second coat.
Note: some people like to lightly sand in between coats after they have painted the entire surface. We typically do not opt for this step. We haven’t seen this make a huge difference for us. But honesty, it is a personal decision.
Step 5: Apply a top coat. We adore the General Finishes brand of topcoat. I will often test the topcoat on a part of the furniture that you cannot see, just to test that the paint color will not change. Typically Gereral Finishes topcoat is not a problem!
Step 6: And now for the final step, put on hardware. I most always change the Ikea hardware out for new brass hardware. These days even amazon has amazing brass cabinet pulls and hardware! We have used these knobs on so many projects.
Good luck on your IKEA hack! We hope this tutorial will help you with this project and make it feel like it is a simple DIY.
