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Oct 8 2015

ikea vittsjo hack

Posted by hayley
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When did the term “hack” morph from meaning something bad (someone breaking into your computer) into meaning to make something easier and/or more awesome? Life hacks, recipe hacks, cleaning hacks… Just one search on Pinterest for Ikea hack will reveal hundreds of ideas on ways to make inexpensive furniture look custom chic.

In the new mancave that I’m designing for Handsome, I have a very specific problem to solve that requires a very specific piece of furniture (more on that in another post). Having not found anything that would suit my predicament, I thought I’d try my hand at a hack.

Say hello to Ikea’s Vittsjö side table. Normally, this piece is a black metal frame with a clear glass top and dark laminate bottom shelf.

ikea lack hack | greyhouseharbor.com

That setup wasn’t going to solve my issue, so I hacked a new look.

I started by having the good people at Home Depot cut down a sheet of 1/2 plywood.

Here’s the cut specs:
1 piece (top) – 19 3/4″ x 20″
1 piece (bottom) – 19 3/4″ x 19 3/4″
1 piece (front) – 19 3/4″ x 19

On the bottom shelf (19 3/4″ x 19 3/4″), I used a jig saw to notch out 5/8″ into all four corners so that it would sit flush with the ledge support.

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

On the front piece (19 3/4″ x 19), Songbird and I drilled four recessed screw holes with the kreg jig along one of the long sides.

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

Apply a line of wood glue along one short edge of the top piece (19 3/4″ x 20″).

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

Turn the edge with glue to overlap the edge with the Kreg jig holes. Screw together and let dry.

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

Here you can see how the top piece overlaps the front piece a little better (screwed in from underneath). I wanted the table to have some character, so initially I taped out this retro design prior to staining.

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

Unfortunately, when I stained it (with Minwax Dark Walnut), the tape lines bled some.

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

So, I went back with a thin paint brush and white paint to crisp up the design.

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

After letting the stain and paint dry overnight, I coated all the wood with 3 coats of semi-gloss polyurethane for durability.

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

On the frame, there are 6 solid metal brackets that would normally support the glass top. I used a 3/8″ metal drill bit to make holes in them. When you drill, put an empty box below to catch all the tiny metal shavings – don’t want anyone stepping on those, ouch!

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

After the poly is dry, insert the bottom shelf first; it will stay in place without additional securing. Then align the top/front piece flush with the metal frame and screw in through the bracket holes underneath. You may want 2 people for this to keep it square while you attach it.

ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

My very own Ikea hack! So proud. Just wait ’til I show you how genius it works in solving my design problem. More to come!
ikea vittsjo hack | greyhouseharbor.com

Tags: diy, furniture, ikea hack, mancave
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1 comment
Aug 16 2015

the sniff test

Posted by hayley
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We live on one military income. I contribute a few bucks here and there with freelance artwork/graphic design, but our budget is based solely on Handsome’s provision. We are comfortable, but not extravagant. I shop clothing sales, thrift stores, Walmart groceries and tackle a lot of DIY to stretch our dollars as best I can. Craigslist has been kind to me: providing several home & child accoutrements at a fraction of the cost. Most of the time I’m even able to re-sell outgrown items for nearly (if not exactly) what I paid for them.

95% of my Craigslist purchases have been awesome. Nice people, fair price, smooth transaction, no creepers. I did have one nightmare experience where I drove 6 hours round-trip alone with both kids to end up NOT buy something that was clearly broken and totally misrepresented. That was a major bummer, but I henceforth set a travel limit of an hour — no matter how much me likey.

And then along came this console table.

console table makeover  greyhouseharbor.com

I only drove 15 minutes to buy this antique beauty and I got it for a song. Solid wood, gorgeous detailing, perfect shape and size.

console table makeover  greyhouseharbor.com

Problem was… the lady I bought it from had it sitting on her covered patio. I only saw it on her patio, purchased it from her patio, and never once stepped foot inside her house. It needed some work, but I saw it’s potential and wasn’t afraid to put in a little elbow grease.

console table makeover  greyhouseharbor.com

As I drove my new treasure home, the car began to smell. After sitting in my house overnight, the entire living room reeked of cigarettes. Turns out, the table smelled to high heaven. It was as if the poor thing had been sitting in the corner of a nasty dive bar for 50 years. Just look at the thickness of this horrible waxy buildup…

console table makeover  greyhouseharbor.com

After dry scraping a majority of the table, it still stunk. So I tried chemical paint stripper. The vile sludge that came off that thing was downright vomitous. This was not going to be a quick fix.

console table makeover  greyhouseharbor.com

It took me 3 afternoons and a few minor chemical burns to get it down to bare wood. Then I repainted, restained, and applied 3 coats of polyurethane.

console table makeover  greyhouseharbor.com

Looking sharp, right? That’s what I thought too. Until I put it in our bedroom. Woke up with a headache and my room smelling like the aforementioned dive bar.

console table makeover  greyhouseharbor.com

I couldn’t believe that after all that work the table still had the aromatic potency to clear a room. But I also couldn’t bring myself to sell it (and lie about it’s stench) or trash it (I’d put in so much sweat equity)!

console table makeover  greyhouseharbor.com

So I put it on my covered patio. For 3 months. Hoping and praying that all it needed was some fresh air.

console table makeover  greyhouseharbor.com

Turns out, I was right. The little blue console could finally come inside without offending anyone and now lives happily in our master bedroom. If you smoosh your nostrils reeeeeal close, there is a dainty hint of this beauty’s past life of neglect, but she not longer defiles the room.

Moral of the Story: from now on any and all Craigslist purchases (wood furniture included) will be subjected to and have to pass a stringent sniff test.

Tags: furniture, our home, trash to treasure
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5 comments
Aug 7 2014

old soul in a new suit

Posted by hayley
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Previously I’ve shared my habit of coming home with orphan furniture. I can’t help it… they cry out to me. I’m an addict that needed a fix.

wpid4317-rocking-chair-revamp.jpg

Oh, Salvation Army store… always a treasure trove of misfit furniture. From across the aisle, his wingback goodness beckoned. Upon closer inspection I was delighted to find he was actually a rocker. A platform rocker has stationary legs and a curved mid-section, allowing for shallow rocking movement.

Easing into his comfy embrace, I smiled thinking of all the babes that had been rocked to sleep in his care. Or perhaps it was old men easing their aching bones and passing gas in his deep cushions. Uh, wait… let’s stick with the baby storyline.

old soul in a new suit  |  greyhouseharbor.com

While his frame was solid, the wide plaid suit he wore belied his age. Musty in odor, missing buttons, and literally crumbling to the touch, it no longer fit the bill.

old soul in a new suit  |  greyhouseharbor.com

His under-things needed attention first. Some fresh strapping gave him the support he lacked, just like a trusty pair of tighty-whities — not pretty, but it gets the job done.

old soul in a new suit  |  greyhouseharbor.com

My mom taught me to sew, but she never attempts a project without a pattern. I tend to be a little more cavalier with my stitches and winged a half-hazard upholstery revamp with new fabric and filling. It is amazing what some new clothes can do; a little leaner, cleaner and brighter. Besides a thorough wipe-down, I didn’t touch the wood and yet it looks so much richer in a new suit.

old soul in a new suit  |  greyhouseharbor.com

His dignity restored, the wingback now lives in Bug’s room. He has more rocking to do, more stories to be read, and more memories to add to his resumé.

old soul in a new suit  |  greyhouseharbor.com

 

Tags: furniture, trash to treasure
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3 comments
Jun 29 2014

desk destiny

Posted by hayley
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It’s been a few moons since I did an update on the progress of Songbird’s room. Betchya thought I gave up on it, huh?

Well, today I want to share a story of triumph and perseverance.

If you were to ask Handsome the top 3 things I do that drive him crazy, they would be — 1. Leaving the lights on in a room I’m no longer using (he actually installed a motion sensor switch in my closet to thwart my most frequent offender).  2. Forgetting to turn off the air conditioning in my car before shutting it down (apparently it’s hard on your compressor, whatever that is).  3. Rescuing “trash” furniture because it’s free or nearly free, only to have it take up space in the garage for an ungodly amount of time before I actually do anything with it.

Guilty on all counts. The lights and the A/C, well… whatever. But the furniture is the one I get emotional about. “Babe, it’s FREE and with a little elbow grease it’s gonna be gorgeous! And then I can be so proud of how I saved it from the landfill and gave it a new life in our home!” Such was the case when I found this antique vanity thrown out in the alley behind our townhome in San Diego. It was missing the mirror and the faux finish was an awful dingy white with brown streaks, but it had a great shape and was otherwise in good condition.

desk destiny

Songbird and I wheeled it home. She was two and a half when we found it in 2011… my tiny sweetheart! I had every intention of making it Songbird’s desk, but then I got pregnant with Bug and then I had a newborn and then Handsome deployed for 6 months and then I was busy building a house from 2,700 miles away and then we moved to Virginia. So it sat in our garage for 3 whole years. It’s a small miracle that Handsome even agreed to move it.

desk destiny

When I finally got around to working on it, I almost gave up, three times. What I thought would be an easy sand and repaint turned into the removal of 4 (read them 4!) coats of paint. I’m pretty sure that original green was so old it contained lead.

desk destiny

I ended up in the garage every night after the kids were in bed for a week straight, using heavy-duty chemical paint stripper, rubber gloves, eye protection, face mask, a wire brush and a putty knife to get it clean. Those beautiful turned legs were nearly the death of me.

desk destiny

Much like the loyalty I feel towards my loved ones, I’d grown fond of this little orphan piece and was willing to fight fierce for its success. I had to prove to Handsome that the desk’s long-term garage residence was not in vain. But mostly I wanted to see it restored to its beautiful, functional former self.

Plus, how could I turn down my only daughter’s request for a pink desk?!

I could’ve just bought a cute desk for a couple hundred bucks, but that wouldn’t be a very good story and good stories are what life’s all about. Who knows, maybe this desk will become an heirloom that my great-granddaughter will inherit some day. Probably not, but it’s fun to think about. Until I can capture a photograph displaying its full glory as Songbird’s new creative space, I’ll leave you with this little teaser.

desk destiny

What about you? Have you ever turned a rescued trash into treasure?

Tags: desk, furniture, songbirds room, trash to treasure
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2 comments


I'm Hayley. Wife and mother by day, DIY enthusiast by night. Fueled by sweet tea and jelly beans, I own power tools and know how to use them. Consider yourself warned.

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