I had been eying this Ikea Latt Children's Table ever since I saw Laura post about it here. So you can imagine how incredibly excited I was when I woke up one day to see the table in our dining room! Apparently Mark had bought a couch from someone off of Craigslist and they gave him the table for FREE! I never even told Mark about wanting the table, so I was I, then, of course had to Pinterest all the different ways people made-over their tables. I found some great designs and ideas. I put all of my favorites together and came up with something that goes with the colors in Myles' play room and also is versatile enough to grow with him as he changes.
What you will need
1. Ikea Latt Children's table
2. 2 cans of spray paint (color is your choice)
3. Allen wrench
4. Spray Adhesive
5. One yard of fabric (pattern/color your choice)
6. Chalkboard paint
7. Paint brush
8. Chalk
Process
1. The first thing I did was pick out my color choices. Myles' play room is very colorful so I had a lot of choices. I decided it would be best to pick out the seat fabric first, then choice a color based off of the fabric. I found this cute 'letter' fabric at Walmart. I didn't want anything too baby or too specific (like characters or shows) because I plan on having him use this table for years to come. I like all the colors, words, and little faces.. cute but not cutesy!
From there I picked out a spray paint color. As you can see, I went with cherry red. I think red is always a good choice for a pop of color and it goes with his room.
2. Next, I spray painted the table and chairs. This took several coats of paint and two cans. I just worked on it a little every night for about a week, but I would say altogether, it was about 3 coats to really get it all covered. I decided to keep the pieces together when I painted them because it just seemed easier. I didn't have to hold any parts while I painted and since the seat would be getting covered up, I didn't have to worry about not getting paint on certain areas. It worked out best that way for me, but you could take it apart and paint all the pieces separately, if you wanted.
3. Once the chairs and table were painted and dried (picture 1), I started with the seats. First, I took the chair apart (picture 2). I took off the front legs by unscrewing the front bolts. Then I was able to slide the seat out. I cut the fabric to the size of the seat and adhered it to the seat using adhesive spray. (I used Scotch Super 77).
*Tip for putting the fabric on the seat:
Cut the fabric to the exact size of the seat. First cut the fabric a little bit bigger than the seat. Then adhere the fabric using the spray. Let it sit and dry for a couple minutes. Then cut off all the excess fabric around the sides of the seat. It's okay if the fabric frays or anything because it will be tucked into the slots on the chair.
This advice comes from my mistake. I left the excess fabric around the sides and tucked it under the bottom of the seat. This made the seat thicker and so it would not go back into the chair easily. I ended up splitting the wood on the chair trying to get the seat back into the slots :(
I realized how I should have done it... after I did it the wrong way! So definitely cut the fabric to the exact size of the seat!
Lastly, put the chair back together. I would recommend keeping the sides in place (like the second picture) and then sliding the seat into the sides until its in place. Then put the front back on and the bolts in.
4. The last part is the table. I also just painted the table without taping it off because I was planning on painting the top with chalkboard paint, so I didn't care if the spray paint got on the table top. I used a bottle of chalkboard paint I bought from Walmart and a sponge brush to turn the top of the table into a chalkboard. I had to do 3 coats of the paint for it to cover the top completely.
*Tips for the chalkboard paint:
Wait 24 hours between each coat. That way it will be completely dry. If you paint another coat and it's not totally dry it will cause the paint to come off (learned that from experience too).
Once all the coats are done, wait another 24 hours and then line the surface with a coat of chalk. I didn't really know why the directions told me to do this, but I did it anyway. I later found out that it is super important to do so, because if not, the paint will become super smooth and glossy and the chalk will not write on it.
Which leads me to my last tip: make sure you are done painting, touch ups and all, before you prime it with the coat of chalk. If you paint over any area after the chalk prime, the texture will not be conducive to writing with the chalk.
I think that is it, but if you have any questions about the project or anything I missed please comment below.
What projects are you working on this week?
*Tips for the chalkboard paint:
Wait 24 hours between each coat. That way it will be completely dry. If you paint another coat and it's not totally dry it will cause the paint to come off (learned that from experience too).
Once all the coats are done, wait another 24 hours and then line the surface with a coat of chalk. I didn't really know why the directions told me to do this, but I did it anyway. I later found out that it is super important to do so, because if not, the paint will become super smooth and glossy and the chalk will not write on it.
Which leads me to my last tip: make sure you are done painting, touch ups and all, before you prime it with the coat of chalk. If you paint over any area after the chalk prime, the texture will not be conducive to writing with the chalk.
I think that is it, but if you have any questions about the project or anything I missed please comment below.
What projects are you working on this week?
