Ikea Latt Hack

Ah, the classic, cheap and standard Ikea Latt table.  We got this set for Greta for her first birthday nearly a year ago (I'll have a two year old next month.  Pinch me.). 

Of course to a toddler a table and chairs just their size is delightful no matter what it looks like--but after staring at it for a year, I knew that we could do better.  For the most part, this just hung out in her room and held her basket of books.  Occasionally, she would pull out a chair and actually sit and pretend to read.

Last night, after she went to bed, I snuck it out of her room to give it a little personality, a new life that didn't scream, "Ikea Latt!" and most importantly, I was hoping a lot more use.  After about 4 hours, the tabletop was now a chalkboard (I can't have all the fun), and I color blocked portions of the chairs and table for a contemporary, clean, mod look.  Ta Da!:

I had all of the paint on hand, so this project was a freebie.  For the chalkboard paint, I used Rustoleum, the same quart-sized can I had left over from my making my big chalkboard for our laundry room.  The white border around the chalkboard is right off the shelf semi-gloss white that we use for all of the trim in our house.  The green is Martha Stewart's Cornichon.  We have used it previously here and here.

The white and green color-blocking also got 3 coats of clear high-gloss Polycrylic to seal, protect and shine!  And boy does it shine:

I love the juxtaposition of the raw pine, the glossy color and the matte black chalkboard.  Once I showed Greta her "new" table and chairs--I realized I should have saved it for her birthday even if we would be regifting her own gift.  She went bananas.

And just when I was sure we had a left on our hands, she switched:

Of all the DIY projects we do around here, there is hands down nothing more rewarding than doing something special for Greta.  She gets so excited and is so grateful.  Now, I am just hoping the excitement of drawing on the chalkboard lasts the afternoon...at least.