First off, I want to give you all a huge thanks for the sweet comments on my guest room makeover. You sure know how to make a girl feel good 🙂 My favorite part of our new guest room is the DIY chest that sits to the right of the bed.
Would you believe that it started out looking like this?
Next, you’ll want to get all of the pieces of the TRYSIL chest out of the box and read through the assembly instructions to figure out which piece is which. Put a small piece of painter’s tape on the side of each piece that will be on the inside once the chest is assembled. Write the name of the piece (side, top, drawer front, etc.) on the tape.
Measure the drawer fronts and the sides, top, and bottom of the chest and add about 6-8″ to the each of your dimensions (there will be some fraying of the edges of the fabric so you need this extra amount to allow for that – you can cut off excess later if needed). Cut out pieces of fabric in those sizes. One tablecloth is enough fabric for all of the pieces that you’ll need to cover the chest as long as you lay it out in a way that you’re not wasting lots of fabric. Do not use the hemmed edges of the tablecloth – cut off and discard those.
Next step? Iron. Steam iron the heck out of your fabric to get out the fold marks and wrinkles.
The last step before adhering the fabric to your pieces is to prep the drawer fronts. Each drawer front comes with two predrilled holes for the handles. Fill these two holes with wood filler, wax, or putty. I used a Minwax pencil:
Then figure out where you want your new pulls and drill the holes for them. It helps to use painter’s tape to mark the spot that you’re drilling the holes and to keep the laminate of the wood from flaking off the surface when you drill them.
You’re now ready to put your fabric on the fronts of your pieces. I originally tried Mod Podge but I quickly saw that it soaked through portions of the fabric and darkened its color so for plan B I used {this Super 77 Adhesive Spray}, which worked great. This stuff is SUPER sticky and a little goes a long way. You need to use it in a well ventilated area so I spread a big dropcloth out in the garage (with the garage door open) and did it there. The process is pretty simple. For each piece, spray a light coat of adhesive spray on the side of the piece that will be on the outside of the chest and then gently lay your fabric piece on top of it. Readjust the piece to align it properly by lifting it up and placing it back down as needed. Once your fabric piece is centered on the wood piece, press it down onto the wood piece and smooth out any wrinkles.
Now you need to wrap the fabric around the edges. Instead of trying to spray the edges, I found it was easiest to spray some of the adhesive spray on a paper plate and then use a small paintbrush to spread it on the edges. Doing it this way also keeps you from getting too much glue on the fabric. The glue on the plate and the wood piece dries very fast, so you have to keep spraying more on the plate and keep wrapping and pressing the fabric down on the edges as you go.
Then insert the screw for your pull through the hole in the drawer and through the opening in the fabric that you made with the skewer. Turn the pull (NOT the screw) to tighten it onto the drawer front. Turning the screw can pull at the fabric and create a run in it (yep, unfortunately I learned that the hard way…).
I wanted the legs of the chest to match my hardware so before attaching them to the chest, I sprayed them with {this Rustoleum Paint & Primer}:
Done!
So what do you think? If you have any questions, shoot me an email or leave a comment. Enjoy the weekend!
Ashley @ The Houston House says
Amazing! I love this DIY.
Lisa @ Shine Your Light says
Kris, this is one of my favorite Ikea hacks. Such a great idea, and the end result is so custom looking! I like the idea of a piece of glass for the top, then your guests won’t be worried about messing up that pretty finish.
Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door says
I so so love that you used a tablecloth! You did such a professional job, it looks like a million bucks! Cheers!
Lindsay, Xo Lindsay says
Now that is some talent and creativity! It looks fantastic!!!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thank you Lindsay!
Vel Criste says
OMG Kris! I must try this someday! It is simply so high-end looking and seems so do-able for a beginner DIY-er like me! Thanks dear!!!!
Anonymous says
WOW ! I’m inspired …
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks 🙂
Becky {This Is Happiness} says
I love this project so much Kris! It looks amazing! I’ve never used the adhesive spray, but I can think of a few projects that I’ve done already where it would have made things a lot easier, I think? Great job!!
SarahN @ livetolist says
Just amazing!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thank you Sarah!
rieyll says
This is an AMAZING idea! Thanks for sharing! And what a detailed tutorial, perfect for newbies like me!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
It was one of those rare projects that turned out better than I expected – glad you found the tutorial helpful!
Erin says
Such a great idea. thank you for the in depth tutorial. I am doing this with a laminated piece I have been hiding in the basement!!!!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Good luck with your project!!
Anonymous says
This is beautiful!!! I’m so impressed that you had the vision AND were able to pull it off. I often have the vision, but my end results don’t always match that vision:)
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
I’m right there with you – it’s nice to have a few projects like this come out as well as I had hoped to keep me going when other ones flop!
mrsbingh says
This project is fantastic and even more fantastic is the extended tutorial that you shared here. Thank you! I have this on my list of projects to try and i have just the small dresser to try it on!
-Maria B.
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Good luck with your dresser – I hope it turns out great!
Anonymous says
Love it! I’m so inspired.
The DIY Homegirl says
Great makeover and very creative using the tablecloth! Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie says
Wow now that is creative! And it looks so high end! Great job, and thanks for sharing a tutorial on how you did it.
lauren @ West Furniture Revival says
your dresser turned out gorgeous, what a great idea, i would love to feature it , if that would be ok please let me know.,
lauren
Reshma Sanjeev says
Oh wow…what difference it made. Thanks for the tutorial. I am going to do this to my IKEA MALM but I will have to work around since I its already assembled.
Chaney @ May Richer Fuller Be says
WOW! This looks amazing! I covered an IKEA Expedit with grasscloth like material using modpodge recently, but next time, I think I’m definitely going to try the fabric and spray adhesive route. Thanks for an AWESOME tutorial!
L Anderson says
To quote my 7 year old son who just saw the before and after, “WHOa!” Gorgeous!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Love that!
Keggy25 says
Crazy incredible. What I really love is how you used a table cloth and were really elaborate in your details! I love this. Amazing. Just found you. I’m so excited.
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Wow – what a feel-good comment 🙂 Thanks so much!
Unknown says
I CANNOT Wait to do this…I’m in Chicago and the weather is crazy out here but nothing is going to stop me. Ikea here I come. BRILLIANT!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
You ARE getting some seriously cold weather there, aren’t you?! Good luck braving the elements and I hope it turns out amazing!
Anonymous says
I just came across your blog and “fell in LUV”;) I am so obsessed with this hack that I am going to do 3 of them and put them next to one another in my living room! I just hope I can make mine look as good as yours! I wanted to ask you about the table cloth, it’s no longer available in that size, only round…..how much fabric did you end up using? Thanks again I look forward to seeing more inspiration from you!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
You are so sweet and I love your plan! I would say that I used about 3/4 of the material from the tablecloth I bought. You might want to check another Target if you have more than one that’s close to you – I saw the size I used on clearance at my Target a few days ago!
Anonymous says
Thanks for the info, I will hopefully get this started this weekend and take a pic:)
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Would love to see a pic! You can post it on Driven by Décor’s Facebook page!
Anonymous says
I will most definitely. I’m just getting started now, can you tell me the measurements on the pulls? I really like the spacing on yours. I’m looking at 8″ in from the edge and 4″ from the top. Thanks so much!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
The holes for my pulls are placed 3″ from the top and 7 1/4″ in from the end. Hope that helps!
[email protected] says
Beautiful job! I love a good long tutorial!
Rose says
What a beautiful job.
I love getting ideas from this sight. The ideas are so real and you can actually do them yourself.
So many other sights are too complicated –
Thank you for sharing
Rose
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks so much for the sweet comment Rose – glad you’ve gotten some inspiration!
gina says
Thanks for the tutorial! That looks great!
Anonymous says
genius, pure genius
Claudia Haney says
WOW, FANTASTIC!! Love it
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks Claudia!
Diana W. says
Brilliant Sista! Way to rock it! Just really strong work.
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks Diana 🙂
Life Between Potato and Rice says
What a great transformation ! Great job !!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks so much!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks – I’m happy with how it fit it with the rest of the room!
Anonymous says
just bought a used IKEA Brimmnes bed with storage drawers,,,this is a great idea on so many levels to soften and sophisticate the bed and have low cost custom tables and more,,,,I am new to this diy thing,,,,,and thank you for sharing,,,fyi,,,M, 50 yrs old!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Welcome to the world of DIY! So glad you like the idea of transforming furniture with fabric – I hope your bed turns out beautifully!
Anonymous says
Been wondering how to update dresser and armoire in master bedroom — hubby won’t go for painting “good stuff” that’s only ten years old! Last week I happened upon a new linen tablecloth (Katie Brown) that daughter had bought, then decided not to use. Serendipity rules! I almost immediately thought about covering the dresser, minus the mirror, with the fabric and some sort of adhesive. Today I decided to search the web to see if anybody else had tried such a project and what methods, products, and results were out there.
I loved your work on the Ikea piece, Kris…your guest room looks so much better than our master could ever hope to look. I need to ask your opinion about covering up something that’s already assembled. It’s mostly top, sides, and six drawers (that are removable), so would you treat this piece differently than yours?
Thanks in advance for any helpful suggestions!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks so much for the sweet words! I do think it would be doable on an already assembled piece although a little more challenging. The drawers shouldn’t be much of an issue assuming that there is enough space on the drawer back to fold over and adhere the fabric before running into the drawer itself. Your biggest problem is going to be with the sides. For some of the trickier spots (like where the sides meet the top), you might want to serge the edges of your fabric and adhere the fabric to each side with the serged edge being at the very top. I hope that makes sense. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
Anne says
Beautiful!
Jane says
This looks so beautiful! I was wondering if somebody had done this with fabric and then I saw your blog! Thank you so much, I have two dressers that are getting a makeover. 🙂
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks for the sweet comment Jane – good luck with your project!!
Paula K. says
nice job. I think i would spray paint the sides of the drawer and the back in a lighter color,tan?, to make them closer in color to the fabric. I do love the look and do like the table cloth
Sincerely, Paula K.
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
That’s a great idea Paula!
Anatola says
Can you show pics of how you folded edges of fabric concerning corners of dressers fronts?
Thank you!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Hi Anatola,
Sorry, I realized after I made my dresser that I didn’t take any pictures of how I did the corners. Did you check out the link that I placed in the post post to the tutorial with pictures of how to fold the corners? Check it out – it shows you exactly how I did it: http://www.rowleycompany.com/images/The_Perfect_Upholstery_Corner.pdf
Hope that helps!
Fran says
This is a great tutorial. Love the end result. Can’t wait to see your new house cuz I’m sure it will be as delightful as this one was. I don’t know how you could leave that fabulous bookcase either! Really love your blog.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much for the sweet words about my blog! Yes, it was so hard leaving that bookcase behind. We had no clue we were going to be moving and had only bought it a few months before we left 🙁
Ann says
Wow!Amasing job! I will definitely use this idea!
Jackie Snyder says
Absolutely gorgeous! Must do this. Might not cover the top though so I wouldn’t have to get a piece of glass.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you!!
NancyB123 says
I just found your site! love it, love it, love it………..
Kris Jarrett says
You just made my day! Thanks so much!
Linda Mitchell says
I absolutely love it.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Linda!!
cheryl says
Just saw this on Hometlak and followed the site….LOVE IT. Looks awesome. Now all i have to do is convince my “cafty sister” to help her dumbbell non crafter (me) with it. Would be a great update for my nite stands to finish off the bedroom
Kris Jarrett says
Ha! Good luck roping your sister into it – it was a very gratifying project to do!
Robby says
Beautiful job. One question…what little project are you going to find for that nice little “BELT” that the table cloth was wrapped in?
Kris Jarrett says
Ha! I actually have that little belt in a drawer because I was too intrigued by the possibilities with it to throw it away! Maybe in 2017?! 🙂
Marie says
This is such a great idea thanks for the input it looks great
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you Marie!
Freda Claire McKitty says
Excellent and this can be done with almost any piece of furniture !!!
Sacha says
It’s beautiful! Thank you so much for the added instructions for the corners…and thank you for sharing from your mistakes. I love general bloggers!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you!!
Alli says
Absolutely love this and considering trying it for our master bedroom. Just curious if it’s held up well or if the fabric ever gets caught and pulled when the drawers get opened? Thanks so much for sharing!
Kris Jarrett says
Alli, we’ve been using it for several years now and have had no problems at all. It is in our guest room so it’s not used daily like it would be in our master bedroom but so far so good for us! 😉
RJC says
Absolutely beautiful. I want to run right out and get the stuff to do it myself. You are an inspiration.
Kris Jarrett says
You’re so sweet! Thank you! And good luck if you try it out yourself!
Shelley says
This is awesome! I have my own Trysil hack I want to attempt but can’t find any 3-drawer ones at IKEA. Did you already have this or did you purchase recently? I’m thinking about cutting down a four drawer to three drawer. Can you tell me how tall the wood piece on your chest is? Thanks for your help!!
Kris Jarrett says
Unfortunately it looks like they no longer carry this TRYSIL piece 🙁 At the moment I can’t access our guest room due to our kitchen renovation but if you email me at the end of the month, I’m happy to share that measurement.
Marta says
Kris,
Your “Ikea Hack” is definately awesome! As well, you prepared a great tutorial, for those who are interested in attempting a makeover. I love the look, and would recommend the glass top whenever you utlize textured fabric, due to normal dust! Looking forward to viewing your other projects!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you so much! I actually did end up getting a glass top for it – that worked great!
Susan says
I’m wondering how you get the drawers to still close now that the edges are covered in fabric?
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Susan, it’s only a thin layer of fabric on the back of the drawers so they still fully close and are flush with the top of the chest!
Jean says
Kris,
You did a wonderful job with this Ikea table!!!! I love the tablecloth idea!!! I love the tutorial you gave us and I might try this on a table if I can find an inexpensive one at thrift store. I just love your blog page!!! You are so talented and you explain everything to detail. Keep us the good work and can’t wait to see what’s to come. Have a good spring day and God Bless.
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you for the sweet comment! I’m so glad that you were inspired by this project!
Anonymous says
Great job you have professional results thanks so much for the great tutorial!!!
Linda Plopper says
I love this and hope to try it in 3 months. It’s beautiful and I hope you approve my largest form of flattering by mirroring this! Wondered if this would work on a tall dresser.
Geri Juen says
Excellent job! Looks high end. Was the tablecloth all cotton or a poly blend?
Anonymous says
Loved what you did with night stand. Isn’t there a way to cut the edges to fit without folding the fabric?
Stephanie says
This is so genius and looks fantastic! I’m thinking of doing this with the nightstands from the same Ikea series. Do you think this would work with grasscloth wallpaper? If so, would you use the same adhesive or wallpaper paste?
Kathy Pozzuto says
This is exactly the information I’ve been looking for for a couple of hours tonight! Thank you. I’m having a custom sized dresser made and won’t have to worry about the grain of the wood since it’s being covered with fabric. It should look pretty sharp in a dark blue with a glass top.
Jodie McGrath says
It looks fantastic gives me an idea for my kallax. Is there any reason you couldn’t staple the fabric in rather than glue?
Kris Jarrett says
You could try staples but you’d have to be careful about where you put them because if it’s at a point where two pieces come together, it’s could cause problems since the surface would be more raised with a staple over the fabric than with glued fabric.
Lindsey says
This is seriously amazing!!! I’ve been looking for a way to wrap fabric that doesnt involve compromising texture with the mod podge method. Thank you for posting this!!
joanne says
Thank you for the detailed instructions! Looks like an expensive piece.
Olga says
Could you please update the link for the pulls? I love them and want them for my dresser, but the link in your post no longer works. I tried searching online but all I am finding are the very thin, flimsy looking ones – yours look solid! Thanks in advance.
Christina Armstrong says
Gorgeous!! I am so. grateful for your step-by-step instructions and linked products. After reading this article I canceled my nightstands that were back-ordered and ordered everything to recreate this look. Amazing job!!
Kris Jarrett says
So glad it was helpful – good luck with creating your nightstands! 🙂
Miriam says
I finally found a project I’m willing to try with my old, achy, arthritic hands! Seems simple enough! You are quite the teacher! Made me believe in myself!