• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Anika's DIY Life
  • Start Here
  • Projects
  • Woodworking 101
  • Cricut
  • Plans
  • Shop
    • Shop my T-shirts
    • Shop My Workshop
    • Shop my Plans
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start Here
  • Projects
  • Woodworking 101
  • Cricut
  • Plans
  • Shop
×

Home » DIY » Furniture makeovers

Textured Fabric Paneled dresser – Ikea Tarva makeover

March 22, 2016 By Anika Gandhi

 Add amazing fabric textured panels to an Ikea Tarva dresser! This unique and easy Ikea Tarva makeover will leave you swooning! Fabric upholstered dresser - Ikea Tarva dresser makeover.

We needed a dresser for the master bedroom. I love the unfinished Ikea Tarva dresser that can be customized so I don’t have to build the whole dresser from scratch but can still get the customized look.

A couple of years ago, I had seen Centsational Girl’s textured panel dresser I have been wanting to do something similar ever since. Finally, I got around to doing my very own fabric paneled Ikea Tarva hack! Easy Fabric paneled textured dresser | Ikea Tarva dresser makeover

***This post contains affiliate or referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services. Please read my full disclosure here ***

Materials needed for Ikea Tarva Hack-

  • 1″x 2″x 8′- quantity 3. I used furring strips. About $2.50 total.
  • ¼″ x ¾″ screen moulding – need around 40′ – about $18.
  • Burlap – 2 yards – about $5 (with coupon)
  • Knobs – Hobby Lobby ($30 total with coupon/sale)
  • Spray adhesive
  • Shellac based Primer
  • Paint of choice
  • Water based Polyurethane
  • Staple Gun
  • Brad nailer
  • Caulking and caulk gun
  • wood glue
  • Paint sprayer (my favorite thing!) or paint brushes and rollers.
  • Orbital sander and 220 grit sand paper
  • Miter saw or miter box

How to make a Fabric paneled Ikea Tarva dresser –

Step 1 – Start by  assembling the 6-drawer Ikea Tarva dresser. I can’t tel you how long it will take, it was a “fun” 2 hour job for us.

Step 2 – Add more definition to the sides so the drawers were better framed out using 1 x 2’s nailed to both the sides. Tarva dresser makeover - Little Free Monkeys

Step 3 – Use caulk to fill in all the gaps and to make sure that everything looked “one piece”.

Step 4 – Give the whole dresser frame a good sanding with a 220 grit paper.Unfinished Ikea furniture is not smooth to touch and needs this for a smooth finish

Step 5 –  Add a coat of  Zinsser BIN primer. This is especially important to seal in all the knots in the unfinished wood. If you don’t use this, the knots bleed out over time and show up as brown stains in the paint. ,

Step 6 –  Give it 2 coats of Zinsser 1-2-3 primer and then 3 coats of paint or choice, sanding lightly and wiping away the dust between each coat. I could absolutely never tell you what the paint color is – it is an oops paint I picked up for $2 – it was a dark blueish gray. I added a little white paint to get it to the color I wanted.

Step 7 – Give it two coats of poly – sanding in between each coat with a 400 grit paper. It was a lot of painting, but with my Homeright paint sprayer, it took only like 10 minutes per coat! I love that thing!

Step 8 – Now for the drawers – while the frame is drying between coats, give all the drawers a coat of spray primer, followed by silver spray paint. Find your favorite silver spray paint with my best silver spray paint comparison.

Ikea Tarva Makeover - Little Free Monkeys

Step 9 –  Cut burlap to drawer size. Using spray adhesive, glue the burlap to the drawer. Make sure to smooth out any wrinkles. I love how the silver shines through the gaps in the burlap.

Step 10 – Cut the screen molding cut to the appropriate lengths with end mitered to 45 degrees. Paint the molding before attaching it to the drawers. Trim out the drawer with the screen molding using a brad nailer with ⅝″ brads or finish nails.

The drawers ready to go! I wish I could capture the silver shine through the burlap but it just wasn’t coming through in the pictures – at least not with my current level of photography skills…

Ikea Tarva dresser makeover - Little Free Monkeys

For the knobs – I spent almost a month trying to decide on the right style. Finally, I  got these from Hobby Lobby. They were originally dark in color and weren’t working with the dresser. That is when I discovered Silver rub n buff. I just love the effect it had on the knobs and how they work with the dresser now.Add special shine to dark knobs using Silver rub n buff

I love how the dresser came together!Fabric upholstered dresser - Ikea Tarva dresser makeover.Fabric upholstered dresser - Ikea Tarva dresser makeover.

Want more inspiration for Ikea Tarva hacks?

You will love these 15 Genius Ikea Tarva hacks –15 Amazing and genius DIY Ikea Tarva dresser hacks to inspire you

If you love Ikea hacks, take a look at this Ikea Ivar makeover! You will not believe that this was a plain old Ikea Ivar!

« DIY Hair Bow Holder – Doll Face Hair Accessory Organizer
DIY Little Girls Accessory Organizer »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susie

    August 25, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    You know I still love this piece. It’s one great IKEA hack. Seriously. Great. Thanks for linking up to Friday’s furniture Fix. We love your work!! Susie from The Chelsea Project

  2. Julie Mandell

    September 22, 2016 at 4:04 pm

    I LOVE this makeover! You are so creative. I never ever would have thought of using metallic paint under the burlap – what an amazing idea!

    • Anika

      September 22, 2016 at 4:34 pm

      Thank you Julie!!!

« Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Woman in garage

Hi! I am Anika! I am here to inspire you to create a home filled with your unique personality by empowering you with ideas, tools, and skills you need!

More about me →

Connect With Me

  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Footer

↑ back to top

  • About Me
  • Work With Me
  • Terms of use
  • Policies
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

IMPORTANT!

Anika’s DIY Life is not liable in any way for injury or loss (whether physical, emotional, monetary or any other kind of loss) resulting from any inspiration, ideas, directions or information gained from this website.
I am NOT a professional. Just learning as I go and trying to inspire others! I advise you to always follow manufacturer instructions, take appropriate safety precautions and hire a professional when in doubt. I love it when you use my site for inspiration, but by using it, you agree that you do so at your own risk.

Anika’s DIY Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Full disclosure here.

Copyright © 2021 Anika's DIY Life