This Ikea Hemnes TV unit was exactly what I wanted for the living room update, BUT it was out of stock at IKEA and was going for $279 retail. So I looked around and found it on Facebook Marketplace for $40, which was fantastic except that it was in the opposite color that I wanted. Hmm. I decided to save some money by painting IKEA furniture black-brown to white.
Here’s the Hemnes TV unit as I picked it up.
You can see connection holes on the front panels that you’re not supposed to see if it’s built right. That’s OK. I am going to take this apart to paint it, so I’ll just flip those panels to the correct way when I put it back together. There are some nicks and scrapes, but those wwill get covered with paint.
Painting IKEA Furniture Prep:
I got to work taking the TV unit apart with a screw driver and a hex allen key. Pro Tip: IKEA screws fit a Pozi-drive screwdriver. It’s juuust slightly different from a Philips screw driver and makes it less likely that you’ll strip IKEA screws, so pick up the IKEA type if you’re working with a lot of their furniture.
If you’re doing this at home, be sure to take photos while you deconstruct to help you put it back together! You’re in luck if the item is still sold at Ikea as you can sometimes find the assembly instructions on their website. Go to the item’s page, Product Details, Assembly Documents. It should look something like this.
OK, here is the dis-assembled TV unit. I’ll give all the finished panels a quick sand with 120 grit sandpaper and clean up the dust with a tack cloth, lol not “attack cloth” though it may sound like that.
You can see the Zinsser primer I used in the photo, but here is a clearer shot. This stuff adheres really well so it’s great on IKEA laminate. It’s a bit more expensive than any ole primer but worth the splurge. You don’t want the paint peeling off after all this hard work.
Painting IKEA Furniture:
Painting a dark color lighter takes a lot of coats. I used two coats primer and at least four coats of Behr Scuff Defense paint in semi-gloss ultra bright white. It’s the same paint I used on all the trim and interior doors, and it’s been pretty durable so far. I applied both the primer and the paint with a 4 inch foam roller and a foam brush in the corners.
With each coat I swear I can still see some “blue/gray” which is the dark color still showing through, so I’ll just keep adding more coats! Here you can see how the color change with more coats.
I finally convinced myself I can not longer see the black and put the frame back together.
Here’s the final product!
This is a great way to save some money and still get the color furniture you want, especially if you already have the paint on-hand.
Here is a breakdown of the projects costs, assuming you don’t already have the paint.
PROJECT COSTS:
Ikea Hemnes TV Unit on Facebook Marketplace: $40
1 quart Zinsser primer: under $12
1 quart Behr Stuff Defense in Ultra Bright White: under $22
1 pack 4 inch foam roller brushes & tray: under $16
1 pack misc foam brushes: under $8
Pozi-drive screw driver (for IKEA furniture): under $9
Sand paper and tack cloths are usable for multiple projects so let’s apply $5 here conservatively, it’s probably less for this one project.
Project Total: $112 + tax. Pretty good considering this was selling for $279 +tax! That’s at least a $167 savings. Plus, you won’t need nearly the full quart of paint or primer, nor use all the brushes, sand paper, or tack cloths. Now you’ll have those on hand for other projects too.
Let me know if you paint your IKEA or laminate furniture. I’d love to see how it turns out!
