IKEA Hack! Make a 10-Minute Side Table

I’m a big-time IKEA fan, but I like to put my own individual spin on their products. One of the best (and easiest) ways to update IKEA furniture is by swapping out the legs. You wouldn’t believe the difference it makes! In this case, you can use an IKEA tabletop of any size to make a 10-minute side table that looks beautiful, and no one would even know it’s IKEA. 

In order to keep my table small, I picked out a LACK table that is about 18 inches square, but you can just as easily make a coffee table out of a large tabletop, which IKEA sells by themselves so you don’t necessarily need to buy legs from them. For the table legs, I chose my personal favorite: hairpin legs! It gives it a mid-century modern look that I love, but you can use any type of furniture leg. Just keep in mind that the steps may be different than mine due to how you attach the legs. 

I actually timed this project to verify it is truly a 10-minute DIY! 

Materials:

• IKEA tabletop in desired size and color
• 4 table legs at desired height (hairpin legs shown)
• 8-12 wood screws in correct size
• Power drill
• Drill bit

First of all, you can purchase plain unfinished hairpin legs and leave them as-is, or you can paint them in any color you’d like. If painting, do so before attaching to a tabletop. Also note that your screws should be long but not so long that they exceed the thickness of the tabletop. Because of how IKEA furniture is made, the existing holes in the tabletop may be used as a guide, but you may not be able to drill into them because they are too wide/deep for standard screws. 

Step

Flip the tabletop over with the pre-drilled holes facing up. Lay the table legs on top with the corner on top of the pre-drilled hole. Use a pencil to outline the other two holes so that you know where to drill. Repeat with all 4 corners/legs.

Step

Attach a small drill bit and drill where you’ve made the marks.

Step

Place the table legs over the holes and drill in the screws tightly. Because this table does not take a lot of weight, I did not need to use IKEA’s pre-drilled holes. The hairpin legs are easily supported by two screws if necessary for a table that does not carry extreme weight. 

Once you’ve attached all of the legs, your table is complete! Easiest furniture DIY ever, right? Updating table legs can make a huge difference for any table in your home, and it doesn’t have to be difficult.