The IKEA Rast is an inexpensive solid pine 3 Drawer Chest. This piece is popular for IKEA Hacks. It can be purposed as a small dresser, night stand, or side table. I wanted to elevate the Rast drawer into something more unique and add some industrial characteristics as well. This is my version the IKEA Rast 3 drawer chest.
DIY IKEA Rast Nightstand Hack
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Supplies
- IKEA RAST 3 Drawer Chest
- Wood Glue
- 1.25 Inch Wood Screws
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
- Wood Conditioner
- Wood Stain
- Clear Glaze
- White Paint
- Wood Lath
- Handle Pull
- Stainable Wood Filler
- Safety Glasses
- Ear / Sound Protection
- Disposable Gloves for staining
Tools
Instructions
Step 1: Using a Circular Saw or Table Saw or Jigsaw cut the Rast Chest shorter on the bottom frame & make the table top flush. You will also have to cut the footer piece shorter to match.
Step 2: Outline a curve into the footer of the nightstand. Use a Jigsaw to cut out curve.
Step 3: Use a scrap piece of pine wood laying around or purchase project pine wood at the local lumber store. The table top should hang off the edge by roughly 1 inch.
There are 2 options to create the roman edge look for the table top. I used a router to create the roman edge, but you can also buy molding to substitute and create a similar look.
Step 4: Find wood lath at your local lumber store and cut to fit for the face of the drawers. You will have to sand and stain these pieces. I recommend 220 grit sand paper.
Step 5: Fill in the knob holes with stainable wood filler. Once dry sand smooth before starting the staining process.
Step 6: It is important to use Wood Conditioner on soft woods such as pine. This helps even out your stain and prevent blotches. Let the conditioner soak into the wood for about 30 minutes. Next use Minwax Provincial Wood Stain and apply with a lint free rag. I personally like to use old socks or t-shirts to apply stains.
Step 7: After about 1-2 hours the stain might still be damp however you can proceed to this next step if you choose to make the stain a lighter color as scene in the video and pictures. I used a clear glaze mixed with some white paint. This lightened the overall stain to a golden brown color.
Step 8: Assemble IKEA Rast. Follow IKEA instruction booklet. Add the footer piece into the front of the frame using wood glue and brad nails to secure it into place. If you don’t have a brad nail gun you can probably get away with using just wood glue.
Step 9: Attach table top with roman edging to the existing top of the IKEA Rast. Pre-drill holes to attach with 1.25 inch wood screws & use wood glue.
Step 10: Assemble Drawers and add new handle pull hardware.
Step 11: Attach Wood Lath to front of Drawer Face. Use Wood Glue and use small clamps to hold them in place while they dry.
Step 12: Move to final location, decorate top, and enjoy!
I am a self taught do it yourself project / woodworker. I want to demonstrate that DIY project can be doable and simple. I hope to inspire others to try to build and create new things! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel and this blog for more DIY projects! Thank you.
Use all power tools with caution. Do not copy what you see in the video / instructions without proper safety precautions.
Hi i was wondering with the glaze, how much of it did you use compared to the amount of white paint used, great job by the way
I can’t remember exactly but I would say 1 part paint and 6 parts glaze. Maybe you can test a small batch in a separate container and stained area on the inside of the 3 drawer chest to see what the color turns out to be before glazing the entire project. Let me know if you have any other questions, thanks for stopping by.