Renovation Rescue- Belfast edition: the IKEA play kitchen hack
Hello there! So you’ve heard about the IKEA play kitchen hack, awesome! For the sake of sharing my learnings, here is how I DIY’ed this renovation for my little love. A girlfriend had made one before me, so I knew how time intensive and laborious this was going to be... so it sat in the box for almost a year. I mentally prepared to do nothing but this in every nap time and bed time (my house was quite embarrassing during this 2.5 week project!). Alas, at last, here is a mini kitchen to match my big kitchen. I used the same paints that were used on my house and the same copper tones which we have as a theme throughout our home. My daughter absolutely loves her new play kitchen. If you’re about to take this journey on, good luck! Step 1. Sanding- make sure you have a firm grip ready before turning the power on.
Step 2:
Cover the cook top with blue tape (I’ve left the plastic cover on the cook top and put tape around it). Spray the bits and bobs with plastic primer (2 coats- 24 hours between coats). Use the box which the kitchen comes in to prop up the handles etc. I used a screw driver to make the holes. Don’t forget to use a dust sheet underneath everything. I think the trick is to spray lightly, as I sprayed it on heavily and it didn’t adhere well.
Step 3.
Primer coat of paint. I think I did 3 coats but I wish I’d done 2 to save time. 24 hours between coats. Then repeat with the topcoat paint. Other people paint everything first and then do the assembly once finished. As you can see I’ve done it the other way around to save space as I was in a shed not a garage.
Step 4.
Sand the kitchen top. For safety I always wore a dust mask, dusk goggles & latex gloves while working.
Step 5.
Wood stain the kitchen top. I think I did four coats with 24 hours between layers. IKEA wood doesn’t absorb the stain like other wood does so do lots of sanding and really rub in the stain (using a sponge like this one).
Step 6.
More sanding and more spray painting onto plastic. My spray paint kept flaking off. It was very annoying! But I was determined to fix it so I kept redoing it. Once I had put the whole kitchen together, some spray paint flaked off one of the handles. I sprayed a little onto a nail polish brush to touch it up and it seems to have done the trick. The door looks like it is made of cardboard not wood, which would be handy to know in case anyone reading this had planned on wood staining it.
Step 7.
Blue tape and instead of sanding with a power tool, I’ve used a small sanding block. The point here is to just take the shine off so the primer can get a good grab. Primer x 2, top coat x 2 (I was getting impatient hence the 2 not 3 coats). 24 hours between coats.
Step 8. More sanding and more spraying...
Step 9.
Assemble bottom half of kitchen. Drill 3 holes to make way for cute knobs which I purchased from Homebase. Everything else I had purchased from B&Q.
Step 10.
Woo! New knobs to function the oven. The tricky part was making sure they measured well before making holes. My father in law brought his drill over and made the holes. To make sure the knobs are in the right spot, turn them around and put the centre screw over your pencil marking. Try opening and closing the oven door to be sure they fit.
Step 11.
I was so over spray painting in the middle of the night by this point!
Step 12.
Primer coats and top coats. Because both sides had to be painted, I painted both sides with the primer and leant the wood into the wall resting on blue tape. This was to save time. When it came time to do the top coats, I left 12 hours between coats and did one side at a time. I’ve propped the wood up on some of the cardboard packing materials which came with the kitchen.
Step 13.
After attempting to use a hand saw to cut the ply wood for my back splash, I swiftly jumped into the car en route to B&Q. Jim (pictured) used a panel saw for free and cut it to size. They are open late which is awesome for mums and dads who find it a pain to run errands with their little ones.
Step 14.
Back splash I’ve used a sponge to smoosh the wall paper onto my plywood (smooth side only- it will not adhere to the bumpy side). I found the sponge unnecessary, for a house yes get one, but for a play kitchen I think your hand or a tea towel is enough. I recommend finding an adhesive paper that sticks directly onto your backsplash (that’s what I though I had- doh).
Step 15.
After my drill bit broke in half, I decided to use nails to install the back splash.
Step 16.
I used the small IKEA nails.
Step 17.
I put three nails on the top and on both sides. If you were a professional you’d likely put a groove for the bottom of the ply wood to rest in place- not me :)
Once the last nail was in, I think every muscle in my body took a sigh of relief. My wide grin wasn’t as flattering so I’m posting this pic instead :)
Finished! Now my beautiful kitchen had to stay hidden for 5 days (some say 7 days is recommended). The reason is something to do with the paints settling in.
Accessories I love the Melissa & Doug brand- my daughter loves to use them, I think because they are wooden and “real”. The food groups, crates and also the cleaning station is by Melissa & Doug. The tea set is also wooden and called the “Hape tea set for two”. The pasta supplies are wooden and felt- they were a gift so I’m not sure where they were from. The kitchen utensils, pots and pans, and vegetables are IKEA.
Notice the little foodie themed artworks on the left. One pictures an onion and the other a strawberry.
One very happy and entertained little imagination learner!
Beep! I should have put a button on the microwave. My daughter presses an imaginary button every time she uses it.
“ahh, wow, wow, wow, wow” - mission accomplished <3