Hack The Ikea Rast Into a Nightstand and Dresser
The Ikea Rast is like the little-engine-that-could in the Ikea furniture line up. At first glance it looks a bit underwhelming, simple and small. It might be small for a dresser, but it’s BIG on creative possibilities- like the nightstand hack I will show you in the tutorial down below.
The Ikea Rast comes unfinished, so you might have even missed it in the Ikea Showroom altogether.
Which makes me even more excited to show what this wonderful little piece of furniture can do!
Check out my 31+ Ikea Rast ideas post for more inspirational ideas!
Not only can the Rast be used as a small dresser for small spaces, but it can be transformed into other things too, like:
- Nightstand (the most popular Ikea Rast hack)
- Dresser
- Couch end tables
- Coffee station
- Bar cart
- Desk (with a tabletop)
- Mobile craft cart
- Compact entryway tables
- Kids dresser
- Craft organizer
The benefit of the Rast coming unfinished is that you can easily paint it, stain it, stencil it, or Overlay it- right out of the box (no sanding, prep work required).
I decided on the wood stain/Overlays route (read more about Overlays further down) and it came out better than I could have expected. I’ve also included another hack I did recently by using latex paint and inexpensive Dollar Tree shelf liner and transformed it into a dresser. Check out the end of this post for pictures of that hack.
What are Overlays?
Simply put: Overlays are lightweight decorative panels that come in several patterns and sizes, that can be directly applied to Ikea Furniture with some wood glue.
These lightweight and pretty panels, add decorative flair to Ikea furniture.
For this project I picked the Xandra kit (which is one of their most popular kits for the Ikea Rast).
Many of my readers know that I am always hunting & searching for the newest and nifty-ist ways to hack Ikea furniture.
AND I can tell you that Overlays is a product you want to look into, if you want to add some drama to your standard Ikea furniture.
In the tutorial below, I’ll show you the steps I took to apply the Overlays to my stained Ikea Rast.
It was surprisingly EASY and FAST!
Ikea Rast Nightstand Hack
Ikea Rast Nightstand Hack with Overlays
Use the simple and cheap Ikea Rast to make this gorgeous Ikea Rast nightstand, using the new and popular Overlays.
Materials
- Ikea Rast dresser
- Varathane wood stain in Weathered Grey
- No More Nails Glue
- Overlays kit for Ikea Rast - in Xandra pattern
- Decorative knobs (similar to these)
Tools
- paint brush
Instructions
- Build your Ikea Rast as per Ikea Instructions. Nifty Tip: Look in the Ikea "As is" section for the Ikea Rast. Often they are cheaper/marked down and come pre-assembled so you don't have to build it.
- Stain/paint your Ikea Rast Dresser.Nifty Tip: Staining your Ikea Rast will preserve the look of the wood grain (which will show through the stain). Painting over the Ikea Rast will hide all of the wood grain. Pick according to the the final look of the dresser your looking for.
- Wait for your paint/stain to dry (look on the instructions of your stain for a list of drying times). Once fully dried you can Apply the Overlays. To apply the Overlays, use some Wood glue like No more Nails and apply it to the bottom side of the Overlay panel.
- Take your Overlay Panel with glue on it, and stick it right to the drawer of the Rast.
- Repeat step 4 for the remainder of the Rast drawers
- Use some decorative knobs for the drawer pulls. (Alternatively you can use the knobs that come with the Ikea Rast dresser
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
O'verlays Xandra Kit for Ikea Rast 3 Drawer Chest -
Varathane 269394 Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain, 32 oz, Weathered Gray -
UNIBOND Unibond No More Nails High Strength Grab Adhesive / Strong Bond Universal Adhesive For Lasting Results / 1X 200Ml Tube -
Drawer Knob Pull Handle Crystal Glass Diamond Shape Cabinet Drawer Pulls Cupboard Knobs with Screws for Home Office Cabinet Cupboard Bonus Silver Screws DIY (10 Pieces)
I’m including some more AFTER pictures of the Ikea Rast Dresser Hack as a nightstand. Enjoy!
Oh yes, if you like the “Namast’ay in Bed” print, checkout my DIY Upholstered Headboard for $10, post, I’ve included it as a FREE printable at the end of that post.
IKEA Rast Dresser Hack Using a Dollartree Shelf Liner
I recently found the Ikea Rast at my local Value Village for $5 and grabbed it up.
I wanted to keep this hack simple, easy and inexpensive so I decided to check out Dollartree for inspiration. I found a beautiful black and white rose inspired shelf liner which I used to cover the drawers with.
I first painted the entire structure of the Rast (minus all the drawers) with a $5 container of Behr interior paint (sample size). I chose a nice charcoal grey swatch from the paint swatches section and the sales associate was able to match it (can’t remember the name of the color unfortunately).
Then while the paint was drying I added the shelf liner to each drawer. I just measured each drawer and left 1-2 inches extra on all sides so that it would wrap around the sides of each drawer. I also used an old gift card to smooth out any air bubbles while I was applying the sticker.
I splurged a bit and found these sparkly crystal knobs in a 6 pack at Home depot
Et voila! Here’s the dresser all finished and put into my bedroom.
Side shot…
Hope you enjoyed these Ikea Rast nightstand and dresser hacks using the Overlays and a Dollar Tree shelf liner.
This little, but oh-so-functional dresser can be used in many areas og the home. The Ikea Rask for the win!
Cheers,
Jasmine
P.s. if you liked this post, please pin it!
11 Brilliant Ikea Hacks That Will Take Your Bedroom To The Next Level
Monday 19th of August 2019
[…] This inexpensive Ikea Rast can be easily hacked with a bit of stain or paint, fancy drawer pulls and some chic Overlays. The style of this dresser/nightstand is inspired by farmhouse decor and would make a great rustic addition.[Read More] […]