DIY Ikea dresser hack | Hemnes Ombre Makeover

June 26, 2020

Who doesn’t love a great Ikea hack! In this post I share how I did an ombre pink makeover on my daughters Hemnes dresser with just a couple coats of paint! I will also teach you my trick to painting Ikea furniture, no sanding required!

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DIY Ikea Dresser Hack

Ikea hacks have to be one of my favourite secrets when it comes to decorating. And this Ikea dresser hack is a winner!

I can’t believe its been 7 years since I painted my daughters Hemnes dresser in an ombre pink pattern!

We frequently get asked what paint color’s we used AND if it’s lasted.

I will share both my techniques for how to get that perfect shade of ombre. As well as how to make your paint last on laminate furniture.

Paint colors for painting furniture in an ombre effect. Ikea dresser hack

When I decided to paint my daughters dresser I was looking for a way to create the perfectly blended ombre look.

I ended up choosing three shades of pink off the same paint deck card at Home Depot. Unfortunately I never wrote the exact shades I used down (bad blogger) and this was 7 years ago.

You really could go with any color, its choosing the shades off the same deck that gives you that blended ombre look.

For instance if you picked two colors of pink off one deck and another from a second card, you might end up with two shades that lean peach and one that leans cool pink.

This will not look ombre at all so it is essential you pick yours shades off the same deck.

Ombre Pink Paint

I wanted a shade of pink ombre that leaned towards to warm, peachy end of the pink spectrum.

Below I found a chart of some great pink options from Home Depot.

To achieve our peachy pink tones I would suggest

pigtail pink
strawberry rose
cafe pink

But it would also be a great idea to head to your local Home Depot and check out the paint deck cards and see if any catch your eye. Also keep in mind that I used the lightest three shades on the paint card.

You will still achieve an ombre look if you chose say English rose, heartbeat and bunchberry but it would be a lot darker!

Those subtle shades of pink in the top row may look like they won’t be dark enough but I promise they will.

How to paint Ikea Furniture

After I had picked the shades of pink I wanted I also picked up some oil based zinsser primer.

Oil based primer is great for laminate furniture but it can not be removed with water if you spill. So make sure you prep your area accordingly before using.

I made sure to give the fronts of the dresser a good wipe down and put out a painters cloth. I applied two coats of the oil based primer. After they had dried, I applied two coats of the pink paint.

Working with the lightest color on the top dresser drawers, then the middle color on the middle drawers and lastly the darkest on the bottom drawers.

For best results let the dressers cure for at least a week. We still used this one while it cured but we were very carful not to bump it.

7 years later Paisleys Hemnes dresser still looks like new and the paint never chipped!

I hope this post helps you with your next DIY Ikea Dresser Hack.