I love a good DIY project and this IKEA Tarva Dresser Hack is so easy and has the most beautiful end result. We put together a custom dresser for my sons nursery (IKEA baby room inspiration) and I wanted to share exactly how we did it and how much it cost. I havn’t done a DIY since the DIY bedside table makeover for our budget friendly bedroom transformation (that post was featured on Apartment Therapy and SMP Living too!) so make sure to check that out as well š
IKEA Tarva Dresser Hack
The IKEA Tarva dresser costs $224.9 CAD (after tax) and it is definitely the most affordable dresser you are going to find on the market, especially for its size. The other amazing thing about this dresser is that it is made to DIY. It is untreated solid wood, so all you have to do is paint and change the knobs and you get yourself a custom designed piece of furniture.
No one will ever guess it’s an IKEA Tarva dresser hack. In fact, I’ve had several Instagram followers ask me where the dresser in Partaap Singh’s nursery is from. When I tell them it’s from IKEA, they are surprised.
Although this IKEA Tarva dresser hack is quite easy to pull off, the hardest part is definitely building the Tarva dresser. I would suggest looking on Kijiji or Craigslist and see if someone is selling the dresser. That would save you a lot of time and effort. If you do buy a new dresser from IKEA like we did, the first step is to build the dresser. Follow the instructions provided. Just don’t add the knobs because you’ll be adding custom hardware later.
Once the dresser is built, fill in the holes with some spackling paste. I already had some from the DIY food styling boards project so didn’t need to purchase it again.
Next comes the painting step. I wanted to keep the legs of the dresser raw wood, so I first taped off the legs using painters tape. To paint, I used the Behr Matte Interior Paint and Primer in One in the colour Eucalyptus Wreath (Base 7400). With this paint, you only need to do one coat of paint, although, it doesn’t hurt to do two coats. I purchased the smallest can of paint and I still have more than half the paint left over. I decided to not do a top coat since in my DIY bedside table makeover, I didn’t like how it changed the colour.
Once the dresser is dry, remove the painters tape. Now comes time to install this beautiful black hardware for an amazing price at Wayfair. Instead of knobs, I decided to use these black pulls to create a sleek look on the dresser. These come in a pack of 10, although you’ll only need 6 for this IKEA Traver Dresser Hack. I measured the middle of each dresser drawer and placed the pulls in the middle and screwed them in with a screwdriver.
And that is it. Probably one of the easiest IKEA hacks since you don’t need to do anything to prep the dresser before painting. Now, all you need to do is accessorize the dresser and you are ready to enjoy this beautiful piece of furniture to keep your clothes all organized!
I used mine in my sons nursery as his change station for now, but it will easily grow with him as he gets older. Then I added a big black circular mirror in the middle, a change pad and glass vase with cotton stems on the side. I also added these super cool Savor Memory boxes as well.
Now for the total cost for this IKEA Tarva Dresser Hack: $276.3! The dresser cost $224.9, the paint cost $22 and the black hardware was $29.4. To create this beautiful custom dresser that will last you a long time for under $300? I call that a win š
Leave me a comment below if you try this IKEA Tarva Dresser Hack and how you accessorized your dresser. Happy DIY-ing.
I truly enjoyed reading your post. You did an amazing job and the color is the perfect shade. Thank you for all the great tips!
Aww thank you so much for the kind words! If you do this DIY, I would love to know how it turned out š
Looks great. Where did you get the drawer pulls? I have the same dresser and canāt decide what to paint it.
Hi, I link to the pulls in the post – they are from Wayfair. And I love the eucalyptus green colour by Behr. It is such a calming colour! I also link to it in the post! Thank you for the kind words.
Great job! Love the colour.
Thanks Kathy!
Wow, your project is amazing and well done! I would try it once I will move into my new apartmentāŗļø
Thanks so much Francesca. Let me know how it goes once you try it š
Hi I love the final results, I am also about to paint my Tarva Dresser and I am wondering what kind of brush have you used. Thank you!
Hi Aline! Thank you for the kind words. Any paintbrush should do. I used a paintbrush to paint the edges and a rolling brush to paint the surfaces. It was really quick with the rolling brush.
This looks amazing! Canāt wait to do mine now š Did you paint before or after putting the dresser together? Did you paint inside the dresser as well?
Just kidding, I reread the steps š thank you for this post!!
Great Job! Is the baby changing pad a standard size or were you able to find one smaller? Everything I have found has been 16 in. which is slightly larger than the 15 3/4 in width of the dresser. I would LOVE to know what you found!!
Hi Sarah, I just used the standard size and it fits perfect!
I am obsessed! This looks amazing. Did you send it beforehand?
No, it doesn’t need to be sanded. Thank you for the kind words š
Where did you get your wall paper? Love the dresser. Am going to do this DIY
It is from Etsy and I link to the exact one on my blog post for the nursery reveal: https://getkamfortable.com/2020/02/19/ikea-baby-room-inspiration/
Thank you for the kind words. It really is a easy and transformative DIY.
I have a Tarva that I’m wanting to paint for our baby’s room as well, but I’m having a hard time finding a changing pad that fits the smaller size. Where did you find yours?!
Hi Victoria, I just used one from Amazon and it fits perfect. It’s a standard size but it fits perfectly on the dresser. https://rstyle.me/cz-n/ekyqe3cezs7
looks great. How much paint did you need to finish?
This post just made my day (maybe week!). I have been agonizing over the fact the Hemnes dresser has been out of stock at my IKEA for like 6 months and our little babe is due in May and I haven’t found any other dressers I even remotely liked. Finally today I decided I needed a backup plan since the Hemnes likely isn’t going to work out – I came across this DIY and it is perfect and the Tarva IS in stock at my IKEA š š Can’t wait to give painting it a go in a couple weeks! Absolutely love your choice of the drawer hardware as well!!
Thanks Jessica! Your comment make my day and week! I really do appreciate your kind words.
Hi, I love this! Do you have to finish the paint with anything? Or is it easy to wipe clean etc?
Hi Katie, I decided not to finish the paint for this particular project and it’s been over a year now and it is perfect. I just wipe with a damp towel if I see any marks or I dust with a dry cloth.
Can you tell me where the rug is from? I love it!
It is from Amazon!
Thank you for sharing your project. I did it myself, super happy with the results.
Thanks Carolina, that’s so great to hear š
Hi! This is so beautiful. Did you paint the inside of the drawers or the sides on the outside next to the slides? Iām wondering how difficult that would be or how you did it. Thanks!!
Hi Christine, no, I kept it super simple and just did the outsides. I personally like the look of the wood on the inside.
Did you do anything after painting it? When I do a DIY paint project it always feels sticky afterwards.
So lovely! Can’t wait to diy our own! How is the paint on your dresser holding up without the top coat?
Your dresser is lovely! I would love to only paint one coat. Did the pine knots bleed through the paint over time?