Sawing apart an Ikea Dresser

Upcycling an Ikea dresser into a kitchen counter

Let me preemptively begin by curbing any possible let downs and disappointments my clickbaity title may cause and inform you that this isn’t so much a tutorial as it is inspiration and entertainment. Cool? Cool. Let’s carry on.

I am in a place in my life now where I care about what my place looks like and have developed a taste for things like rugs, dining tables and wall art — gasp — but am also in a place where I don’t have enough disposable income to buy the quality items I desire. This leaves me picking up used outlet store items or worse, bending over for curbside finds.

a Breakdown of my Studio

No money also often means ample time and I am a solutions guy so I’ve begun making a lot of what I want.

I live in a tiny bachelor apartment and have limited counter space. I had been envisioning a counter/table/island for the kitchen area but was just waiting until the necessary resources came into my life. Then my sister decided to move. Boom! I was off to the races.

She had an old Ikea dresser she wanted to throw out but “nay” I said, these large slabs of wood will serve my project just perfectly. Sure, it’s cheap pine but beggars can’t be choosy. I took it apart and hauled it home.

I stopped off at my local Canadian Tire and spent $30 on some hardware and also grabbed the necessary tools from the Toronto Tool Library.

I am no master carpenter, the design is super simple and it’s still a bit rickety because the wood is only a few shades stronger than cardboard but it serves it’s purpose and serves it well.

Cornelius Quiring upcycled Ikea Kitchen Counter

And to fulfil my need for likes and comments, I took the above glamour shot and filmed the process and turned it into a short video. Enjoy.

Enjoy this video? See more of Cornelius here

About

I am a professional silly and like tell stories. Currently, the tale is of my journey learning how to sew. Occasionally I swerve off that path and make other things but then I'm right back to sewing.

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