IKEA Bunk bed makeover

I love hacking IKEA furniture. It’s probably one of my favourite things to do. I’ve hacked this scallop kids table, and this watermelon ombre dresser! The furniture at IKEA is so versatile that you can literally do anything with it. 3 years ago we bought an IKEA mydal bunkbed for the boys. Well no one has slept in that room for even one night since all 3 years. Now that my boys are 6 and almost 3, we decided that they should move into their own room. So I wanted to make this room exciting and fun for them. I had the following goals for the space:

1. Transform the bunkbed and make it into something more stable. The IKEA bunkbed is meant for thinner foam mattresses. We had spring coil Posturepedic mattresses. It is really important to me that the kids get good back support so we opted for these mattresses that aren’t really recommended for this frame. Because of that, the frame is not that stable with the mattresses in. I need to transform the bed to make it more stable
2. Add storage into the space. Currently the kids don’t even play in here because there’s nowhere for them to store their toys. Along the process to transform the space I made use of this really awkward nook by creating a built-in.
3. Make it beautiful and give it that wow factor!

How to: IKEA bunk bed makeover

The first thing I did was transform the bunk bed. I did this by adding pieces of primed MDF to the existing vertical boards. I used 1×3 and 1×4 primed wood.

I got really lucky and found some scrap bead board at the hardware store that they were going to throw away. It was leftover remnants from someone else’s project and I scooped it up. I added those as my horizontals that would enclose the mattress. This way you can’t see the mattress from the side of the bed. Note: Be sure to ask your hardware store if you can use hte scraps. Some will give for free, or at a discount, but some may not let you take it home.

After all the wood was secured I caulked and filled any nail holes and then I painted it this beautiful shade of Pewter Green by Sherwin Williams. Luckily I had this paint left over from my hallway board and batten. There is no incremental cost associated with it

Making the ladder was probably the most tricky part. The rugs are 18” across and have a 9” gap between rungs. To get this gorgeous stain colour, I used a combination of Early American and 2 coats of Weathered Oak on top. Always be sure to sand and condition your wood before staining.

The built-in

I hated this awkward nook. But I found out that an IKEA Billy Bookcase was almost a perfect fit. I added pieces of 2x4s to the outside. Then I cut long pieces of MDF and secure to the 2x4s to make it look truly like a building. I used this antique gold handle on the cabinet

I made the floating shelves from 1×2 Pine braces and birch 1/4” plywood for the tops and faces

For the counter, I got so lucky! I covered scrap wood with marble contact paper that I found at Dollarama for only $1.25!!!

I love this space and so do my kids. I think it’s going to be the perfect space for them to grow into for many years! They have already been so eager to sleep here! To see a step by step tutorial, check out my instagram.

I debated for a long time if I should remove the decals from The Lovey Wall Co. I considered adding green shiplap to elevate the space. In the end I’m glad I left the decals because they are so cute and make it a kids room! I used 2 packs in this space and they’ve held up for 3 years!