Cement is the trendy material right now.
It’s popular for a number of reasons. It’s gorgeous, naturally. However, the most popular reason people are loving it lately? It’s infinitely sustainable!
With that in mind, one DIYer decided to upgrade a standard Ikea piece — and it’s really, really cool.
Meet Kiva!
She’s a design YouTuber with a whole lotta style. I’d call her style modern eclectic, using a lot of natural materials to create art pieces in her home.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Kiva included the materials in her Instagram post :
Uncoupled membrane mortar, Ikea LACK Table in a lighter wood, notched trowel, a 5-gallon bucket, 80 and 120 grit sandpaper, a tarp, gloves, common nails, hammer, and contractor bags.
As you can see, Kiva didn’t use any regular ‘ol cement.
Uncoupled membrane mortar was key.
“It has the additives necessary to prevent cracking. Cement is a component of mortar.”
Raise your hand if you just learned something new! Mine is up.
Let’s get to work.
First, you need to assemble your LACK table. Put it together as instructed by Ikea, then sand down the surface to give the cement something really sturdy to adhere to.
Time to mix.
To mix your mortar, you’ll need to be wearing safety gloves and a mask. No one wants to inhale those particles, am I right?
Mix as instructed on the bag until you have a chunky peanut butter-type texture.
The fun will now commence.
It’s mortar time, y’all! Scoop some on the top of the table and spread it out in thin layers. Make sure not to make it too thick, or it’ll take forever to dry. Hard pass.
Proceed to cover the whole table.
This is where the consistency of your mortar is key. If it’s too thin, it’ll simply drip off of the table. Go back and add more mortar powder to your mix if you find yours to be too thin.
Once it’s assembled, gently sand the edges.
This will give it a more rounded, organic look. And it’ll make it softer to the touch, which is a big bonus when you’re going to be touching something on a regular basis.
Here’s the finished product!
It’s absolutely stunning! You’d never know this used to be an Ikea table. It looks so custom, so chic, and so at home in Kiva’s room. What a queen!
