DIY Ikea Hack Cane Dresser & Nightstand

Are you looking for a way to incorporate cane webbing into your home without having to splurge?

You’re in luck!

In this post, I’ll be sharing a simple Ikea hack cane dresser & nightstand that you can use to create a dresser or nightstand that is customized to your needs.

This is a great DIY for you if you’re just starting to get your feet wet with DIY projects because you don’t need to make anything from scratch. You’ll be using really affordable furniture from Ikea and customizing it to incorporate the cane webbing trend.

Cane Webbing Trend

I tend to stay away from trends when it comes to furniture and home décor, opting instead for classic and timeless pieces. However, the cane webbing trend caught my attention right away.

Seeing the images of cane inspired furniture on my Pinterest feed reminded me of the furniture we had in our home growing up.

My parents’ style has always favored the minimalist look- they typically went for items that had clean lines and cane with its earthy tones and sleek designed often featured heavily in our home.

Cane webbing is certainly not new. It has been around for a long time, but we’re more used to seeing cane strips woven into items such as handmade baskets.

There’s been an upsurge in the trend of incorporating cane into furniture in recent years.

Cane webbing can be used for anything from chairs to doors, headboards to baskets. The possibilities are endless when it comes to cane inspired furniture.

With our recent master bedroom makeover, the opportunity to incorporate can webbing into the space presented itself.

Ikea Hack Cane Dresser & Nightstand

I knew that I would either have to spend a lot of money to purchase the kind of dresser that I was looking for or go the DIY route. With the cost of everything else that was going into the master bedroom going up, I decided to go the cost-friendly route and DIY my way to the final product. Furthermore, I knew that I could customize it exactly how I envisioned.

I found an Ikea Hack that involved upcycling the dresser and nightstand. I decided to use it as a basis to help me achieve the look that I was going for.

The plan was to use the Ikea Tarva dresser and nightstand combo, but with COVID lockdowns and supply chain issues, I was unable to get the complete set in time.

I opted instead to use the Ikea Rast Nightstands with the Tarva dresser. 

The Ikea Rast nightstand and the Tarva dresser have a very similar profile and I feel like they work well together.

Ikea Tarva Dresser

The Tarva 6 drawer dresser from Ikea is really affordable. At $179, its one of the cheapest dressers that I could find. It has an unfinished look which was perfect for my needs. It can be stained, painted and customized however you would like.

Ikea Rast Nightstand

The Ikea Rast nightstand is similar in the sense that it is also really cost-effective and has the same unfinished look.

Making the Dresser and Nightstands

step 1- assemble the ikea dresser and nightstand

As with all Ikea projects, the first step is to gather supplies and assemble. I followed the instructions that came in the packaging and assembled both the dresser and the nightstand.

The only variation that I made from the original plans was to cut the kick plate on the Rast nightstands in half to create an opening at the bottom using a jigsaw.

I also covered the pre-drilled holes on each drawer with wood filler and sanded it down using 80 and 120 grit paper. 

Step 2- Gather Supplies for cane webbing

Once the furniture was assembled, the next step is to gather supplies for the cane webbing part of the project.

Here is my supply list:

• 1 1/8 pine molding
• 9 yards 18’ wide cane Webbing I used the W700
• Wood glue 
• .1/2’ x 3/4 inch pine molding
• Stain pads
• Stain of choice (used walnut oak and sunbleached)
• Wood filler
• 80, 120 and 220 grit sandpaper

Tools:

• Nail gun
• T50 Staple gun and staples
• Jigsaw (optional) 
• Mitresaw
• Clamps

Step 3- Sand down the wood

Start by sanding down the various parts of the assembled dresser and nightstand using a 220 grit sand paper. 

Once you have sanded everything down, you can start the cane webbing part of the project.

Step 4- Prep The Cane 

I got my cane webbing from this shop. The owner was extremely nice, prices were very reasonable and his turnaround was the fastest when compared to similar shops. He carries several patterns but I opted for a simple pattern. 

Soak the cane webbing in room temperature water to make it easier to work with. You can soak it for about 20 mins. 

step 5- Measure And Cut The Webbing

The cane webbing should be cut down to the measurements needed to cover each drawer. 

For instance, I cut the material down to 8.5“ by 28” for the ikea tarva dresser.

step 6- Attach Cane To The Drawers

After cutting, the next step is to attach the cane webbing to the drawer front.

To do this, you’ll need to lay each drawer out flat and use staples to attach the cane to the corresponding drawer front.

The staples don’t need to be in complete symmetry because you will be covering the rough edges with pine molding. Use enough staples to attach webbing securely to the drawer. 

I highly recommend using an electric staple gun. it is a little bit more expensive but more efficient to work with.

step 7- Measure pine lath and cut down to size

The pine lath is used to form the borders of the drawer. They frame the cane in the center.

When cutting the pine, it’s helpful to measure and cut 1 length and one width pine slat. Use that as a template for cutting the amount needed for each drawer.

For this project, You’ll need 12 pieces for the length and 12 pieces for the width of the drawers on both the dresser and nightstand.

Once these are cut, you sand using 120 grit paper and attach using wood glue. Use clamps to hold in place for at least 20 mins.

Repeat these steps on all 12 dressers fronts

step 8- Secure The Edges

The next step is to secure all 4 of edges on each drawer with 5/8 finishing nail. This step is optional, but provides extra reinforcement if desired.

Here is what it looks like once you have attached the cane and secured the edges.

Step 9- Add The Handles

Creating the drawer pulls required me to use 1/2 by 3/4 pine.

Start by cutting the wood  into 5 inch pieces (You’ll need to cut handles for all the drawers).

Once cut, the handles can be sanded and then attached to the drawers using 1 inch finishes nails.

The holes can then be covered with wood filler and sanded.

step 10-Stain The Wood

I chose to use Ikea Tarva and Rast dresser and nightstand because they are both made with unfinished wood. The beauty of the unstained wood is that you can customize it however you would like.

For this project, I knew that I wanted to go for a lighter shade of brown to contrast the dark walls.

It was a choice between natural, golden pecan and golden oak. After testing I chose golden oak and applied 2 coats with a layer of sunbleached stain. 

 

So glad that it is finally finished. I absolutely love the way everything turned out and I think that the dresser and nightstand fit in nicely with the rest of the master bedroom decor.

The cane webbing trend is one that I look forward to incorporating in more rooms in the future.

I’d love to know what you think about this Ikea Hack Cane Dresser and Nightstand tutorial. Do you like the idea of incorporating cane webbing into furniture and is this something that you’ll be trying out too?

Leave a comment and let me know!

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If you would like to give this DIY a try, why not check out the tools and supplies that I used to achieve the final product.

 

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