Ikea Hack: Cork Furniture Stencil Tutorial

Royal Design Studio
by Royal Design Studio
4 Materials
Cork is making a comeback and taking over home decor like wildfire… though ironically it’s pretty resilient to heat LOL! This durable and natural material is springing up in modern and contemporary interiors. It beautifully balances these spaces’ bold lines and polished accessories with warm and cozy texture. But how can you use it other than for wine stoppers? We’ve got a really easy idea that uses cork sheets and Stencils… AND it’s an easy IKEA Lack Hack that positively transforms an inexpensive parsons table into a stunner!
Check out the quick video and follow the instructions below to DIY one of the year’s hottest home decor trends with a custom stenciled tabletop…
Supplies:


Royal Stencils: Small Mandala Fusion Allover Stencil and Sari Border Indian Furniture Stencils


Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®: Pure White and Old White


1” Royal Stencil Brush


IKEA Lack side table


1 roll of cork sheets


3M® super strength spray adhesive


Top coat, exacto blade, measuring tape, paper towels, painter’s tape, pencil
Step 1: If your table is a different color other than white, then begin by painting the legs of the Ikea table with 1 part Pure White Chalk Paint® + 1 part Old White Chalk Paint®. Apply two coats of this paint mix. Alternately, you can purchase an already white table and skip this step.


Step 2: Measure the top and sides of the table. Transfer these measurements onto the sheet of cork. Then cut the side and top shapes with an exacto blade and a metal ruler.
Step 3: Apply a coat of the spray adhesive both to a cut piece of cork AND to the area of the table you will be placing it on. Hint: Do this outside and/or cover to protect your surrounding area as the airborne adhesive can travel…


Be careful handling the cork at this point: The glue gets very sticky and the cork can be fragile.


Allow at least 30 seconds for the glue to come to tack and then carefully attach each piece of cork to its matching area. Use an exacto blade to trim off any excess cork. (the cork can stretch a little bit from the dampness of the adhesive)
Step 4: Once you’ve have secured the cork onto the tabletop, center and place the Mandala Fusion Allover Stencil on top of the table top with painter’s tape.


Step 5: Use the Pure White/Old White Chalk Paint color mix and a 1” stencil brush to stencil the design-taking care to offload the brush well on paper towels to avoid bleed-unders.


Step 6: (Optional) Use the Sari Border Indian Furniture Stencils to stencil a border around the sides of the table top.


Step 7: Apply a water-based clear topcoat to protect the cork and your stenciling.
Ta da! You’ve turned a boring Ikea table into a trendy furniture piece! Not only that, but the cork material instantly adds a warm, inviting feel to the lines of the IKEA Lack table. Classic, but cozy.
Take it one step further and top off your stenciled table with some coordinating coasters… that are also cork! We cut and stenciled some thicker cork tiles with our Craft Stencils. They are very durable and are even water resistant for those of us who are a bit clumsy with our wine! ;)
Suggested materials:
  • Mandala Fusion Tile Stencil   (http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/products/mandala-fusion-tile-stencil)
  • Sari Indian Border Stencils   (http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/products/sari-border-series-indian-furniture-stencil)
  • Annie Sloan Chalk Paint   (http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/collections/annie-sloan-chalk-paint)
See all materials
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  3 questions
  • Birdz of a Feather Birdz of a Feather on Jan 25, 2017
    Where do you get the cork sheets? I'm also wondering how thick this product is? I'm thinking it may work as an inlay for a vintage table that I ripped the leather off of, but that depend on the thickness :)
  • Megan L. Mancari Megan L. Mancari on Jul 31, 2018

    I love this! Just curious about the rug in the picture under the table and where it came from?

  • Lisa Lisa on Aug 01, 2019

    what did you use for your clear coat?


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