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Home โ€บ Decor and furniture

Easy update: the Ikea Tarno Painted

May 9, 2012by Christina
As much as I looove Ikea, I don’t love when you walk into a room (or drive down a street) and can easily say “Oh, that’s from Ikea” about something you’re seeing.We have had their super-affordable, cute and versatile Tarno bistro set for a couple years now and we love it.ย  The set of table […]
ikea tarno painted

As much as I looove Ikea, I don’t love when you walk into a room (or drive down a street) and can easily say “Oh, that’s from Ikea” about something you’re seeing.We have had their super-affordable, cute and versatile Tarno bistro set for a couple years now and we love it.ย  The set of table and two chairs only cost $50 total in the first place, so it’s a steal.ย  But, we were ready for a change.ย  All I saw when I looked at them was “Ikea!”ย ย We like the Ikea Tarno painted so much better than the raw wood-look.

So, as you’ve seen, here is the set before I painted it:

It’s a terrible photo, sorry.ย  I assumed that I had lots of good “before” photos before I started painting.ย  Well, I didn’t…

Here it is now:

ikea tarno painted

It’s pretty cool how much more modern and fresh it looks.ย  All it took was sanding, painting and sealing.ย  So easy.

Here’s how I recommend painting the Ikea Tarno:

  1. Give it a light sanding, whether it’s new or you’ve had it a couple years like us.
  2. Wipe it down with a damp lint-free cloth.ย  (We LOVE these towels and use them for this, and so many other things around the house).
  3. If you want it to last a long time, put a coat of primer on it.ย  Or if you’re like me and always too impatient excited, go straight to painting.
  4. Paint the insides and ends of the wood slats with a brush.ย  Then roll the paint on the surface with a small foam roller.
    Regarding which paint to use: I had leftover interior paint in this mint color, so I used that and then followed it up with a coat of sealer so the paint didn’t peel off.ย  If you use exterior paint, you won’t need to do seal it.
  5. Celebrate how easy it was to make such a big difference.
This is our favorite way.ย  We still have more to do on the front porch, but it’s nice for now to have such a big-impact tiny project done.

I was actually nervous before painting and almost backed out a few times.ย  I had no idea what to expect with just the wood being painted.ย  I was afraid it might be way too feminine and cute, but it was way more modern-looking than I imagined.ย  We’re so happy with the way it looks painted.ย  Hopefully this weekend we’ll have the porch a lot more finished.

P.S. I will be back tomorrow for a rare Thursday post with a few more notes on and photos of our other self-watering planters.


Update: Click the picture to see the finished front-porch.

 

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Tags: outside

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About Christina

I'm a full-time web developer with a dog sitting business, home renovations, and a blog on the side.

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  1. onshore

    LOve the light green! And the wine ๐Ÿ™‚
    I think it’s good you left the metal parts black.

    I’d like to have a foldable table on the terrace too.

    Reply
    • Christina

      Thanks Leena! I waffled on painting the metal, but leaving it black kept it more masculine (a big concern for The Hubs.) It does look better that way, though.

  2. [email protected]

    Love the two-tone color combo! Super sweet. Girl, you are on a roll ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Christina

      Thank you, Dulce! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. anu @ affairwithinteriors

    Hi! This refinish looks really good! Amazing what can be done with a new paint ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Christina.

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