Ikea Shelf Hack for Under $100

I'm back this week with a DIY post! This idea is not something I came up with on my own, but unlike many other posts on this idea, I show you how I achieved this beautiful look.

When we moved into our house I was so excited to finally upgrade our style and décor. When I was on my own and when we first got married we bought a few nice pieces but mostly utilized whatever we could find from friends or at the local thrift store. After we moved we decided it was time we started to upgrade our home and make it feel more "grown up."

During the summer while I waited to hear back from jobs, I started getting sucked into Pinterest (anyone else know what that's like!?!). I collected ideas into Pinterest boards by room (Living Room / Office-Guest Room) and I kept coming across Ikea Hacks. My favorite was spray painting Ikea Vittsjo shelving units gold but I couldn't really find tips for how to do it. Today I share with you how I made a classy shelving unit for my office for less than $100.

Materials for this Ikea Hack:

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1 VITTSJÖ Shelf unit from Ikea ($79.99) in White
1 screwdriver (to put shelf together)
2 cans Rust-Oleum Metallic Gold Spray Paint (also love this gold spray paint) (3.76 each)
1 Rust-Oleum Spray Paint Grip (had on hand. Definately recommend if you do a lot of spray painting)
1 Roll Marble Adhesive ($8.31)
1 dropcloth or place to spray paint
I also love to use Painter's Pyramids when I paint furniture (had on hand, otherwise $6.99)

How to Transform the Vittsjo Shelf:

1. Start by putting together the shelving unit. Though it may seem easier to spray paint the pieces before you put it together, you may end up scratching the paint if you try to screw it together after painting.

2. Rather than using a primer, I just bought the White Vittsjo Shelf and went in directly with the gold spray paint. The white provides a nice light base for the Gold and my research suggested that the Gold would adhere well enough without the need to prime or sand. This has proved true in the last few months of use.

3. Set up the shelf outside on a drop cloth or area you don't mind getting painted. Make sure there is air flow but not too much wind. When you spray paint you will have to angle around to get each side of each slat and wind can waste paint by blowing it away from your target area.

4. Raise the shelf with paint pyramids to make spray painting easier. Leaving the legs directly on the ground will make it difficult to get the paint all the way down to the sections touching the ground.

5. Spray paint using your Paint Grip. The paint grip will make it easier to get each of the angles and allow you to make wider paint passes. My tip is to start with one side of the shelf and spray paint all of the sides facing your direction both inside and outside of the shelf. This will keep you from forgetting to spray paint one of them.

Allow to dry completely (if you can) before moving it to its proper location. Touching the paint before it is fully dry may leave light finger smudges on the gold paint.

6. To add some additional glam, use Marble Adhesive to cover the bottom shelf. Roll out the adhesive on a flat surface and lay the shelf on top. I would recommend doing this on a non-carpeted floor, swept clean. That way carpet fibers will not stick to the adhesive and dirt pieces will not cut into the liner when you lay it flat and apply pressure.

Cut with 1-2 inches extra on each side. Start at one end and remove a little of the backing at a time and press down as you go. See this this youtube video (starts 2:06) for an example of what I mean.

Then, lay it into the opening and screw into place.

7. Once it is in its final home, lay the rest of the glass shelves into place and voila! You now have a classy place to store jewelry, books, handbags and more!

What would you use this beautiful shelf for? Let me know in the comments below!

Make sure to pin this image to help you find this idea later!

As always, thanks for visiting!

Linking up today with: Elegantly Fashionable / Sincerely Jenna Marie / More Pieces of Me