IKEA Hack: Budget Friendly "Farmhouse" Kids Table |

If you’ve read any of my decorating posts , it is no secret that I love Ikea.

Related Post: Rustic Farmhouse Dining Room on a Budget

At 25 dollars (though now it is 29.99, gasp!) for the table and two chairs, this is an awesome steal of a deal. We have had this table since C was a little over 1. He is now almost 4 and it has held up surprisingly well, and we use it every single day.

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It however does not match this weathered/grey/rustic wood that is all over my house. A friend of mine had the amazing idea to stain hers! She even let me use the rest of her stain, except sadly, I lost it in our move a little while back.

And as you Mamas of littles know, it can be so hard to find time for extra projects with a new baby around. For all of our boys, it seems once they are about 6 months, I finally start making time to work on extra things around the house (besides the necessary things like cleaning and cooking).

So during nap time a couple of days ago, I grabbed the allen wrench, the stain, a brush, some rags, a plastic tablecloth and gloves and headed to the back yard.

Disclaimer: I am no staining expert. And this is far from perfect, but in the end I like the look.

First step, take apart the table and chairs using allen wrench

Minwax 227614444 Wood Finish Penetrating Interior Wood Stain, 1/2 pint, Classic Gray

Minwax 227604444 Wood Stain Penetrating Interior Wood Stain, 1/2 pint, Weathered Oak

I think driftwood would have looked nice, but they were out of it at Lowes so I got Weathered oak (they didn’t have the small can (it was only 4 dollars) or I would have bought that one) and classic gray

2. Sand the table and chair pieces (I have to admit, I did not stress too much about doing this perfectly)

3. (not pictured) paint the stain on, rub in/off with rag. I did a coat of weathered oak and then a couple coats of the classic gray. I was attempting to match my kitchen table.

4. Put the table back together. (optional step: coat with some wax or poly)

Minwax 33055000 Fast-Drying Polyurethane Aerosol, 11.5 ounce, Semi-Gloss

It almost kind of {sort of} matches the kitchen table, so I call it a win

Cleaning Hack:

This is definitely far from the dirtiest this table has been. One time it was COVERED, I mean covered in crayon. Thankfully, by accident, I figured out a great way to clean it.

Windex! Spray and if you have bad stains: marker, crayon, paint, you name it, let is sit for a few minutes and then it wipes right off.

I shared this picture on my Instagram a few weeks ago. God reminded me through this little artist’s strokes that parenting is definitely more of an art than a science. There is not one fool-proof formula that gets all babies to sleep or toddlers to obey. Mothering is hard work, but beautiful work. It’s work that shows me how much I need Jesus as I easily exhaust my own resources. As soon as I think I’ve figured my kids out, they quickly change on me.God, the great Artist makes beautiful things out of us- He makes all things new, and we get to be one of His vessels to shape and mold the ones He has entrusted to us.

This was seriously on of the easiest activities to throw together, ever. I grabbed beans, left over elbow macaroni, some popcorn kernels and threw it all into the lids of those disposable aluminum foil containers that I had left over. I then grabbed our sand toys, and the boys added some small animals (they played hide and seek by burying them), their cars, trains, etc. It kept them entertained with minimal conflict for 50 minutes!

Also, if you struggle like me on finding your worth in the things you’ve done that day (for example, you feel more accomplished when you have done a “fun” or educational activity with your kids, read to them, cleaned all of the kitchen, done the laundry, dusted, worked out, and are dressed WITH make up on and hair done by the time your hubby comes home vs. on the days when there are dishes in the sink, you have your pjs on and everything around you is a disaster), check out these posts here (I am with you!):

Mama, Stop Trying to Carry All the Things

Do the Hard Things, Even when it seems like you deserve a medal for keeping everyone alive for the day

To conclude, we use our IKEA table all of the time. Every day it’s used for eating snacks, doing arts and crafts, play dough, painting, learning, coloring. It is a staple spot of my children’s childhood, and now I smile when I look at it because it matches the rest of our decor! I highly recommend getting one and painting it or staining it to match your decor.