Ikea LACK Table into Padded Bench

Do you have a LACK table from Ikea? If so, may I humbly recommend giving its mass-produced-ness a quick & easy makeover? Padded & upholstered & fabulous.
 
 
And the good news is: you don't have to have reupholstery experience to do this. Seriously. Anyone can do this!
 
 
Start by removing the legs from your table.
 
 
Cut whatever you're using for your padding. I used high density foam, about 2" thick.
 
 
Layer on the floor these things in this order: batting (you want about 6" larger than your foam on all sides), foam, and upside-down table top.
 
 
Pull up and staple your batting to hold everything in place and smooth out the edges. Don't worry about getting it too taut - that's what you'll do with the fabric.Staple all the edges and the corners down, keeping things as smooth as possible.
 
 
Lay your fabric down (right side down against the floor) and then your freshly padded top (top side down) on it. Fabric should be about 6" larger on all sides as well. Begin stapling as shown below.
 
 
One of the most important things to remember about upholstery is to pull very taut. You want your fabric super smooth. In fact, while stapling mine, I knelt on top of the table (to smoosh down the padding) as I stapled...and I still pulled the fabric very taut before stapling.
 
 
After stapling the edges, fold your corners neatly so there is no bunching or gathering. Staple in place. Trim all excess fabric, because you'll be screwing the legs back in. Mine had a ton of fabric here, so I cut it as close to the staples as I dared and hoped for the best.
 
Now onto the legs. You upholstery purists are probably going to die, but I totally blatantly left visible staples on my legs. My table is going against a wall, and since the legs will all be turned so staples are facing the wall, it will not be noticeable.
 
 
If you feel uncomfortable doing it this way, by all means bust out your nailhead trim and go to town. I did add a dab of hot glue to the tops of my legs to hold the fabric in place (because the fabric at the top of the legs did not overhang. I wanted as little excess fabric there as possible.), and when I screwed the legs on I made sure all the stapled edges were facing the back.
 
 
Fabric used: Mill Creek Beau Geste 100% Cotton Upholstery Fabric in Praline from here. I love this table-turned padded bench now. Like, so so much.
 
 
p.s. I use and recommend this spray adhesive:
 
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31 comments:

  1. Very nice! I'm considering doing this for the foot of our bed to help our dog and cat get in the bed.

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    1. Great idea, Tracie. I'll admit, I'm jealous that you have room at the foot of your bed! Seriously. Our bed baaaaaarely fits in the room with the swinging door missing the corner by mere inches.

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  2. Oo la la!! I love it! And that fabric is amazing.

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    1. I must admit: I, too, love this fabric.

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  3. Wow! That looks like you went through a LOT of work, but look how fabulous it turned out. You are awesome!

    hugs x
    Crystelle
    http://www.crystelleboutique.com

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    1. It wasn't too bad...an hour or two, maybe. I love staple-only upholstery jobs. Thanks for coming by, Crystelle!

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  4. Great tutorial! I'm thinking of doing it with the slightly larger size as an ottoman/coffee table in front of my couch. Thanks for posting, new follower:)

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    1. You know, these are a perfect height for ottoman-type foot rests. That's a genius idea, Elizabeth.

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  5. Oh my God!!! I am so doing this! Thanks for the idea! And by the way, yours turned out lovely!

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    1. I'm glad you like it, Selene. I'd love to see yours when you do it!

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  6. Great idea and I love the fabric Brittney!

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    1. Thanks, Crystal. I love this fabric, too. It has a cool organic texture to it that just rules. Wish I could capture it via photo.

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  7. So cool - Lack tables are so cheap and this makes them so much more functional!!

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    1. They're definitely cheap, but I'm finding them to be pretty versatile. Thanks for stopping by, Stella.

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  8. what a fun idea. this is an awesome ikea hack!

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  9. Love this, I can picture it in a kid's playroom or reading area!

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  10. What a great Ikea hack. I love that you upholstered the whole thing. Great job. Thanks for sharing at DIYbyDesign.

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    1. I haven't always been a fan, but lately I'm loving fabric-covered legs on upholstered stuff. Thanks, Judy. And...it's my pleasure. I enjoy your link party.

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  11. Great idea! I love the fabric too! I just started a new link party and would love for you to come over and share your post or any social media sites. Talkin’ About Thursday - http://designeddecor.com/talkin-about-thursday-link-party-5/
    DeDe@DesignedDecor

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    1. Thanks for the invite, DeDe. I just linked up.

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  12. This is so neat!! I've owned those little tables in the past and they are pretty sturdy!

    I'd love it if you would share this for F-it Fridays!!
    http://www.parloandlogi.com/fi-tfriday9/

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    1. Done and done, Chrissy. Thanks for the invite.

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  13. I am so glad you stopped over to link up! See you Thursday!

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  14. You did such a great job. I will be featuring this tonight at my Winter Blues Wednesday party that opens at 8pm EST. Please stop by and pick up an I've Been Featured button. Thanks.

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    1. I'm so honored to be among your awesome features, Judy. Thank you!

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  15. I adore IKEA and love a great, simple IKEA hack even more! Great post! I found you at DIY by Design. Thanks for sharing :)

    --Kelly

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    1. You're welcome...and I'm right there with ya, Kelly. Simple Ikea hacks = happiness.

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  16. how many yards of fabric did you use?

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  17. how many yards of fabric did you use?

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  18. I love how this turned out! I have two of these tables, and the larger coffee table as well. We just bought new living room furniture, and I was just about to throw these out when I ran across this! I was also looking for a way to add more color to the room and this looks perfect! Also, I'm wondering how much material it took?

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  19. Wow-so impressed! Fantastic Table with great color combination!

    https://www.urbansales.co.nz/

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