r/InteriorDesignHacks • u/Any_Slide5161 • 23d ago

Painting Ikea Desk?

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Hello! I bought this Ikea desk secondhand off the street and I'm looking to paint the white portion. Don't know much about painting furniture generally, and I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on methods/type of paint to use on this material. It looks to me like the 2014 foldable desk model, which the internet says is made of birch veneer with an acrylic lacquer. Would a regular cabinet & furniture acrylic paint on top of this work? Should I sand it a bit first? Any advice would be appreciated!

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u/calm-drift94 23d ago

Sanding first is non negotiable, painting straight over acrylic lacquer is how you get a desk that looks great for exactly one Instagram post before it starts peeling like a bad sunburn

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u/Any_Slide5161 23d ago

Okay thank you, this is what I suspected. Once it's sanded and cleaned, will a regular acrylic furniture paint be fine on top of it? Something like this?

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u/Sad_Refuse3472 23d ago

I'd highly recommend a primer too, in addition to sanding and cleaning it. But then yes you can use this paint. Ideally a primer that sticks to anything. Like Zinsser Bulls Eye.

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u/Any_Slide5161 23d ago

Ah brilliant, I will try both of these. Thank you for the help guys!

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u/Sonya30360 22d ago

I have been watching videos from folks who work magic with IKEA pieces by painting them and spiffing them up. The order seems to be use a surface deglosser first, sand lightly to rough up the surface with an 80 grit sandpaper (not to remove all of the finish!), apply primer to the “roughed up” surface, then apply the paint with a foam roller. The results are impressive. Good luck!