$99 Ikea chair: The easy hack that make it look like $999

A few days ago I showed you how I took this $99 Ikea Tullsta chair and gave it an upscale upgrade by adding upholstery nails.  Well, now, I'm finally getting around to finishing up the chair to make it better match the furniture in our master bedroom.

Original Tullsta Chair from Ikea

The chair's simple legs were natural with just a glass finish.  I knew from the start I would stain them and I finally got around to it.  It was a pretty easy project - even for a staining rookie like myself.

First, I used my new Black and Decker sander to remove the finish on the legs. You can see the difference between the legs here - the one on the right has been sanded, while the other hasn't.

Then, using a paint brush I put on the stain.   After about 10 minutes, I wiped away the excess stain and let them dry for a good 8 hours.  I decided I wanted the legs slightly darker, so I added a second coat of stain.

Once the stain was dry I finished them off with a layer of polyurethane.  That just seals the finish and makes it look extra shiny.

That's it - now just re-attach the legs and you're done with a chair that looks like a distant cousin from the original version.

That's the beauty of Ikea - so cheap and so easy to make your own.