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When we upgraded homes this year, buying our first, I thought our nightstands also needed an upgrade. Our little Ikea Malm nightstand and Wayfair nightstand had seen better days and didn’t quite fit our new master bedroom. I thought that the best way to approach it was by doing a DIY marble top nightstand upgrade.
Since buying a home takes quite a lot of dough, in addition to paying for our wedding this year, I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on this “upgrade,” so challenged myself to keep it under $20 by doing a faux marble look – and brought it in at $17! You can do it for even less if you don’t want knobs for your nightstands. Could I even go so far as to call this an Ikea Malm nightstand hack?
Things you will need for this project:
- Drill & bits
- Ruler
- Scissors or box cutter
- Straight edge or squeegee to smooth out bubbles (I used a large book)
- Marble contact paper
- Knobs (if you choose to use them)
- Note – when I purchased these, the knobs were only $4.51 each, and I needed two.
1. Clean the surface
First step: Clean the surface that you will be turning “marble” and let it dry. You don’t want any dust or bits trapped under the contact paper, and if it hasn’t dried thoroughly, it might not stick properly and will lift off of the surface.
2. Measure & Cut
Measure and cut the surface of the area that you want to cover and draw it on the back of the contact paper with the assistance of the ruler. If you have an edge or lip to cover, be sure to accommodate for that. I did, so added roughly an inch to my measurements.
Cut the contact paper with the scissors/box cutter, using the ruler as a guide for a straight line. A helping hand is useful for this step. I enlisted Miss Gingerbread Cookie.
3. Apply
One last check! Lay/align the edges of the contact paper against the edge of the surface to confirm that you measured properly. Then peel a little of the backing off and stick it into place on the edge that you want to begin with.
Pro tip: It really doesn’t matter where you begin. I started at the back so that I could trim excess and fold it under in the front and that seemed to work pretty well, so thumbs up for that method.
Using the squeegee or straight edge, flatten the contact paper across the surface slowly as you peel away the backing. Once done, eliminate any air bubbles by pushing from the center to an open edge. If you’ve ever applied a screen protector, it’s a similar process. It should look like this:
How to Wrap Corners with Contact Paper
Before starting, what confounded me the most was how to cleanly wrap the corners. I couldn’t find a good resource, but I figured it out on the fly and it was easier than you’d think!
Starting from a corner, cut straight out from the edge of the surface to the front of the contact paper. I realize this is hard to explain, so reference photo below.
The flap of contact paper coming from the side is then folded around the corner, so it will be under the front flap. Smooth the entire side out and around the corner.
Next, pull the front flap down over the side flap as tightly as possible to make sure the corner is smoothly wrapped. If you have too much paper, use the box cutter/scissors to trim any excess off of the front edge. Fold what is left under the top lip to give the illusion that the entire top section is marble.
4. Install Knobs
I wanted to add a lil somethin’ to the Ikea nightstand since it was mine, so I chose two rose knobs to install. I had never drilled holes or used the drill like this before, but I was up for the challenge. There’s a first time for everything!
If you are new to using a drill, like myself, you might not know how to figure out what drill bit to use for the knobs. Take the screw that you will use for the knobs (mine came with them) and match the bottom of the round circles indicating size on the drill bit holder. It’s that simple!
If you want the knob in the middle of the drawer, use the ruler and a pencil to draw from top left corner to bottom right corner on the top drawer and repeat from top right to bottom left. Where the X intersects is the middle where your knob will go. Repeat for the bottom drawer. There are more accurate ways to figure this out, but this worked for me!
Use a smaller drill bit to initially bite into the wood where your X intersects. Then use the drill bit that matched the size of your screw in the step above to create the final hole. The last step is to add the knob and its screw; tighten with your drill or a screwdriver and you’re finished!
Final Thoughts on my DIY Marble Top Nightstand(s)
This was a fairly inexpensive upgrade, took perhaps an hour only because I’m a newb, and though contact paper isn’t real marble, it sure looks like it from a distance! After the initial “YOU DID MINE, TOO?” shock from Mr. Hubs, even he told me that they look far better than they did before. Bonus – the “marble” has held up very well! I’m horrible at this kind of thing and this was my first attempt, so if I was able to do it, you definitely can. Let me know if you try this and good luck!
