Woman transforms Ikea television cabinet, revealing furniture secret

A woman has revealed a little known secret about Ikea furniture when flipping a TV cabinet to give it a new lease on life.

A hidden detail in Ikea furniture has been revealed by a DIY enthusiast who has shared her discovery online.

Ebony Baten is a TikTok user with 84.4k followers, where she shares her DIY tips and furniture flips.

In a recent video, Ebony transformed a Hemnes television cabinet that she originally purchased from Ikea.

“I bet a lot of you are recognising this right now because it’s Ikea, but maybe you didn’t know that a lot of Ikea products actually have solid pine underneath,” she told her followers.

“This makes them a great blank canvas for all sorts of designs.”

Ebony Batten shared 'hidden' Ikea detail. Picture: TikTok/Ebony Baten

She revealed there was pine underneath many items. Picture: TikTok/Ebony Baten

Ebony used a sander to strip the original white paint, leaving the pine exposed, before staining the top of the cabinet, along with the drawers and legs.

She also added some textured paintable wallpaper, along with adding some geometric patterns that she painted white.

Ebony joked that people shouldn’t judge her for painting some elements white, as it makes it easier for her to sell on the product.

She added while she knows her followers love to see the transformation of mid-century items, those products were hard to come across where she lived on the Gold Coast, and many people had Ikea items they could upcycle and improve sustainability on.

Social media users were stunned with the revelation about the pine hidden underneath the white of the original product.

The finished product. Picture: TikTok/Ebony Baten

When asked how she knew which was pine, and what wasn’t, Ebony revealed her secret.

“I tend to have an eye for it now, but the super glossy finishes usually have medium density fibreboard (mdf) underneath, the more matte finishes are where you find wood,” she said.

“Best thing to do is look up your model online and read their material list.”

Several social media users praised the DIY furniture flip.

“Making Ikea look unique is always cool no matter if its white or not,” one social media user said.

Another added: “Me staring at my hemnes TV stand that’s all beat up... me and my sander will see you later.”

One added: “How are people so clever and creative? I can’t even hang a shelf.”

“Some Ikea pieces are sold without paint on them yet, meant to paint at home,” another revealed.

The Hemnes TV bench does come in an unstained pine top version as well, with materials for all products listed on the Swedish furniture giant’s website.

An Ikea spokesperson told news.com.au: “At Ikea, we want to create a better life at home by inspiring our customers to create a space which reflects their personality and style.

“Sanding back products that are solid wood and re-finishing is a great way to bring new life to used solid wood furniture, however it’s important to ensure you know what materials you are working with.

“Pine and other solid woods can change colour over time, especially when exposed to UV so if you choose to sand back, a tip is to ensure you cover with a solid lacquer to protect the wood and stop it from fading.”