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How To Build A Copy Of An Ikea MALM Occasional Table For $35

We recently went looking at furniture at our local Ikea furniture store. We liked the MALM Ocassional Bed Table but the price of $129.00 was too high for being such a simple looking table. So we decided to build one of these “Bed” tables ourselves. This project couldn’t be easier to do it yourself. It simply consists of 3 pieces of wood, wheels (casters) for the bottom and a quick paint job in your choice of color. Just assemble the whole thing together and you just saved close to $100 bucks! See below for a step-by-step on how to build this Ikea table yourself.

ikea table build yourselfBuild A Copy Of An Ikea Table For $35 Dollars

Supplies needed for building a Copy Cat Ikea Table:

1 – 2 x 12 x 12 Wood board = $12.00
1 – Box of 1″ Wood Screws = $5.00
1 – Package of 4 metal 90 degree brackets = $4.00
4 – 2″ Casters (Non Swivel Wheels) = $12.00
1 – Package of Sandpaper = $2.00
1 – Can of Paint (Optional)
1 – Can of Primer (Optional)
Cost total = $35.00

We bought the wood, casters and the rest of the supplies at Home Depot. We purchased a slab of 2 x 12 x 12 wood. We had the fine people at Home Depot cut the wood for us to the dimensions of 1 – 50″ and 2 – 23″.

Malm - Ikea Occasional Bed Table

Here is the exact table we saw at Ikea. This table is $129.00 and sits VERY low and would not fit OUR bed.

Ikea Table Build_2Here is the wood we had Home Depot cut for us for free plus our 4 casters and our metal brackets.

Ikea Table Build_3We primed our 2 table legs first giving it 3 coats to resist fading. These legs are 23″ in length.

Ikea Table Build_4Here is the top of our DIY Ikea table being primed. The top portion of the table is 50″ in length.

Ikea Table Build_5Once all 3 pieces of wood were primed, we painted the pieces with a baby blue color and gave it 2 coats.

Ikea Table Build_6In this photo we have our 4 casters (non-swivel wheels), box of wood screws and our 4 – 90 degree “L” brackets.

Ikea Table Build_1We attached the wood together using our wood screws and “L” brackets and installed the casters.
Here is our table completely finished and ready to use!
We painted the very top with a black paint to hide stains and to match our bedroom.
All in all this project took us 3 hours and cost us only $35 dollars!

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4 thoughts on “How To Build A Copy Of An Ikea MALM Occasional Table For $35”

  1. Brilliant. Thank You. This will be my first project. I almost bought the one at Ikea…saw that one years ago and just found it again today, but came across your wonderful page and decided I should try it myself. Thank you for taking the time to show everyone.

  2. DIY Project Help Tips

    Hi MS,
    You can use Self Adhesive Foam or Plastic Leg Pad Protectors. These will self adhere to the bottom of any type of table legs to make it easier to move the table but also protect from scratching the floor and causing damage.
    -RR

  3. Hello, Firstly kudos to the job you did there. Secondly, I have a quick question for you. I made one of these but they seem to damage the finish of my bed if not carefully moved which is annoying to me, any ideas to cover the legs bottom so they wont damage the finish when carelessly rolled in and out? Thanks.

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