While many are working from home these days why not have your work desk blend into your home decor? Watch as we turn this regular Ikea desk, into a beautiful piece that suits your style. This pine wood Ikea Alve secretary was looking a little dated in its original knotty pine finish, we're going to use Gotham Grey Milk Paint by Fusion and transform this secretary hutch with this IKEA hack!

 Here's what you're going to need to get this project going!

• Ikea Alve Secretary & Hutch
• Gotham Grey Milk Paint
• Fusion TSP Alternative
• 220 Grit Sandpaper ( If sanding is needed )
• Zinser BIN Shellac Based Primer ( If Sealing Knots )
• 2" Flat Staalmeester Brush
• Picket Fence Fusion Mineral Paint
• Fusion Hemp Oil
• Lint Free Rags

To give it a more modern look we chose to paint it in the color “Gotham Grey” by Fusion Milk Paint Powder.  

The original finish had been varnished and so to prep it for the paint  we gave it a good cleaning with Fusion TSP Alternative diluted in water,  and then a once over scuff-sanding to dull the finish.

If you are painting over raw pine, we would recommend to seal the wood knots with shellac before you apply the paint to avoid having the knots come through at a later date.  Since we have already refinished similar Ikea pieces and had no problems, we did not seal the knots. We mixed equal parts Gotham Grey powder and water to get a solid opaque look, you can adjust your quantity if you feel it is too thick or too thin. Stir with a whisk and let it stand about 15 minutes so the Milk Paint ingredients can all dissolve nicely. Here is a how to Mix Milk Paint video!

Two coats of Gotham Grey were applied. Here's a video for what to expect for coverage when using Milk Paint. 

Each coat dries in about 20-30 minutes. Apply as many coats to your desire. 

We wanted the interior of the Secretary to be fresh and bright and contrast with the grey color so we painted 3 coats of “Picket Fence” Fusion Mineral Paint. 

For large flat surface areas, we recommend using our paint roller to make the job go quicker, and the brush for the corners. 

After the paint dried, we sanded all over with a 600 grit sandpaper for a buttery smooth finish and then sealed the Gotham Grey with Fusion Hemp Oil.  a great tip- you can actually oil your piece first before sanding to keep the dust down! Just be sure that you're fully satisfied with your coverage first, because you can't paint over the Hemp Oil once it's on. After 24 hours, you can remove any oil that has not absorbed with a lint-free rag.

The original Ikea hardware was very minimal looking  We replaced it with larger pulls on the two doors and the original single knob on the drawer was also replaced with a pull in a wrought iron finish.

And here is our final look. This desk is now worthy of a front row seat inside your home!