This Simple IKEA DIY Is Perfect if You Have Butcher Block Taste on a Contact Paper Budget

What can you do if you have butcher block taste but a laminate wallet? Well, you have to get a bit crafty. That’s exactly what TikTok user Molly B (@mollybhome) did when she fell in love with the look of dark stained butcher block countertops, but knew she couldn’t afford them when redoing her craft space. So, she opted for something a lot more affordable, and you’d never even know it wasn’t real wood. 

“When I started designing my office to make it more of a craft space, I was in love with these wooden countertops. But I could not justify spending $300 on butcher block,” Molly said in a recent TikTok video. “So we’re going to take these IKEA tabletops and transform them using contact paper.”

It looks like Molly started with an IKEA LILLTRÄSK base, which is one of IKEA’s under-$60 laminate tabletops. IKEA has several laminate countertops available, so you can pick one that best fits your space and budget. 

Next, Molly unrolled and began to stick down contact paper, which she sourced from Amazon in a faux wood-grain finish. I found this similar roll of contact paper that’s on sale for under $8. It comes in a handful of different finishes as well as widths and lengths, depending on your needs for the project.

“This process did not take very long at all,” Molly said, noting that mitering the corners and folding the edges down and under was the most tedious part of the project. But she used a wallpaper tool to smooth out the top as she applied the paper.

“Such a good idea, and if it gets mucked up you can overlay more or replace the contact paper!” one person commented on Molly’s post. Another person wrote, “Omg my mom gave me her IKEA desk with filing cabinets (same top desk as yours), and this is such a good idea cause I don’t like the bright white color!!”

And someone else added, “This looks so good! and it’ll be so easily wipeable for any crafts compared to wood,” to which Molly replied, “This is such a good point I didn’t even think of that!!”

If you already have a stark white IKEA tabletop that you think could look more high-end, pick up a roll of contact paper and warm your space up in a matter of minutes. The result will look just like real butcher block.