This tutorial shares my DIY cat condo using Ikea tables—and no power tools!

How to make a DIY cat condo using Ikea tables!

We have two very spoiled kitties named Henry and Blanche. Henry is almost 2 years old and Blanche just turned 1 a few months ago. They’re both rescues and are very active.

They love to run around and chase each other, and they are not de-clawed, so we need to make sure they have plenty of entertainment and scratching posts. We have two cat trees with scratching posts and lounging spots, but both trees are pretty ugly and falling apart.

Unfortunately cat trees can also be pretty expensive, so I’ve been researching ideas for an aesthetically pleasing DIY cat tree. This idea really sparked my interest, especially since I already had one of the tables I’d need, paint, and a staple gun.

Supplies I used…

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• Ikea LACK Coffee Table
• Ikea LACK Side Table
• Sisal rope
• Hand-held staple gun
• Gorilla Glue
• Faux fur fabric
• Paint
• Small hook eye
• Various toys (Update: mouse is being replaced with this bird, which Henry loses his mind over)

And here’s how I made a cat condo using Ikea Lack tables!

Step 1: Apply faux fur sections

To get started, I made sure both were disassembled so the legs weren’t in the way. I had eight legs, two tops (square and rectangle), and the coffee table’s bottom shelf. First I worked with the top of the smaller table and the shelf on the larger table because I was adding some faux fur to them.

I laid the top of the smaller table and the larger table’s bottom shelf on the back of my furry fabric. Then I cut pieces that were just big enough to wrap around the entire table top and table shelf. Using the staple gun, I stapled the fabric over like I was upholstering a chair cushion.

Henry loved the fabric and enjoyed helping me cut it out—this these spots have definitely been some of his favorite places to lay since he got his new condo! If you want to be able to remove the fabric to wash, I recommend cutting pieces just large enough to cover a surface area.

Then you can attach them using velcro pieces glued to the back of the fabric and the top of the surface area you’re covering. You could spot treat and vacuum attached fabric, though.

Step 2: Create scratching posts

I created the scratching posts using sisal rope. But I decided to wrap only two and a half of the side table’s legs. I bought two 50-foot rolls of 3/8-inch sisal and used it all. Mostly I just didn’t want to buy any more, so I used what I had.

To wrap the sisal around each leg, I ran strong super glue up and down the table legs. Then I began wrapping the sisal tightly around each leg, stapling every few inches using my staple gun as I wrapped. The goal of the staples was to hold everything in place while the glue dried.

After the glue dries, you can remove the staples with pliers. If you keep the staples in, you do run the risk of your kitty’s claws getting stuck in one. You could mitigate this risk by putting the staples on the back-side of a post, but it’s easiest to just remove them and not have to think about it!

Step 3: Paint pieces

At this point, I had seven pieces that I hadn’t touched: six table legs and the coffee table’s top. I decided to paint these pieces using some leftover paint I had in the closet. I mixed a few colors from the DecoArt Americana Decor Chalky Finish line and ended up with a purple. Paint is optional for this project.

This paint sticks to anything, meaning it sticks just fine to the slick Ikea furniture finish. I used a matte finish because I wanted the piece to look polished, but I didn’t want it to look shiny. This paint held up really well, too.

Step 4: Assemble all pieces

When the paint was dry, I assembled the pieces. First I assembled the coffee table by screwing all four legs on and setting the furry shelf in. Then, I assembled the side table by screwing its legs into the bottom of the table. If the faux fur fabric is getting in the way, just snip a bit off.

Step 5: Glue cat condo tables together

Before I attached the two tables to one another, I needed to decide how I wanted the finished piece to look. I wanted the higher side of the piece to back into the corner of our living room wall, so I positioned the side table so that the scratching post legs were not against the wall.

When I was happy with the arrangement, I dabbed some strong glue onto the bottom of each of the four side table’s legs. Then I carefully put the side table on top of the coffee table and placed a few heavy books on top of the side table to ensure the glue got a firm bond. You can use clamps if you happen to have them, but random heavy objects work well, too.

If you like this project, check out my indoor cat house build plans, my raised pet feeder for cats and a sleek feeder for dogs, my easy cat scratching post, and my DIY cat tree using real branches.

Step 6: Adorn with toys

I stuck a small hook eye into the bottom of the side table so that I could hang one of their toys from. I also glued one of those door knob scratchers that they never used onto the top of the coffee table. All the work adding toys and scratching objects, though, and they still prefer to just sleep on the furry levels. 🙂

And that’s my DIY cat condo!

As you can see, this is a really easy homemade cat condo made with inexpensive Ikea tables. It doesn’t require any power tools, and you can easily customize it. I’m so pleased with how it looks, and my the cats love it!

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