How to make art with tape and IKEA table

masking tape art on IKEA LACK side table

This masking tape wall art piece is inspired by the work of artist Ian Davenport and a hack I saw here.

The LACK side table was obtained free from a local Freecycle group with scratches and other imperfections on it.

The masking tape cost about £15 in total and I have lots left.

IKEA items used:

The top part of a white LACK Side table (55cm x 55cm) product code 30449908

Lack side table
Photo: IKEA.com
Other materials:

Cre8 masking tape:
3mm width multicolour pack
6mm width multicolour pack
12mm width multicolour pack
24mm width black masking tape

Two nails ~7cm long with ~3mm diameter head.

Computer software (optional): Python and ImageMagick

Masking tape art on IKEA LACK table

Implementation is quite simple.

Cut a strip of the 12mm tape about 57cm long and put it on one edge of the table top. Make it just overlap the long edge to cover the join between the laminate on the top and the side.

(On the LACK tabletop I got, some of the laminate had started to lift a little at the edges. So I wanted to cover that up.)

Cut another strip of any width about 57cm long and put it on, next to the first strip. Repeat until the surface is covered.

Wrap the sides with 24mm black tape.

side view of masking tape wall art on IKEA Lack side table

If you put a strip of tape down and then notice a slight gap between it and the strip next to it, give it a bit of a push with your finger. You will not get all the strips to be perfectly straight.

The table top has four holes in the underside from where the legs screw in. Measure carefully where the holes are and then attach screws/ nails on the wall to correspond with these holes. Decide if you want to have vertical or horizontal stripes. Then slide the table top on to the nail heads.

technicolour wall art hung on white wall
Planning the colour stripes

You may or may not wish to plan the order of the stripes. I wanted to use equal amounts of each width of each colour, so I wrote a Python script the output of which can be fed to ImageMagick to create an image I could use as a guide.

(The script and instructions for use can be found in this file LACKWallArtScriptMaker.zip.)

The script randomizes the order of the defined stripes and ensures that stripes of the same colour do not appear next to each other.

technicolour strips of masking tape wall art hung on white wall

It quickly became evident it was not possible to cover the table top only using equal amounts of each colour, so I added some white and black stripes to the mix as well.

I used the script to generate lots of images and then used the one I found most aesthetically pleasing as a guide.

~ by Mike