I love the use of nail heads in interior decor. In my search for a nail head trim table I came across several great options, but just couldn’t stomach the price tag. It’s amazing to me that some of these tables cost so much, when their design is so simple. I decided to create one myself using Ikea Lack tables. Follow these simple steps to create one yourself, and save over $450 from the expensive brands!

Step 1: Steps 1-2

Step 1: To create this cube table you will need 2 Ikea Lack tables. Begin assembling 1 of your tables. This is perhaps the easiest piece of Ikea furniture to put together. Simply screw in the legs to the table top.

Step 2: Take the table top from the second table and nail or screw it into the bottom of your table to create a cube. You will be left with the four legs of the second table. Maybe you can find a unique way to reuse these legs. I myself haven't found a way to use them, but maybe I will one day.

Step 2: Steps 3-4

Step 3: Draw a straight line along the edge of the table where you want the center of your nail head to be. This will help you to keep a straight line when nailing in your thumb tacks. For my design I chose to create a line along the outside and inside edges of my cube, but feel free to create your own pattern!

Step 4 : Use a small nail to start a hole for your thumb tack. Be sure not to nail the nail all the way into the table or your hole will be too big and the thumb tack will fall out. A few taps with the small nail should give you enough to then nail or press your thumb tack into the table. I noticed that some areas of the table (because it is made from pressed wood and not solid wood) were softer than others. You can tell which areas are softer as soon as you being tapping in the nail. These areas need much less force when creating your hole.

Step 3: Final Step

Final Step : Here is where you will need patience. I chose to use thumb tacks instead of a strip of upholstery nail heads because they were easier for me to find in my local office supply store. In doing so, I had to nail in each thumb tack individually, and also create a hole for each thumb tack. Multiply this by the 1200 or so thumb tacks I used…needless to say finishing the table took a while. In total, I estimate I spent about 10 hours on this table.

And here is my finished product! It’s not quite the expensive versions I was imitating, but for a savings of over $450, I’ll take it!