Monday

DIY nailhead door desk

This project sort of happened out of necessity.  Some of you may remember when I shared my $10 DIY desk that I made using Ikea sawhorses and a piece of glass that was given to me by a friend.  Supposedly the glass top was used as a table top before so at first I wasn't really worried about it breaking, some of you even asked me if I was concerned about that.  Well, it turns out I was kind of concerned about it.  I noticed one day that the glass was bowing ever so slightly in the middle right where our computer sat.  That made me a little weak in the knees. (and not in a good way)  

I just so happened to have an old door sitting in our garage.  I picked it up on the side of the road one day and saved it for such a time as this.  

Here's a before picture after I scraped and scraped and sanded and scraped some more...

I also had to cut the door down to size so I could use my existing glass as a protective top.


After I prepped it, I primed and painted the whole thing in white gloss paint.  

I wanted to give the inset portions a little more oomph so I took some foam board, cut it down to size, and covered it with white fabric.


I used a little packing tape to adhere it to foam board, nothing fancy.


Then I created a simple border using nailhead trim.  You could use individual nailheads, but it's way easier and less time consuming to use the trim sold by the roll.

I found mine here.
Then, I set the boards in place and gave the nailheads a little tap to hold everything and place.

 I was worried about the solid top making things feel cluttered or less open, but it gives the desk more of a presence and I actually like it so much more this way.  I think the fact that it's white also helps it to not be too visually heavy.







I'm constantly pulling out my ruler, or measuring tape, when I'm sourcing things for clients.  So, I slid a yardstick under the glass so I would have a quick reference when searching for things online.  And the best part is it will never get lost or used and not put back. :)  It looks bowed in this picture for some reason, but it's straight in real life.


IKEA sells several options of table legs and trestles if you want to try this.

Linking this project up to Creating with the stars!

25 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous work space. I'd love to sit there and blog ;)

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  2. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it Bethany! So chic and I love the details you added. It looks so great there! xo Kristin

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  3. Thanks so much Kristin! I'm really happy with how it turned out :)

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  4. I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!! I loved it before but I like it so much better now! Great job as always!!!

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  5. This turned out beautiful! Super crisp & chic! LOVE it!!!

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  6. Great idea! And thank goodness you won't have your computer crashing to the floor in a pile of glass. I have goosebumps just thinking about it.

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  7. You are so resourceful & clever, the nailhead detail gives it the perfect custom touch! I can't imagine anything feeling like work while sitting in that pretty spot!

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  8. Such a good solution! Your styling is beautiful, and so smart to include your yardstick!

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  9. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!! Such an awesome up cycle project:)

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  10. Thank you! I've already used the yardstick so many times, so helpful!

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  11. Thank you Pam! A pretty workspace does make working a lot more pleasant! :)

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  12. Thanks! I know, It still gets me shaky just thinking about it!

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  13. WOW!! I just found your blog from your feature on Sarah's blog :) I LOVE your office and nailhead desk. The greek key detail on the drapes is fantastic. Would love for you to join in my design in your home link up. I feature my favorites every month! Link as many rooms as you like.

    http://designerinteal.blogspot.com/2013/08/blogger-homes-and-september-link-up.html

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  14. Love this!! How did you attached the door to the trestles?

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  15. Thank you! I actually didn't attach it. It's just resting on the trestles. The weight of the door, glass, and everything on the desk is heavy enough to keep it in place.

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  16. Thank you so much! I'm planning on copy catting you and have already found a door on craigslist! Hopefully, Home Depot can cut the door for me and cut glass, but I'm not sure. I was also thinking of mosaic tiling in the panels. That might be a bit much!

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  17. They should be able to cut both for you, I'm sure it will look great!

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  18. My favorite kind of project: using what you have to make something beautiful!

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  19. Wow this is so pretty and the nailhead trim detail is stunning! I'd love it if you shared this at The Makers link party going on at my blog right now, UpcycledTreasures.com. Hope to see you there!

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  20. Where were you able to find the glass top?

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  21. I actually got lucky and had a friend that was getting rid of it. It went with an old dining room table she had. I just cut the door down to fit the dimensions of the glass. You could try checking Craigslist for an inexpensive glass table and then just use the top or you could always check with a local glass place to get a quote.

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  22. It's from Garden Ridge :)

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  23. Where is the lamp from? love it!

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Thank you for your sweet comments, they make my day!