DIY Nailhead Table Makeover

Two posts in one day?!?  I know. I just couldn't wait to show you this...

I know you probably thought this day would never come, and trust me, I wasn't sure it would either.  The table is finally finished!  After a LOT of work and a LOT Of hiccups, the finished product is here.  For a recap of the disaster, check out this post, appropriately titled "DIY Disaster."  Oh man, it was a doozie, but enough about all that. 

After a disaster with trying to refinish the table, I almost gave up.  The finish was terrible, uneven, and had deep groove marks where I tried my hardest to sand off the old finish.   So, I thought, maybe I'll just paint it, and you won't be able to tell. Well, I was wrong.  The gray paint seemed to highlight those unsightly grooves and the uneven finish like you wouldn't believe.  I was discouraged, but we needed a table, so I brought it back inside and tried to make it work.  Here's what it looked like after a little paint.  You really can't tell it from the picture, but just trust me, it was very noticeable in person.  

So, moving on...

I was so close to just putting this table by the side of the road and letting someone else worry with it, I wasn't even sure it was worthy of Craigslist, but I had a lightbulb moment while wandering around at Zgallerie (actually looking for another table)  I saw this table and realized it would be the perfect inspiration.

Here's the picture from Zgallerie's website...

I loved that the top was glass because that would mean I could eliminate the large areas that were damaged and only have to deal with getting the outer border smooth and even.  There was hope!  The idea of glass also appealed to me because that meant it would showcase my cowhide rug that was hidden by the wood before.  

I don't have a router (although that's on my birthday list) and didn't want to mess things up anymore, so I called our friend, who is a carpenter, and explained what I wanted to do.  

He cut three rectangles out of the top and created a lip wide enough for my nailheads.  We had three separate sections cut out so that we could still remove the leaf down the road if need be.  I actually like it better that way, too because it breaks it up and creates more areas for the bling of my nailheads.

I ordered nailhead trim from this eBay seller. It was the best price I found.  If you've never used this before, it's amazing!  You only nail every fifth nailhead, which makes it 1,000 times easier to get it straight.  I drilled a tiny pilot hole and used a nail punch to hammer them in.

Then, we ordered some glass from a local glass shop, and now we have a beautiful, functional dining room!  At last!

You've come a long way baby.....