DIY: Ikea LACK Side Table Project

How to transform this plain Ikea LACK side table:

Into this?

It's fairly simple actually. All you need is a LACK table (duh!), hammer, nail, boxes of thumb tacks, ruler and pencil.

Not in the picture is the ruler and pencil. I forgot to snap them.

First step: You gotta make holes using the nail. Make sure not to dig deep into the compressed wood or you'll end up with a big hole and can't fit the thumb tacks. I used a 1cm method for each hole. Draw a straight line along the edge of the table first. Then, mark a spot where the holes would be. Using a nail and hammer, make a hole with 1cm apart from each other.

The holes for the thumb tacks.

Second step: With holes all ready, fill them up with your thumb tacks. Make sure they are all straight and in line. You can find thumb tacks at any stationery store or DIY outlets. As for me, I bought them at ACE Hardware. I used Unicorn thumb tacks. They are durable. But any kind of thumb tacks (cheaper!) would do. Just make sure they are not rusty and don't bend much when you use your hammer.

The holes, ready to be inserted with thumb tacks.

Roughly, I used about 6 1/2 boxes of unicorn thumb tacks for a table. I spent about 4 hours of tedious work to finish this. It's not perfect because it's handmade but as long as they're cost saving, I don't mind. And here's the final outcome of the table in a good, working order.

I just need to revamp the table because it's still in good condition and needs a little refurbishment. This table has served me good and it's a waste to just throw it out. So a simple art work on it will do to restore its glory. Hahaha. Now, the table is back in action eventho it's darn cheap.