Project

Brass-Studded Door

A bedroom's style doesn't have to stop at the entrance to the bathroom or closet. To dress up a hollow-core door, we gave it a graphic pattern using brass upholstery nails.

Photography: JOHNNY MILLER

Source: Martha Stewart Living, May 2017

Introduction

This door project appeared in our feature, 6 Finishing Touches That Will Completely Transform Your Home.

materials

Drop cloth

Paint

Paintbrush

String

Tape

Measuring tape

Pencil

Drill

Drill bit

Brass upholstery nails

Hammer

steps

Spread out the drop cloth. Remove the door from its hinges and lie it flat on the drop cloth. Paint the side you want to embellish and let it dry completely.
Stretch various lengths of string across the door to create a design, securing the ends with tape. Use a yardstick to trace the string lines with pencil. Draw dots along the pencil lines to mark the holes for the nails, spacing them out to match the nail diameter (i.e., if you're using 7/16" nails, space your pencil dots 7/16" apart).
Using a drill bit slightly narrower than the points of your nails, predrill holes. Hammer in the nails. Replace the door on its hinges.