September 14 2008 - Features

DIY Manicure Table

Three Do It Yourself manicure stations for under $300.

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Anna Elliot of Indianapolis created her manicure table out of IKEA office furniture. She purchased IKEA’s “Mikael” drawer unit in blackbrown/white, but replaced the casters with “Capita” 4-in. bathroom cabinetry legs. For the top, she ordered ½-in. thick glass — since it’s resistant to acetone — from a local glass store (at about $175, it was the most expensive piece for the table). The glass doesn’t slide because she placed rubber pads between the glass and the table. The total cost was about $300. “I wanted something with more storage and a better design than available out there. While shopping at IKEA, I stumbled across these office drawer units,” Elliot says.

Nancy McCoy of the NaiL BeD Nail Salon in Ripley, Miss., found a desk from the 1960s at a secondhand shop (for $20!) and used it as the base for her table. She then had the glass custom cut, which cost another $20. She then took some old similarly styled chairs from her front porch and gave them a new home in the salon as nail tech and client chairs, giving her a “new” station at a total cost of $40. “When I opened my salon I was determined to open a debt-free business, except I only had a budget of $1,000. I stayed in my budget until I decided I wanted to change up the salon decor and not use the manicure table I already had. My problem was I had already spent over $900 and opening day was two days away. This manicure table allowed me to stay within my budget,” McCoy says.

Anna Vasquez of Total Eclipse in Flagstaff, Ariz., assembled her table using pillars from Michaels, which she then handpainted with her chosen accent color of red. She purchased the glass at Pier One for about $80, placing clear coasters in between the glass and the pillars. She then topped the table with lights from Home Depot. She did all this for about $200. “I love my table; it’s nice and high, which means no back problems for me,” Vasquez says.