A woman has revealed how she made her own herringbone side table for the bargain price of £20 – instead of paying £300 for a designer item online.

Glaswegian Alexandra Lawson, 27, who now lives in London, had spotted the product online but the eye-watering price tag put her off immediately.

So she decided to make her own, using scrap wood and tools she had around the house to the value of £20.

She later shared the before and after snaps on TikTok, where it has racked up thousands of views.

“I had previously made my own much larger coffee table and decided I would use a similar design to make the side table but tweaking where I could for a certain design,” Alexandra told NeedToKnow.Online.

“It didn’t cost me anything but to buy everything would probably be around £20.”

In the clip, Alexandra flashes an image of the table she likes with a £300 price tag.

She said: “I saw this table online but didn't want to pay the price tag so decided to make my own.

“I used thin MDF, measured out the table top and cut out the space with a hand saw.”

MDF is medium-density fibreboard, which is inexpensive, durable and is a good choice for many woodworking and carpentry projects.

She added: “After this, I cut small pieces of wood using my chop saw and then lightly sanded them so there weren't any rough edges.

“Before using gorilla wood glue to glue them down onto the MDF.

“I put some heavy bricks on top, overnight, while they dried, then the next morning used my saw to trim around the edges.”

Alexandra then grabs some old bits of wood she had lying around and used wood glue, as well as a nail gun, to create a frame.

She then painted the base completely black to give it an industrial metal look.

Alexandra added: “I then used wood filler to fill in any gaps on the table top before sanding it down for a smooth finish.

“I used wood glue to glue the top on to the base.

“You can do the top with wax or wood stain but I went for this neutral look.

“I absolutely love it.”

As she pans a view of the table, decorative items such as books, candles and a mug sit atop tie in the overall homely look.

Social media users have been left stunned by the DIY project.

“Great job,” one viewer commented.

Another person added: “Great job,” followed by a clapping hand emoji.

“Love it,” someone else said. [sic]

One person wrote: “Beautiful.”

“Beautiful job,” another viewer added, followed by a heart eye emoji.

Alexandra says the side table only took her half a day to make once the glue had set.

She said: “The table I saw online was £300 so really, I’ve saved over £280!

“I share all of my tips and tricks with my online community and have had quite a few people reach out, sharing their own version that they’ve created.”

ENDS

BREAKDOWN OF SUPPLIES

For the tabletop (1 x 6-8mm small sheet of MDF or plywood)
Wood baton (25x25cm)
Chop saw or handsaw
Gorilla glue
Nail gun
Pine strip wood (1x2)
Black furniture paint
Wood stain of choice
Wood filler

Total cost: £20

ENDS

EDITOR'S NOTE: Video Usage Licence: (EXCLUSIVE) We have obtained an exclusive licence from the copyright holder. A copy of the licence is available on request.
Video Restrictions: None.