Spot the not: Nailheads

I typically like to use nailheads on one piece in each room. Like all things, if done wrong it is a hindrance more than a step in the right direction. Here goes... This is another item that falls into my "poor man's" category: The poor man's nailhead. Spaced. Cheaper upholstery lines (or cheaper upholsterers) will space their nailheads. It reduces your materials by 50%, and your labor by about the same. The result: A cheaper cost, and a cheaper look. Go all in, or all out.

The ultimate bad decision. "Rather than nail individual tacks along the chair, lets just use one of those strips and pop it in place"...let's not. Not only does it look low budget, it is a safety hazard when it pops up, and exposes that sharp edge.

A proper nailhead installation. Tight and clean. Here the nailheads are actually serving a purpose in the construction of the piece. In the first photo, they are merely just applied to...wherever.

In some applications, the spaced nailheads are actually intended. It is usually when you have an oversized head, like in this application. There is a fine line on when it becomes good vs. bad, but if you know your stuff, you know what I am talking about.