About two years ago I got the sweetest little table that I planned to use as a vanity in my bedroom. Being the DIY/furniture redoer newbie that I was, I made a huge mistake. It had been in a basement for who knows how long, so I put it outside. I just wanted it to air out a bit and let some rain wash away the dirt and spiderwebs a little. Can you blame me? Apparently I let it sit a little too long. The paint started to chip and peel as well as the veneer on the table top. :( The top was beyond saving and with a three year old running around I wasn't risking leaving the chippy paint as is. So the little table that I planned to do absolutely nothing to got a complete makeover. My plans also changed on where it was going to be used. Like I said, it was going to be a vanity in my room, but my mom gave me one that belonged to my grandmother, so it's now being used as a desk in our living room. This is the "left outside and neglected" shot of the desk. This is with one layer of veneer peeled off. The other layers were bubbling and beyond repair. So, we completely removed the top. And here's the chippy paint in all its glory. Love it but too nervous to have it around my son. After getting a fresh coat of paint and a new fence board top, that sweet little table is now a useful desk! Love, love, love!!!! I have a few other little things to add to the wall, but they are going to have to wait until the brick wallpaper comes down. I had to include this ^ picture. It was taken by my three year old son. :) Flower frog turned pen holder Old knobs from my stash Weathered fence board top!! <3 My husband helped me make a lamp from a vintage laboratory beaker stand and a metal work lamp shade. Sometimes great things come from Plan B!!!! P.S. If you'd like to see sneak peeks throughout the week and other inspiration, be sure to follow me on Facebook!! I'm linking to the parties listed HERE and to: Savvy Southern Style Serenity Now Boogieboard Cottage The DIY Showoff Coastal Charm I Gotta Create Home Stories A to Z Southern Hospitality My Repurposed Life Setting for Four Timewashed Knick of Time Tuesday
One day, while shopping at our local thrift shop, Mr. Rubbish and I spotted this rough looking, old teacher's desk outside with a five dollar price tag. It may be hard to tell by the pictures, but this desk is gigantic and I was not sure if we could find a place for it to fit at Loot. For five dollars we decided to give it a try! The finish was really beat up, but I love the school house look. I work at an elementary school and the day after I bought it, I saw this same desk in the computer lab. This desk is oversized and masculine, so I picked two colors that would complement these features. I painted the top with Graphite Chalk Paint and the base with Chateau Gray. I painted the wooden handles with Graphite too and left the tiny, metal feet brass. This desk is not meant to be against a wall because the back is finished too. Mr. Rubbish helped me on this piece by waxing the massive surface area of this desk with Annie Sloan clear wax. I applied dark wax over everything when he finished clear waxing. I never did find a spot in the shop for this desk. It actually never moved out of our storage container until it sold. I listed it on craigslist and a local high school teacher bought it for her classroom. I am happy that this discarded, old teacher's desk made it back into a school! This post is linked to the parties on my sidebar.
A two toned chalk paint desk redo. I don’t know about your wallet but mine is still pretty empty from the Christmas season. I feel like it happens every year – we go overboard and then we’re broke and trying to catch up all January long. I tried doing that whole money saving thing last year …
A Goodwill found vintage teacher's desk gets a (no paint) makeover!
Coastal Blue and Java Gel Vintage Desk
A two toned chalk paint desk redo. I don’t know about your wallet but mine is still pretty empty from the Christmas season. I feel like it happens every year – we go overboard and then we’re broke and trying to catch up all January long. I tried doing that whole money saving thing last year …
Do you ever have ideas that pop into your head and then just can't be quieted until you *finally* give them a try? Meet my Drexel desk. Funny story - this one was the very first piece I ever purchased from my now friend / furniture picker.... about two years ago. For two years it has quietly called to me, offering ideas, transforming in my mind into just about every shade of gray and blue possible, and asking for a map. A map? What am I thinking?? But y'all. With General Finishes Queenstown Gray Milk Paint and Modern Masters Matte Metallics in Gold Rush, this piece really came alive. Talk about fabulous! I am so beyond excited about the final look on this beauty, and because I love y'all, I even broke it down step by step for a full tutorial. Click below to keep reading! I started by sourcing a free map silhouette online and expanding it until the dimensions looked about right. When I printed, it went onto several pages, which I cut out / taped together and laid out to begin visualizing and verify the layout. (The desk top was later sanded down to bare wood for a perfectly even starting surface). Once I was pretty sure that the sizing would work, I put this one off to the side and got distracted by at least a half dozen other projects (and that's a conservative estimate) for probably a good six months. I recommend skipping this step. ;) When I was ready to go again on this project, I painted all over, including under the lift - top lid, with General Finishes Queenstown Gray milk paint and very lightly distressed the edges. I chose this because the self-leveling properties help me achieve that gorgeous smooth finish, as well as due to its durability. Then the moment of truth. I laid out the outline again, and began the map. Do you remember in like 3rd grade when you'd shade on the back of paper with a pencil, then outline the other side of the page to transfer the graphite? It was SUPER hard to see because the graphite didn't stand out a lot from the gray, but you could see the shiny reflection in the right light. I worked with a small detail brush, walking around the desk so that I could approach the lines with the paint, pushing it right up to the edges AWAY from me. (This is important, particularly with the initial outline: if I paint where the outline edge is toward me, I lose much of my visibility and control.) The Modern Masters Matte Metallic Gold Rush is a semi-opaque product. That means 3 coats for full coverage (possibly more when you're going over a highly contrasting color). The first two I painted with my detail brush, and you can see the difference here where I have a single coat on South America and two coats on North America. However, there was still some translucency and I could see brush lines when looking from certain angles. So I pulled out a craft sponge. When I am seeing brush strokes, I like to vary my approach. Otherwise I feel like the lines continue to settle onto and over one another, and either don't resolve what I'm seeing, or can even compound the issue. This sponge has a smaller end that I used near the edges, and a larger circle that I used in the centers. You can see how much more coverage I had toward the western side of Africa in this photo. The sponge stippling helped me to achieve a much more opaque finish that texturally appears more like a gold leaf. I sealed with three coats of High Performance Water Based Top Coat for protection, and used a gold leaf Rub N Buff to lightly accent the hardware. I hope you love the final product as much as I do!! It's the perfect size for a writing desk, or would be just stunning paired with a gold mirror as a vanity. The real beauty is that this technique can be applied to any silhouette design! I hope that if you try it out, you will share your pieces with me! Please take photos, I'd absolutely love to see them! And tell me, what other designs would you LOVE to see??
I found this treasure and was more than happy to bring it in a new life! I had plenty of fun creating this Chevron Themed Desk Set...color reminds me of a tiffa…
I had been wanting a desk for my computer for a pretty long time. I knew I didn't want to spend a ton of money, so I started my search at IKEA. I never really found anything that I loved, so I continued my search on craigslist. I have refurbished pieces of furniture in the past, so selecting something that was old and dingy was not out of the question. In fact, I kind of viewed it as a challenge. A few months ago, I found this old teacher's desk on craigslist listed for just $30! I scooped it up quickly and brought it home. The previous owner said it was built in the 40's, and it was hardwood, so it was ideal for refurbishing. I knew exactly what I wanted to do to it when I saw it. I'm not a fan of the honey colored wood, so I knew I wanted to stain the top a dark espresso brown. I decided to pair that with a bottom that was painted white, and to finish it off, I'd replace the drawer pulls. I wasn't a fan of the plain wood drawer pulls, so I chose a brushed nickel cup pull. I love the way it turned out, but it was certainly not the easiest process ever. My first step was to refinish the desk top. I began by sanding off the old finish, and making sure it was nice and smooth. (And yes, I used that rinky-dink hand sander for the whole project.) After all of the old finish was gone, I took a tack cloth to it to ensure all of the dust was gone. The stain I chose was a Minwax Polyshades Dark Espresso Satin finish. It is a combo product that has both wood stain and poly in it, and one less step is always good! Here you can see what it looks like after 1 coat of the stain. The instructions on the can say to put on 2 coats to ensure best results. And here you have it after the second coat. It's still wet, so it looks pretty glossy, but it dried to a satin finish. I am really pleased with how it turned out. The next step was to prep and paint the rest of the desk. I tried everything to get the stinking drawer pulls off and absolutely nothing was working. I asked my dad for advice, and he said it was probably put on with a combination of nails and glue, so it'd be pretty hard to get them off. He said if there was some way to heat up the glue to loosen it, that'd probably be my best bet. I thought for a bit, and decided to try heating up the glue with my hair dryer. And doggone if those things didn't come right off after I heated them up for a few seconds. Then I painted the rest of the desk white. I painted two coats, and quickly realized something was not quite right. The icky old brown stain kept showing through the paint. I googled to see if I could find some other product that might help, and I came up with Zinsser Shellac. I have to say, for the most part, it worked pretty well. I put 2 coats on (with plenty of drying time between coats) and then painted yet another coat of white paint on top. 99% of the desk looks awesome, but I must've been a little lazy with the shellac in a few parts, because I can still see a bit of the brown stain. You have to be up pretty close to notice it, but it still bothers me. And now for the great reveal! I am really happy with the final product. It's such a huge desk, so I've got plenty of space for my computer, an extra screen, a printer, and all my photography equipment. Will I refurbish furniture again? Heck yes. Taking something from ugly and old to nearly new is incredibly rewarding.
This bamboo line from Thomasville was/is very popular. Original paint finish for this guy was the white laminate top with yellowy-green paint finish. Not so popular in this day and age! The desk was part of the entire bedroom set. I know a lot of fellow finishers have done the desk and the dresser. I've wanted to do one for quite awhile and finally stumbled across this piece online. I couldn't seem to find any before picture, other than this one I had atop another piece. My hoarder condition in the garage is reaching alarming proportions. You know you have issues when start stacking your inventory three-high! This is a stock photo I googled. Mine was almost identical in condition. Everything but the top got a good sanding. The drawers (inside, and all of the wood sides) got sanded and a few coats of primer. The body was sanded so the finish was smooth and even. My goal wasn't to sand off all of the original paint, but merely smooth it out to get it ready for the primer. I chose to finish off the paint I had used on an earlier piece,,,,,this one, since it looked so good! And of course my signature accented inner drawers got a glossy coral! Many painters neglect the sides or don't take the time to prep them properly. It makes a huge difference in the finish. Look at the blue one that I found for sale online. They are asking quite a bit for it and didn't even bother to clean up the drawer sides. And while we're on the bashing subject, if you are listing a piece for sale, how about you take the time to stage it?? You don't have to do an entire vignette (although it sure does help) but at least take the time to place it on a more desirable surface! Cracked, stained asphalt does nothing to help sell. The hardware got a fresh new metallic gold coat. I just happened to have this mid century chair lying around and thought it matched pretty well! So, it's free with the desk! The mirror and the beach sign are two of my other painting projects. While the mirror color doesn't quite go, the other beach sign fits in perfectly with the desk! This would look so cute in a beach cottage. I'm glad I chose to leave the top as is. thanks for visiting!! Stacey Embracing Change - Thursday The Painted Drawer - Friday Link Up Party Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Night Special A Stroll Thru Life - Inspire Me Tuesday COASTAL CHARM-TUES Party Tuesday-Elizabeth and Co., Treasure Hunt Thrus..FMFPTY Savvy Southern Style. Weds, Beyond the Picket Fence, PJH Design, From my Front Porch to Yours, The 36th Avenue, Monday-Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, My RePurposed Life, No Minimalist Here-Thurs UncommonDesigns-Monday Party, DIY SHOWOFF-sun, Friday-24cottonwoodlane You might also like:
This desk was so disgusting... the rubber top was so damaged (full of deep cuts, grease & grime, gum...). Here's what I did to refinish the top: 1) I peeled the old rubber off 2) Coated the bare metal with Rustoleum primer (2 coats, just to be safe) 3) 2 coats of light turquoise latex paint 4) After it dried, I poured a bartop epoxy over the whole thing! I now have a usable, shiny new desk top - in the color of my choice! :)
Learn to decoupage! Vintage desk decoupaged and painted in Pure White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint via Our Southern Home. Perfect for a teen!
Today I want to talk a little business with you all, specifically about how to set up and stage attractive, well-thought-out, professional looking photos of
Good friends are moving into a new house and asked if I would give their daughter’s desk a makeover for her new room. This desk is an old school desk but I don’t know its history. It’s size makes me think that it originally was used in a junior or high school. Haley likes...
A blog about chalk painting and home decor. Refreshing vintage pieces of furniture.
A two toned chalk paint desk redo. I don’t know about your wallet but mine is still pretty empty from the Christmas season. I feel like it happens every year – we go overboard and then we’re broke and trying to catch up all January long. I tried doing that whole money saving thing last year …
This vintage desk makeover embraced the flaws in matte black with a stained top for a rags to riches result.
A vintage oak desk left by a previous owner still has much to offer. With a little TLC and some DIY, this desk now has farmhouse flair.
DIY Hairpin Leg Desk That Anyone Can Create
Well, I'm happy to finally be finished this project! I started it last spring just before I started feeling icky with my pregnancy. I worked at it s-l-o-w-l-y for awhile then ceased altogether. Until last week. I had a burst of energy and decided it's time to get this project DONE! I had bought this vintage age roll top desk from Craigslist with the intention of giving it a few updates and reselling it. So, it's now for sale if you know someone in Northwest Ohio looking for a good solid desk. :) The people that were selling it had cats (read there was cat hair all over it) and it was their daughter's desk. It was good and solid but dirty and not pretty. They lived in a very small house and were getting a piano for their daughter so the desk had to go to make room for the piano. Here are some pictures of it "Before": And here it is after I added some cute little bun feet, changed the drawer pulls, painted it with Annie Sloan chalk paint (old white), and waxed it. I think it's 100% improved. You notice I didn't paint all the cubbies.... I was too lazy. :) I thought about just removing that part of it but there's just something I like about having it for organization. It was in good shape, unlike the top and the work surface. So, I just left it as it was. And I think it looks ok this way. The insides of the drawers were kinda marked up and ugly so I lined them with some pretty damask scrapbook paper. I didn't like the big 'blocky' drawer pulls so I found these pretty, vintage knobs with back plates on eBay. They were white so I gave them a coat of oil-rubbed bronze spray paint. I think they're much better. And here are some other shots 'just because'. In this picture you can see how I did the feet. First I added a board that was 1" larger than the bottom of the desk on 3 sides and screwed it down. Like this: These two pictures are shown with the desk upside down. Sorry, this is a really poor shot but it's the only one I have like this. Then I put cove (I think that's what it's called) moulding around it on the ledge I created. For the feet, I just bought bun feet and mounting plates from Menards. Screw the plates to the bottom of the desk and then screw the feet into the mounting plate. I didn't take any progress shots (they're boring anyway). And because I like side by side comparisons here's the before and after again: So there it is. Hopefully it will find a new home soon. Linking to: Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia's Tuesday's Treasures Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday DIY by Design's Winter Blues Wednesday Chatty Chics' Wild Wednesday Beneath My Heart's Best DIY Projects of February Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday
An old teachers desk with a worn, dark and dirty finish found its way into my workshop almost a year ago. I finally completed the makeover, just in time for bac…
I am still working on all the new Dixie Belle Paint colors, they are so amazing I just can’t get enough of them….. they have two amazing new Blue colors “Dusty Blue”and R…
From barn to beautiful. A vintage desk saved from an old barn in upstate New York received a royal treatment in Desk Rescue in Memphis Blue from Catskills Barn
See how I gave a drab old desk a fresh new look for the vintage desk makeover. Easy to used ideas so that you can makeover a piece of your own.
I thought my Sunday would be like most Sundays have been the last few years, go to church and then relax around the house, grab dinner with the family. This Sunday was a little different, it was the Trash & Treasure Sale weekend. If you are unaware of what the Trash & Treasure Sale weekend is, the Inner Wheel (the women's group of Rotary Club) hosts a large garage sale at a vacant department store in the local mall. Lucky for me (or should I say unluckly for me) I found a solid wood teachers desk, previously used by the United State Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) that was listed at $40. Since it was Sunday, the last day of the sale, all items were 50% off. So the $40 solid wood teachers desk became $20 and I knew my wife would not let me pass it up. Once of the sides was coming apart, but four (4) nails did the trick of fixing all the issues with the stability of the desk. The next step for this desk was its appearance. I made quick work of the exterior using my Black and Decker Orbital sander, which I picked up at Walmart for a mere $24.99. As shown, they layered the stain over the desk time after time, rather than standing and re-staining the desk when it started to show wear and tear. When I started sanding through the layers, I took a rough estimate of 4 layers of stain were caked on top of one another. When I say bare wood never looked so nice, I mean it wholeheartedly. Once I worked the sander over the entire desk and drawers, I went back over the metal areas of the keyhole and locking mechanism under the desk. Just like the wood, it's amazing what a little TLC can do for old pieces of history. It turned the metal keyhole and locking mechanisms a shiny silver after starting off being a dull bronze/gold color. Once I finished all the sanding, I moved it inside the office until it was ready to be stained. I should probably clarify for the "until it was ready to be stained", which was not due to additional steps to prep for staining, but rather the lack of time in my work schedule to complete it within a day or two from sanding it. My go to stain, which I use on almost every wood element in my home, is the Varathane Dark Walnut wood stain available at Home Depot. I tend to use this color stain when I'm trying to create the rustic look, my wife and I agree upon throughout the house. I tend to use a thick layer of stain on the bare wood, so it would look almost like a puddle of paint that you'd spread from edge to edge. Once I cover the entire desk area, which you are staining, I took a clean rag and wiped across the same area I just covered with stain. This does two things, grabs any excess stain that is not soaking into the wood and it allows the stain that has soaked into the wood to breathe and dry at a quicker rate, since it is not puddled on top of the wood. This might seem counter productive to some, but I've found my method helps me stain at a quicker rate since I always use two coats of stain to gain the darker color variation compared to one layer which does not always reach the color you desire. I added some drawer pulls, which I picked up at Lowe's, and it helps tie the rustic look from the rest of the house into the office area. See below for pictures during the process and as it sits now. Make sure to check back for more projects as I work though them, and for some healthier versions of some delicious Cajun recipes.
I painted this secretary desk in Duck Egg blue. I use it everyday and really like it as my new office space. It is a Governor Winthro...
So after working for 10 hours today, and expecting guests for dinner in 30 minutes of walking in the door, I managed to finished this desk to go to the store tomorrow.
