I picked up this desk for $20 from a local homeschool friend and immediately started thinking of all the ways I could redo it. Ben used it, as is, for the last couple of months of school while I waited for summer break and the chance to get to work on it.
We decided this desk would be best suited for Luci since it is smaller, allowing it to be placed directly in the dining room where we do school. This way she can be closer to me since she's not yet working as independently as her brothers do.
Once we knew it was going to be for Luci she instantly decided she wanted PINK! While I didn't want to cover it completely in pink paint, I knew we could find a way to add some pink accents to it.
We selected a stain color, a set of drawer knobs, and some matching decorative scrapbook paper.
The top of the desk was beat up pretty bad leaving a pretty rough writing surface. Brian's parents were visiting a few weeks ago for Gavin's piano recital and while they were here my father-in-law removed the desk top, flipped it over, and revealed a smooth, mostly un-marred surface.
One of the drawers had a badly damaged bottom, so I had a new bottom cut. It was about a quarter inch too big, and a sixteenth of an inch to thick, but I sanded the edge down, beveled it, and then it worked. Brian helped me get it glued in and in place. It's the strongest of the four drawers now!
With those two repairs made, I began the process of sanding the previous finish off. Thanks to borrowing an electric sander from a neighbor, that was pretty quick work.
Staining was next. The surface of the desk-top (which had been flipped over) took the stain very well, but it still did not hide the discoloration of the wood where it had been attached prior to turning it over. No matter how much stain, or how heavy I tried to work in those areas, the color differential is still visible. But, it beats the alternative!
The desk drawers are where I decided to add the pink flair. I used mod podge to adhere the decorative scrapbook paper, sanded the edges off, and then coated them in 5 or 6 coats of mod podge.
The final step was to polyurethane the entire desk and the drawers.
And then put it all together...the finished product:
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The desk looks great, April! In thinking about the top, I think more of the pink might be too much. What about getting a glass top cut? Then Luci could slip pictures and other flat items related to her schoolwork or just beautiful and fun onto the top and under the glass. It wouldn't be too much trouble at all for her to change things, so it would be an ever-evolving desk!
ReplyDeleteApril the reason it is not uniform in stain, is something I did not notice when the top was turned over...The light areas are where it had been glued the glue soaked into the wood and will not let the stain penetrate..I like it the way it is,,But if you decide to go with Glass be sure it is at least one quarter inch thick...you could go with plexiglass knowing it would get scratched over time...or re-sand the top,mask off the dark areas the and edges,,Then hi-light the Light areas in pink paint then re-varnish the top,,But it is still a great looking Desk the way it is now..
ReplyDeleteLove the transformation! It is girlie enough to suit Luci but doesn't scream PINK! I agree with Rebecca that a clear top (glass or plexiglass) might be a solution to allow her to put favorite pictures underneath for her to admire until she gets smitten with something else! But even if you don't do another thing, it looks great. Bet Luci is tickled with it, too!
ReplyDeleteLove it, Im thinking if you have any of the same scrap booking paper left, to cover some cans or pots for the pencils and maybe a paper tray , that way you can leave the desk the nice wood top and bring the matching theme up with the pots covered in the same paper...?
ReplyDeleteYou did a FANTASTIC job! Let me know when you are coming to VA next :)! Good job MOM!
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