DIY Monday: Antique Desk Makeover, the end!

All the details on this piece gave me fits!

The end is near!

When last we saw the desk

As you may recall, my husband managed to salvage this old desk from the trash heep at a building where he was working.   

I spent a lot of time just working on the prep part of the desk.   The poor thing had 4 layers of paint and stain (at least) that I removed from all those little details and the legs, oh the legs gave me fits!

The drawers

My kiddo was very specific.   She wanted white, she didn't want it distressed but she wanted it antiqued.  The top had to be stained and I better do it right.    Normally, I don't use a gloss poly on pieces but her father requested it and I figured, what the heck.  It is pretty and I sanded the top down well so the gloss will highlight the beauty of the natural wood and stain.  

The shiny top

For this piece I used General Fiinishes Antique white Milk Paint and Java Gel stain.   Now, let me say I was shocked at how deep and dark the Java came out.  I left it on only a few minutes but the stain just penetrated the wood like water.   I told my husband I have never seen a piece of furniture that wanted to be stained more.  

For the antiquing I decided to use a silver glaze sole by Maison Blanche paint company.   When I buy paint I tend to use either General Finishes or Maison Blanche.  Now, I have some real milk paint that I am going to try on another piece so we will see how that works.   For this piece, because the kid was so clear on her wants, I decided to use something I had success with previously.

Silver antique

So I painted the body first with three coats of General Finishes Antique White.   Next came the Stain.  As you can see below the top just soaked up the Java Gel.

 

Luckily there was still grain showing through and I loved the contrast of the really dark top and the light body.  

All Done

Once the piece was done we moved it into the living room, temporarily so that we can get rid of the old computer desk.   I have some pictures on my camera that are way better and I will add them as soon as I figure out why my disk scanner on my laptop isn't working.   (It's always something!).

So to recap this project:

The desk was totally free and I am so glad my sweet hubby saved it from the dumpster and certain death!

The days/nights of stripping this thing made my time spent incredibly long but I think the finished product is simply lovely, feminine, and perfect.

The painting and staining took approximately 3 days from start to finish and included:

*3 coats of GF Milk Paint

*1 coat of Java Gel

*5 coats (with light sanding in between) of Poly Acrylic Gloss on the top.

*1 coat of satin Poly Acrylic on the base

* Antiquing with Silver Organza by Maison Blanche Paint Company

*Clear wax for protection

*Maison Blanche white Limestone Wax to soften the overall effect.

*Lots of buffing, cleaning, and bath time for me!


In between all of that I managed to help hubs repair our old shed/barn, mow an acer of lawn, plant the first round of our garden which included Turnips, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, radishes, Cantaloupe, Blue Berries, Raspberries, and Grapes, and also some flowers (Which my chickens were eating the tops off!).   Just an average weekend when we are home.  There is no rest for the wicked.

Happy Monday everyone.  It's spring break this week and we are doing lots of fun stuff like dentist appointments. 



Part 1 of the Desk Makeover

DIY makeover: Coffee Table

I can't tell you how excited I am to announce that this week I will be kicking off my first venture into my new love/business.   

I have fallen completely in love with redoing furniture.  It started slowly.  A few years ago my then neighbor and good friend Sharon introduced me to thrift shops as a way to occupy me and watch over me while I was rehabbing from surgery.  During that time I purchase my very first DIY furniture project a piece I still have in my home today.   

My current project is an old coffee table that had seen better days.  When I first got it, from a friend of mine who found it at a thrift store, I thought it looked like it was in ok shape but when I started sanding it, I could see there were a few areas that I hadn't noticed on initial inspection.  The table needed new life and a new finish on top.  That's ok, it is the kind of CPR I am becoming really good at and love doing. 

Beat Up Before 

I have always been crafty but I have begun taking classes on different mediums of paint and I have learned what works for me.  I love using chalk paint,(I am thinking of venturing into the milk paint arena on my next piece) but I do not love antiquing it with wax.  I therefore make a paint glaze.  Actually, I have brown and black paint glazes that I have already made so I am using those.   They are a little more tricky to get subtle but I work at it.  

Top sanded to reveal the beautiful wood!

It sanded down beautifully and I could instantly see how to make this table shine and I have to tell you, I absolutely love it.  I am actually sad that I don't get to keep it but it will find a good home.  So after many hours of careful staining the top, painting the legs with chalk paint, glaze and and lots of careful distressing (AKA Sanding),  the piece is drying with a satin poly protective coat the only thing keeping this from resale. 

Finished distressed detail

I adore this piece so much!  Can you believe it is the same table? I want to use it in my house but that original piece of furniture that started it all is, ironically, a coffee table and if you read my DIY blogs, you already know about my other coffee table.   No, I am not specializing in coffee tables.  I just so happened to have found this one after redoing two of my own.   

Finished except for two more coats of poly

Forgive me if I occasionally plug my furniture Facebook page and latest projects on the blog.  I just love working on this stuff so much. 

Link to my Home Decor Facebook page. I just started this Sunday so it is a work in progress and there will be updates of finished pieces as they become availalble with pricing and photos.  You don't have to buy from me to like it.  Just go in there and get some ideas and inspiration.   I can't possibly do blog posts on each and every piece of furniture I re-love.  Can I?

https://www.facebook.com/turnbacktimetakingtrashtotreasure