Vintage Desk Makeover

It seems like I always have projects lying around that needs to be finished up. Does that happen to anyone else? I picked up this vintage desk back in November. It sat unfinished in my living room for a few months, but I think it turned out exactly how I wanted it.

Fortunately, most of the stain was stripped from the desk, so I didn’t have to do too much sanding. I sanded the piece with 80 grit sandpaper. I then tried to decide how I wanted to finish it. I first decided to restore the entire desk by staining the whole piece. I used my favorite stain color: Minwax Honey. It’s a darker stain, but has some honey-colored undertones.

After the desk was dry from staining, I didn’t like how the stain absorbed differently in different places, making it look like it wasn’t the same stain. I then decided to partially paint the desk in a light grey, almost white color by Valspar.

I wanted to step outside of the box and leave the drawers and the top stained. Because life got in the way, I left it alone for a few months, hoping I would fall in love with the way it looked. I didn’t.

I painted the drawers that same grey color, and put a clear coat of polyurethane on the top. I wish I used polycrylic instead to avoid yellowing over time, but it looks great so far.

The original piece was missing some of the handles, so I was on the hunt for a replacement. I considered using farmhouse pulls, but I wanted it to look vintage.

I loved the look of Hepplewhite pulls, but I had a difficult time finding them. I checked antique stores, Lowe’s, and Ebay. Either they didn’t have any, didn’t have the right number, or they cost so much.

I eventually found these on Amazon Prime. They were a brass color and inexpensive. While I love a good brass handle, they didn’t match my hardware in the house. I painted the handles with a matte black spray paint, and they are exactly what I wanted.

It’s been a couple months since I finished this pieces, and I absolutely love it. I’m happy I took my time with it, and it’s definitely a focal point in my home.

Your friend,

Laci