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Saturday, November 23, 2013

Old Teacher's Desk Refurbished


  
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.

14 comments:

  1. You have more energy and drive than I will ever have. It's one of your best qualities. If I didn't know better, I'd say Pottery Barn. Nice work, butter bean.

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  2. Cool just what I was looking for. Good job!!

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  3. Cool just what I was looking for. Good job!!

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  4. Looks great! I'm just refinishing an old school desk myself and I love the look you chose!

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  5. how did you replace the handles I have a similar desk that I just started to turn it in to a chic desk but it has wooden handles I would love to chance it, please help me

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  6. Hello! My desk is identical to yours except the wooden pulls are not rounded but yet more squared. My desk is an old Navy desk and I bought it when my husband was stationed in Hawaii for the grand price of $40 buckaroos. I love it! I actuall am quite found of its original finish, minus the top, it has seend better days. With that said, it is probably the only part of the desk I want to refinish. I saw that you had pulled your top off while refinishing. I was just wondering how you went about it and any adice you would like to be shared would be greatly appreciated. I never even thought to just take the top off. As I am sure you are aware, these desks are some serious weight obstacles.

    Thank you!

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  7. Looks great! How did you take the top portion of the desk off? any suggestions?

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    1. I was going to ask the same thing..but I think I'll just mess around with mine and see.

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  8. I'm refinishing the same desk. I bought it for $1.99 at the Goodwill store. Finished removing the paint and it already looks better!

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  9. Hello, I have this same exact desk, found it on FB marketplace. I too wanted something sturdy and not the generic finds they sell now. I had planned on paying a lady in our small town to refurbish, being that I'd already bought about7 piece from her. But I lost my job and had plenty time being my part time sometime gig..so I started my researching. Google and YouTube didnt offer much help. The lady guided me as best as she could, but you my dear...topped it all off. I cannot wait now to get started. I actually have 2 desk to complete and it will save me over 300$. Thanks so much. Are you still available for questions? I see this post was created on 2013...let me know..

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  10. I have that Sam desk nd thinking about turning it into a kitchen island. I love old wooden desk! I’m so excited!!

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