Executive Desk Makeover

No matter what project I'm working on, I am always keeping one of my closest friends, Angie up to date.  One afternoon we were chatting it up infront of my house and I brought up the fact that I had to hunt down the perfect desk for my new art room.  She then dragged me to her house (We live in the same cul-de-sac) and showed me an old desk she was getting ready to donate to the DI (Deseret Industries - These are thrift stores that are all over Utah).  I squealed and jumped up and down when she said I can have it for...... FREEEEEEEEEEEE!

It took me awhile to decide on paint color.  I envisioned my art room to be romantic, with french antique touches, but extremely fun.  I was grocery shopping one day at Walmart and fell in love with "Peacock Blue" by Glidden.  I bought a quart of it for $13.00.  Score!  And guess what?  It was paint and primer in one!  Double Score!

I then took a detour to Lowes and found this: Paintable Wall Paper by Allen + Roth.  I thought, "I could use this!"  Here's how:

First, I measured the drawer faces and cut out the sizes and glued them on.  Just follow the instructions.  You'll need a bucket of water and a lot of patience for this project.

Then I did the same thing to the back of the desk.  Again... be patient.  I promise it's sooo worth it!

Then I painted it.  Oh and a word to the wise, unless you're going to eventually paint your garage floor with some epoxy paint, lay some newspapers down underneath whatever you're painting or you'll end up with a lot of squares and paint splatters all over.  I painted two coats and let it dry over night.

I wanted to make the wallpaper design pop so I decided to use Gemini Van Dyke Brown glaze.  I used this to antique the wall panels in our guest bathroom over white paint.  Here's how to antique a piece of furniture:

First, apply the glaze with a rag you will never use again (you do not want to try to wash these in your washing machine) to a section of the furniture.  Oh and make sure you use Nitrile Gloves!  The glaze will eat or soak through anything else.  Let it sit for a minute or two and then wipe off.  Continue to do this until you glaze the entire thing.  For the top and sides, I wanted it to look like there was woodgrain showing through.  Since the top was laminate, I couldn't achieve that naturally, so I faked it!  When I was wiping off the glaze, I bunched up the rag into a ball in my hand and dragged it all the way across until I got the result I was looking for.  Let this dry over night.

Here's what it looked like right after I finished with the glaze.  Glaze dulls the paint down a bit, so applied a thin coat of Polyurethane Indoor Gloss over the finish.  I prefer the Rust-oleum brand, it's cheaper and works just as well as the more expensive stuff!  Please apply the gloss with care, because it dries very quickly!

I replaced the drawer pull with some singles I found at Lowes for less than a $1.00 a piece.  And... Ta-daa!  All finished!

I must say, I am extremely pleased with how this piece turned out.  I love the detail that the wall paper added to it and the touch of fun the color brings to the room.  I already had the glaze and gloss, got the desk for free (I love you, Angie!), so this project cost me about $40.  Can't beat that!

Here's a quick look at my next post:

I can't sit at my fabulous desk without an equally fabulous chair!  See how I transformed this antique gothic looking chair to fit my style.

~*Abigail*~