THREE - Toned Desk

What can you buy for $5.00?  A value meal at McDonalds, a Grande Caramel Macchiato (hold the whipped cream) at Starbucks, half a gallon of gas, and my favorite - furniture!  Remember this desk?  I bought it at an auction this summer for $5.00!  (Click here if you don't believe me!) 

It was in decent shape and the character of this piece was to-die-for!  Watch out Kim Kardashian...this baby's curves might just give you a little competition!

Like all pieces, I sanded it down with my trusty, dusty DeWalt palm sander.  I usually use 150 grit sandpaper, but depending on the shape of the wood I sometimes use 60 grit.  For those of you who aren't common sanders, the lower the grit the rougher the paper.

After sanding, I gave the desk a good wipe down with a wet rag.  I LOVED the way my recent end tables turned out, so I decided to follow suit and try something similar.  I started with an antique white flat latex paint (did you know that you can buy this pre-mixed at Lowe's for $10?!?).  Once the paint dried, I stained the top and painted the drawer fronts baby blue (another $5 mis-tint at Lowe's).  I got so excited during this transformation (and rain clouds were lurking above) that I forgot to take a lot of "in between" pictures...

 

Lastly, I added a layer of rub-on poly to give it a little shine and to preserve the beautiful top.

Now it is simply stunning and patiently waiting at the Sleepy Poet for the perfect shopper to come along!

Project Notes:

1.  Paint before you stain - otherwise the paint will splatter and ruin your stain-job.

2.  Check the weather forecast so that rain won't rush you along.

3.  When hubby questions using three colors on a piece, tell him not to disturb your creative intuition!!!

4.  Shop at more auctions!

Happy Junkin'!

Sarah