Desk Makeover DIY

by Nicole Burkholder

Last summer, the boys and I walked down the street to a HUGE fundraiser garage sale. I was just about to leave with only a few little toys for the kids, when I saw this wood desk. It really needed some work, but it had good “bones” and the drawers still opened and closed nicely. It would make a perfect school desk for Henry! Now I just needed to figure out HOW to do a decent desk makeover!
Here’s the lovely “before” picture. Note the most important tool :)

That masking tape holding the drawers shut became my nemesis later on. I should have taken it off as soon as we got home. Instead, it sat in a hot garage for a couple weeks and melted onto the finish. Luckily, I planned on painting, not refinishing, so I sanded most of it off. ***NOTE: I know there are plenty of DIYers out there who are groaning because I decided to paint instead of refinish. Your disapproval is noted preemptively*** :)

So, the first step was to sand all the sticky residue and old finish off the whole thing. I used a 60 grit course sandpaper. I’m NOT a DIY gal, so I don’t have any cool tools. But this was a pretty small project and my expectations were low. I used a single sheet of sandpaper. Don’t forget to wear a mask! You don’t want to breathe in any of that dust! I think it’s a great look. :)

After the first sanding, I filled all those creases and divots with wood filler. I made sure to get the paint-friendly kind. After letting it dry, I sanded again with a finer grit until the top was smooth and I couldn’t feel a difference between the putty and the desktop. Then I wiped it down with a damp rag to make sure all the dust was gone.

As they say in one of my favorite movies..."Skip to the end!" so here's the final product. I think the top was my favorite. To see the rest of the process, (as well as a very cute Kindergarten boy) head on over to my site and check it out! :)