Old Desk Makeover

Joni DeMore- Malone
by Joni DeMore- Malone
I saw this old guy and wanted to revive him. I fell in love with those edge details.
Got out my sander to try to tackle the mess that was once this top. The gouges were deep- was I going to run into veneer and completely ruin it? I had no idea.
The more I unveiled, the more excited I got! Are you kidding me?? Is this the same top?? My wood guru, Jen, assured me that this was indeed walnut. I was so excited.


This was going to be a looker!
After treating that glorious wood, I put together a concoction of General Finishes gel stains and went to work. Once I added the topcoat, I was one happy girl!
I mixed up some Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, in Typewriter, grabbed my favorite Cling On brush, and started painting. This was my first time with milk paint and I really wasn't sure what to expect. It really came to life once I sealed it with hemp oil!


The new pulls from Dlawless Hardware were the perfect touch!
The natural chipping happened in all of the right places.
All done!
Frequently asked questions
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3 of 7 questions
  • Kelly Kelly on Jan 25, 2016
    What a beautiful desk!! I'm always in awe of people that can look at a "diamond in the rough" and create gorgeous pieces like this. Spectacular! May I ask what kind of sander you have?
  • Joy Cavaghan Joy Cavaghan on Feb 02, 2016
    <3 Love, love, love <3 I want t know where you got that gorgeous hardware?? Beautiful and impeccable work as always!
  • Carol V. Carol V. on Jul 05, 2018

    What color and how did you mix the milk paint? You did a beautiful job!

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  • Christina Christina on Mar 12, 2019

    Great job!!!

  • Debra Mellentine Debra Mellentine on Nov 10, 2022

    Beautifully done. I have a desk that looks just like this one before your magic was worked. Now I want to make it a twin to yours. Thanks for the inspiration.

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