How to Dress up an Old Desk With a Crocodile Roller.

Stacy Davis
by Stacy Davis
5 Materials
$40
2 Hours
Medium

I had a desk that had seen better days. A couple years ago I tried chalk paint and a dark stain to give it a new look but it failed miserably. There were deep scratches on the top and even using wood putty it didn’t cover them. Painting to top seemed to be the best way to go. I received a crocodile roller from Artistic Painting Studio and I knew this would add the perfect accent touches to this sad desk.


Here is a link to Artistic Painting Studio

https://www.artisticpaintingstudio.com/


Before


Here is a before picture. I already started filling in the scratches on top.

I used wood putty filler and a small scraper to fill in the scrapes on top.

I also experimented on the drawers but the look was too subtle for this desk. I love the look but for this piece, I wanted the crocodile feature to stand up and be noticed.

Debi’s Design Diary DIY Paint


I painted the whole desk with “Little Black Dress” from Debi’s Design Diary DIY Paint.

I used masking tape to tape the edges.

Then I used more masking tape to create a border around the desk top.

I used texture paste to fill in my border.

It’s very much like frosting a cake.


Then I very carefully rolled along the border, cleaning off the roller every so often.

Now that I have gone all the way around, I let it dry for several hours. I cleaned my roller at this point and came up and removed the tape after about 10 minutes.

I used this type of scrub brush to clean the roller. I thought it did a really good job.

Now that it is dry, I used to sanding block to make the crocodile finish smooth. You can see the peaks in the above picture.

The sanding block will get it smooth in no time.

A dry paint brush works great to brush away the debris.

First I tried a metallic silver but it clashed with the knobs.

So, I went with gold and I love it. With the paint color A Little Black Dress, this is like the perfect statement jewelry to go with the knobs.

My dog, Sky, approves!

I love it! I’m going to take some more stages photos inside. I think it will be my new sewing table or a makeup vanity. Where would you put a desk like this? Also, what do you have that you could a crocodile finish to?

Here’s a close up angle.

I think it will be a great accent piece in any room I put it in.

She’s very pretty.


I ended up toning the gold down with a cloth and brown paint


The pictures don’t seem to do it justice. It is gorgeous!

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  2 questions
  • Sarah Evartt Sarah Evartt on May 09, 2020

    Is this hard to do for a beginner? By the way your your helper has a precious face!!

  • Hi, I love This effect! Can you please tell me the exact brand & type of texture medium you used? I cannot enlarge it clearly & the link shows a different container, so I cannot tell if it’s the same. I’m new to this & would like to try the one you used, since you made it look easy to sand & said it’s durable. Thanks & Great Job :-)

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