A while back my sister in law went on a little antique shopping trip with me and stumbled upon a cute child’s desk. Albeit, the desk needed a bit of TLC, and definitely a new paint job, but it was perfect for my nephews, so we loaded it up and she dropped it off at my house.
After getting a few new coats of paint, and a sanded top, here’s what it looks like now:
And here’s what we started with…
Since I wanted to give the desk a makeover the boys could grow with, I chose to go black. Wrought Iron by Maison Blanche to be exact. Here’s what it looked like with one coat…
And the chair…
The paint covered really well. Here’s what I was left with after two coats…
Almost full coverage, but there were a few little areas that I had to touch up. Once the desk was dry, I decided to sand the top down to the bare wood. The desk felt a little bit “basic” and since I love the combo of painted furniture with stained tops, I knew that was the direction this desk needed to go.
No picture of this process, sorry. I was going by instinct and left my camera in the house. But after I sanded the top, I stained the raw wood with Early American by Minwax.
With the top done, I gave everything a good wipe down, then rubbed on two coats of clear wax…
With that, the desk was ready to use, but I couldn’t help take a few pictures of it before I delivered it to my sweet nephews. They were so excited!
It’s such a great combo, the black and stained wood, and I’m happy it’s something the boys can grow with…
And since I had originally painted the desk top black, when I sanded it down, I left the pencil groove at the top untouched. It gives it extra charm and detail…
My 5 year old nephew did question me about it, but he seemed happy with the outcome! 😀
I’ll never forget his cute little face when I carried the desk in for him. He was so proud. That’s his desk, albeit little brother wants to claim it as his too, and one day he will, but my oldest nephew couldn’t wait a second before grabbing his books, pencils and crayons, and making it his….
And he may be my nephew, but let me just tell you, that little guy can write a pretty special thank you card…
And yes, I’m bragging a bit. It’s what Aunt’s do! 😀
Special thanks to Maison Blanche for providing the paint. 😀
I am very lucky to have such a talented sis-in-law. And my boys love their desk and their aunt Shaynee. Thanks again!
What a great find and I love the makeover.
The little desk looks great. Staining only the top really made the piece work. Great idea!
Great project. I think you made a really good choice of sanding the top and leaving the natural wood finish stained.
Hey Shayna, the desk looks great! Did you also do the US map that’s on it? If you did is there a tutorial on your blog somewhere? I really like the look and would like to know how it’s done. Keep on keepin’ on!!
Thank you so very much! I love the desk too! I actually didn’t make the map. I got it from this Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/letsplaytag. I hope that helps! 🙂
What a beautiful job Shayna ~
So nice to do something special for your nephew.
Have a wonderful day
Rose
That little thank you note is a heart-melter!! A heart. Melter.
The desk is darling. I mean.. “handsome”. Perfect for a little boy.
He sure is a lucky one.
~Shan
Love how the desk turned out! It really works with the stained top. Good job!