Desk Make-Over

When we sold the house in Ransomville we had to downsize some of our belongings. We went from a 1650 sq ft house to a 1200 sq ft house and it wasn't all gonna fit. One of the things we got rid of was our big desk. The computer and printer still needed a place to go though so for the last 10 months we have been using a 4' folding table as a desk. Not an ideal long term solution. The budget just doesn't have room for extra's these days and honestly, the table functions just fine even if it isn't pretty.

We held our own garage sale 3 weeks ago and were able to get rid of a lot and make some extra money. After paying some bills there was enough left over that I had some pocket change to shop at other people's garage sales. Yep, we sold our junk so we could buy other people's junk, lol. It was the same sale I bought the bread maker at. It was a very fruitful neighborhood sale and my little Vibe fit it all in!! Love that car!! Anyway, I found a desk that fit the bill and only cost me $15. Or was it $20? I don't remember exactly, but either way, it was the right price, the right size and the right look...almost.

A simple oak desk with a slide out keyboard tray.

The top had some artwork on it that needed to go. The oak didn't match the dining room decor where the desk is going. (Either does the plastic folding table, but it served its purpose) The oak was soon to be transformed.

After a bit of sanding, Greg primed it with Kilz. Then it got 2 coats of black latex paint and 2 coats of poly.

Now she looks like this...

Things I learned...

-Like I said in my last post, I am not a fan of the paint and poly process. It takes too long!

-painting with black paint in a dimly lit, cramped garage doesn't work very well. (I got impatient waiting for the rain to stop)

-painting in rainy weather makes everything take even longer to dry, ugh.

- Painting is not exactly my strength!

-I am pretty impatient. No, really impatient! Maybe this is the wrong hobby for me. Or maybe it is the thing to teach me patience.

-I didn't distress this piece and wish I had.

-someone's else's trash is now our treasure.

In the end, I like it. Muchly. It looks better in black and definitely better than the folding table.