Walnut and Driftwood Desk

I picked up this vintage desk several months ago with the idea that I would refinish it for my office.  I wanted a large desk with plenty of storage and this desk fit the bill.  It was posted on Craigslist and the woman selling it was a kindred spirit.  She also refinishes furniture, but was trying to downsize some of her inventory because she was moving. We chatted for a long while about our favorite painting products and she showed me several great pieces she was planning to refinish.  Lucky me, she wanted to part with this vintage desk.

I don’t actually have a true before photo, but I do have these “in process” photos which show the desk in pieces in my shop.  I took the whole thing apart and it was much easier to work on that way.

This desk had clearly been a workhorse.  It had lots of scratches and dings in the wood from years of duty. I’m guessing that it was used in a school or office. It had a little sticker on it that said “107.”  Room 107, maybe?  I really wish these old pieces could talk – I would love to know their story.

The walnut top and drawers were beautiful, so I decided I would refinish them.  I really like the look of a paint/stain combo, so that was my plan for this piece.  I had recently refinished a dresser using General Finishes milk paint in driftwood (you can see that one here), and thought the warm gray would look great with the walnut wood tones.   Before I get into the nitty gritty of this project, I’ll show you how it looks now.

I stripped the finish off the top and the drawers using Citristip and then cleaned it up with mineral spirits.  I let it dry overnight and then sanded the top with 120 and then 220 grit sand paper using my orbital sander.  The drawers only needed a light sanding with 220 grit.  I then applied one coat of General Finishes java gel stain.  I wiped it off quickly so that it would not be too dark.  I really wanted the beautiful walnut grain to shine.  I let the pieces dry for a couple of days and then applied General Finishes High Performance topcoat in a satin finish.  I used 2 coats for the drawers and 3 for the top.

One of the original brass flower knobs was missing, so I decided to use antique brass bin pulls for the lower drawers.  The finish of the bin pulls is just about spot on next to the original knobs. These drawers are huge and heavy, so these sturdy bin pulls should do the trick.

I shined up the original knobs with Brasso.  So pretty.

The desk also has the slide out work surfaces on the top – not sure what they are called – but I refinished those, too.

I lightly sanded the rest of the desk in preparation for paint.  There were some deeper marks on the corners that I decided to leave.  They are part of the history of this desk, and they don’t bother me at all.  I painted two coats of driftwood and then applied General Finishes HP topcoat in flat over the paint to seal it.   As I was applying the topcoat, I started to get some bleed through that only showed up when the topcoat was applied. I have not had that happen before.  Usually, the bleed through comes through the paint right away.  No worries, I applied a coat of shellac to seal it, and then another coat of driftwood.  Problem solved.

That’s my beautiful daughter.  She wanted to be my model.  Well, of course she can!

I picked up this old spur at the Fremont Flea Market years and years ago.  I can’t explain why, but I was drawn to it for some reason.   Again, I wish these old bits and bobs could tell their story.

For now, this desk will be located at the Saw Nail and Paint headquarters (aka my house).   I plan to put this old workhorse to good use.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Susan

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