restyled furniture + thrifty home decor

Saw Nail and Paint

Lovingly refinished furniture, vintage and thrifted home decor, urban farming and city chickens

Vintage Desk Makeover with Fusion Mineral Paint

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Happy almost holiday weekend, friends!

I thought I would pop in with a desk makeover I finished up a while ago (but haven’t gotten around to blogging about).   I found this sweet vintage desk (vanity) and was immediately drawn to the pretty curved front.  As with most of the pieces I find, the finish was in rough shape.

*Affiliate links to the products I have used are provided below.

I stripped and sanded the top, initially thinking I would refinish it. Unfortunately,  I uncovered some weird uneven areas that looked really bad.  It appeared as though the veneer on top had been repaired or filled at some point, but I’m not sure.   I decided to just go ahead and do a paint/stain combo, which I have been doing quite a bit of lately.  I sanded down the entire piece, and stained the top three drawers with General Finishes Antique Walnut gel stain.   I sealed the drawers with General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in Satin.  I painted the rest of the dresser with 2 coats of Fusion Mineral Paint in “Ash.” I absolutely love this paint and color.  If you haven’t used it yet, I highly recommend it.  The coverage is just amazing and this particular gray is so pretty.  I really only needed one coat, and the second coat was mainly for touch up.  When using Fusion, a little goes a long way.  Just brush on a thin coat for a smooth finish.   It has a topcoat built in, so nothing further is required.  The finish is matte, so if you want more sheen then an additional topcoat can be applied.  Since this piece will be used as a desk or vanity, and will likely get more wear, I added a coat of General Finishes High Performance topcoat in flat to the top.

The original pulls were all in place, but the finish was a bit dull and uneven.  I pretty them up a bit with a good cleaning and a light spray with Rust-Oleum All Surface Spray Paint in Metallic Antique Brass. It evened out and brightened up the original patina.

The old photo is my mom on her wedding day with my Grandpa Billy.  Neither of them look too happy, do they?  Ha!  I think my mom looks so beautiful, nonetheless.  I picked up the cute little camera this past summer while out pickin’ with my son. I’m slowly adding to my vintage camera collection.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful holiday.

Susan

 

 

Related posts:

American Farmhouse Style Magazine Feature (and Cover!)
Classic Christmas Bedroom
White and Brass Vintage Dresser Makeover

Lovely comments

  2. Annie (Canada) says

    Nicely done Susan! I only recently finished my first piece using Fusion paint and love the product so much I’m using it on another piece I’m just starting. It was a rather large buffet so the fact that I didn’t have to apply a wax finish saved me a lot of time and elbow grease 🙂 Wishing you and yours a Joyous Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!

  4. Jo says

    This piece is stunning. I love the shape and the color of paint with the stain is beautiful. I have a buffet that belonged to my husband’s grandparents that I would love to do the same. Thank you for sharing your beautiful work.
    Happy holidays 🎄🎄!

  5. Delna says

    Hi Susan
    This piece is in a simple word regal & stunning! It pops out a you. Would have loved to buy it but I am in New Zealand.
    I have just started using Fusion — need a bit of advise — did u use a roller bec ur finish is sooo smooth ! When I paint I am getting a lot of streaks, how do I avoid that ?

    • Susan says

      Thank you so much, Claudine. I’ve used that gray on a few pieces now, and it’s definitely one of my favorites. Susan