Vintage Blue Desk Transformation

Desk Before

 Recently I had the pleasure of transforming this desk my client had purchased at an estate sale.  I’ve worked on several pieces for her (this ons’s my favorite) and I’m always happy to hear that she’s got something else that needs some LURVE!

Napoleonic Desk Before

She wanted it to be a dark blue and I knew that would be great and give the piece a whole new life.  The problem however came with the top.

Napoleonic Blue Desk Laminate Top

It was a cheap laminate that I’ve never liked painting.  Don’t get me wrong I can chalk type paint it and the paint will adhere but I’m just never happy with the outcome.  So instead of painting it we decided it would be best to replace it.

Napoleonic Blue Desk Top Before

Napoleonic Blue Desk After Removing Top

Removing the top was pretty simple.  It was held on by about 12 screws.

Napoleonic Blue Desk New Top

I purchase this brand new top at Lowe’s in the lumber section.  It was around an inch thick and stain grade so it was perfect for the job.

Cutting a Desk Top

We made a few cuts and it was ready to go!

Napoleonic New Desk Top

I used my sander to give it a smooth top and corners.

Minwax Wood Finishing Cloths

Then I used one of these FANTASTIC new Minwax staining cloths to stain it.  Have you seen these?!?!?!?  They are amazing.  They are similar to a baby wipe and stain is already on them.  All you have to do is open them up and stain away!  They even come with a set of gloves.  Not that I used them as I didn’t notice they were included until I was done and turned the package over.  Ummmmm, yeah.  The great thing is that the stain is water based so it washed off my hands pretty easily.

Minwax Stained Desk Top

Didn’t this top turn out GREAT!

That’s all I have time for now.  I’ve got a house full of teenagers I need to check in on.  Check back Thursday for the finishing touches and full reveal of this desk.

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Vintage Blue Desk-A Final Look
New Home Kitchen Design Update

One Comment

  1. JaneEllen says:

    OH yes, that is so nice, the top is gorgeous too. Smart to replace the top, will hold up much better and look so much better, very worth the cost of new top. We’ve used those for console tables and I loved using them. Wish I still had one of those console tables. They were great in our living room in KY where we had nice sized room. Think I used one in sun room also. We designed our own style of console table.
    I’ll have to try those staining cloths. Much quicker and so much less messy than liquid stain? Do you recommend them? I loved how the dark mahogany looked on the desk. Happy days

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