How to Revamp a Desk in an Hour or Less
My dad found this desk near our neighborhood dumpster, yup the dumpster, he does that a lot 🙂 I wasn’t too thrilled at first, but once I inspected it, I found that it was actually a really sturdy piece of furniture, and to be honest it wasn’t so bad looking either. All it really needed was a little touch up.
I originally planned to paint the entire desk but I knew from experience that painting those legs would take several coats of paint and I just didn’t want this to become a long, drawn out project, so I decided to simply paint the desk top and replace the drawer knob instead.
Sprucing up a piece of furniture is so easy, and it doesn’t take much of your time or money. So before slapping on a “FREE” sign onto that old book case, desk or whatever it is you’re thinking about putting to the curb, check out this DIY first.
All I needed was:
- Teal colored interior/exterior paint
- Brush Roller
- Sand Paper (Fine, 180 grit)
- Drawer Knob
I used some teal paint that I had left over from when I painted my record stand last summer. I gave it about two coats with a small sponge brush roller. I let the first coat dry about 30 minutes before applying the 2nd coat.
Distressing Technique
Once the paint was completely dry, I used a sheet of fine (180 grit) sandpaper to give it that beautiful distressed look that I love so much.
Distressing your furniture is an easy technique that gives your furniture an old, worn look. (Click here for a distressing technique using soap!)
I love this technique because you really can’t make a mistake. Simply sand your surface as much or as little, and as hard or lightly as you’d like, until you get your desired look.
**Sandpaper comes in textures or “Grits”, from very fine all the way to extra coarse. The more coarse the sandpaper, the more paint you will remove. I chose sandpaper with 180 grit because I wanted to remove a little bit of the paint not a lot of it. Here’s a great blog I came across that includes more detailed information on sandpaper along with a Sandpaper Grit Chart
I then added a hand painted teal knob that I bought on sale a few months back from one of my favorite craft stores, the Hobby Lobby.
That was basically it! Wasn’t that easy? The entire process took me about an hour, maybe less. I’m so happy with my new desk and my dad loves it too 😉
If you’ve ever done any similar projects, Please share your pictures and tips with us and you could end up on one of our monthly newsletters!
Have questions and/or comments about this DIY? We’d love to hear them!
Until our next DIY, Happy Crafting!