Vintage Desk Makeover

This is an exciting post for one reason and one reason only. I LOVE vintage desks…and I love a good vintage desk makeover! I picked up the cutest little desk at the thrift store and used a couple unique methods to give it new life.

Here’s what I used for this Vintage Desk Makeover:

Sand paper
Stain blocking primer
Synthetic Paint Brush (for primer)
Latex Trim Paint in High Gloss Finish
Brass Drawer Pulls
Navy Blue Upholstery Grade Vinyl
Staple Gun
Polycrylic in Clear Gloss

Here is the before. Cute, right? And it was hiding a couple of interesting surprises.

The top part of the desk pops right off! And the kid paint all over the front came off fairly easily with some sanding and scrubbing.

After priming the whole piece with stain blocking primer, I gave it three solid coats of white paint – but the trick was I used trim paint. It has a glossier finish than I’d typically use on furniture – but for this desk, it’s amazingly perfect. It gives it a sheen and a lustre that will look awesome in the basement space. Trim paint goes on best with a high pile roller – go slowly and in long strokes and it will reduce brush lines and the need to sand later on.

As for the top, we did something a little different as well! We clad it in a navy blue vinyl. It was a little complicated in that we had to use our table saw to shave 1/4 inch off two sides of the top to make it fit in place with the vinyl – but after that was done it was as simple as wrapping a present, adding in some staples and popping it back in place.

The bonus of using the vinyl is that the computer mouse will glide smoothly! AND – it’s super easy to keep clean. We tend to eat and work at our desks a lot, so crumbs and soda can rings are a reality 🙂

As soon as we saw this brass hardware at the store, we both knew it would be the perfect thing to add visual heft and ‘manliness’ to the piece. Waterfall desks have amazing lines – characterized by the traditional curved front – and we didn’t want to detract from that in any way.