Vintage 1947 Desk Makeover

Bringing this family heirloom back to life was no easy task. This was a 1947 model after all! It had veneer coming up, drawers coming apart, and one drawer already apart. I had my work cut out for me.

This sweet little lady had asked me to redo this desk for her grandson a year or so earlier but had never gotten it to me. In the meantime, I had announced that I was no longer doing custom orders, but she didn’t know that. So when she approached me about it again in October, I didn’t have the heart to tell her no. Add to that the fact that her grandson is one of my son’s best friends, so I just had to work it in somewhere!

This was probably the most gluing and clamping I had ever done to a desk, but I knew it would be worth it in the end.

After taking off the hardware and doing all the gluing and clamping, I sanded the whole piece. Then washed it all down with water and an old rag and let dry completely.

While it was drying, I washed the hardware and spray painted it black.

Then I stained the top with Minwax Dark Walnut Stain.

Since I was going with a lighter color that meant extra prep! Boss by Dixie Belle is my go-to for stain blocking. I put on one good coverage coat on all the drawers and the mainframe. (Everywhere I would be painting.)

Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage is the color I went with. It is one of my favorite colors. It is a tan/taupe color. Two coats of that, waiting at least 30 minutes between coats and let dry again, preferably overnight.

Then I got out the antiquing glaze, Miss Lillian’s in Black Walnut. Using a chip brush, I loaded just a little bit of the glaze and then offloaded it. You don’t need very much at all. Then I very carefully drug the brush across the drawers to get the look I wanted.

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And then I used the side of the brush to get the edges of the desk and around the drawers. Then let the glaze cure overnight.

For sealing it, I used Dixie Belle’s Clear Coat in Satin.

For the top of the desk, I used a mixture of brown, cream, and gray paints and glaze. And sealed with Minwax Fast-drying Polyurethane.

I LOVE how it turned out!

I hope you do, too!!!

Supplies

• Wood Glue – https://amzn.to/2Vc2ks0
• Bar Clamp – https://amzn.to/39PTqEy
• DeWalt Orbital Sander – https://amzn.to/32iI0Xj
• Sanding Discs – https://amzn.to/2Vgb2p4
• Bowl of Water
• Old Rag
• Tools to Remove Hardware
• Minwax Dark Walnut Stain – https://amzn.to/2HNQKvi
• Painter’s Touch 2x Black Spray Paint – https://amzn.to/2SQwlw4
• Dixie Belle Boss Stain Blocker
• Dixie Belle Dried Sage Paint
• Paint Brushes – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/search?q=brush&options%5Bprefix%5D=last
• Chip Brushes – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/2-synthetic-flat-brush-fusion
• Miss Lillian’s Antiquing Glaze in Black Walnut
• Dixie Belle’s Clear Coat in Satin