Darling Desk Makeover

I picked up little vintage desk on Craigslist recently.  The ad said that it was a project and so the price was only $10! I went to pick it up right away and the woman I bought it from also happens to fix up furniture.  She had a garage full of projects and she said she was just too busy to finish this one (I know the feeling)!!

It was in pretty rough shape, but the woman had already started working on it and removed most of the damaged veneer from the top.  

I scraped the rest of the veneer off with a putty knife and then patched the top with wood filler.  Since I planned on painting the top, I figured I could just sand the thin layer of wood, beneath the veneer and get it smooth enough to paint.   This saved me from having to replace the top layer.

The thin layer of wood beneath the veneer had a couple of cracks in it, but I was not worried because I already have experience patching veneer from this dresser.  

I used the putty knife to pry open each side of the crack and then used a piece of veneer with Gorilla super glue on the end to apply the glue underneath the thin, layer of wood.  Next, I removed the putty knife and applied pressure for 30 seconds until it dried flat.  It repeated this on the other side of the crack and then filled the indentation in the center with wood filler.  I sanded the entire surface with a palm sander until it was smooth and painted it with Old White Chalk Paint.

This dresser did not come with any knobs, but fortunately, I remembered I had picked up these vintage knobs at a yard sale a month before. I hate spending more money on hardware than on the piece of furniture, so I was happy that these had only cost me $1 for all four.  I wanted to update these knobs and add some contrast to the desk, so I painted them with Duck Egg Blue Chalk Paint and then lightly distressed them.

The top is all level and pretty now!  I applied a coat of clear wax over the entire surface and the knobs for protection.

I love all the curved details of this charming desk.

Of course the fancy legs are my favorite!

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