On Friday I worked on the upstairs hallway piece all day and was able to apply the first coast of wax Saturday evening. I think I’ll wait to post about that project until it is fully complete because it’s so close {if you follow me on Instagram you saw some sneak peaks}. So perhaps after next weekend I’ll have the full post with tips, etc.!
I mentioned here that once I had purchased the Annie Sloan chalk paint, I also remember I had volunteered to take an old, unused desk from the office a few years back that they were wanting to get rid of. Yet, I had never gone back to get it. Well, Saturday morning we went and got the four billion pound desk. Good thing the result so far is good, because this thing was a major biyatch to move! It may look decent in the photo below, but this thing was pretty beat up after a decade or two of daily use. It looks SO much better so far!
I knew immediately that the existing trim had to go if possible. My husband was able to pry it off {even though the trim had a tongue and groove feature with the face of the desk, making it rather difficult to remove}. We then picked up a new trim at Lowe’s {1.25″ wide} to bulk it up and square it off. We were able to use the air compressor kit we got for this project and my husband did an amazing job of lining up the pieces exactly where I wanted them.
Still working on all the drawers… although I am very exciting to have two hanging file drawers to store all the paperwork I currently have in the open shelves on the Expedit. I’ll move the Expedit up to the craft room once the “new” desk is ready.
And here is the desk with the new trim completed {still need to fill the brad holes} and with one light coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in French Linen.
At this point, I am loving everything about the desk! However, I now can’t decide if I want to leave it with more of a distressed finish {I would still need to touch up paint, distress, and then add a few coats of wax} or if I beef up the color with a few more coats for a more formal, solid gray look. Thoughts?
Stay tuned for the final reveal! (UPDATE – SEE THE REVEAL HERE)
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Do you know how many desks like this I have passed up at our local auction with never one thought to PAINT IT? What is wrong with me?! You did an amazing job. Love it. Pinning! Thanks so much for linking up to ITS PARTY TIME. xoxo
It is looking really good. Can’t wait to see the finished product.
gorgeous desk! Thank You so much for sharing on last weeks party. Hope to see more from you on my next party.
Any suggestions as to where I can buy a desk in that style for my base?m
I’ve actually heard of people finding nearly exact versions at thrift stores. Sounds like a lot of people are trying to ditch this style – I guess they don’t realize the potential!
Love it. Have the same desk in my office. Had thought about painting it but hand to gotten to it. Now motivated. Thank you.
I’m doing a desk that’s about the same size as yours. How much paint did you need for this?
It ended up being only about a quart surprisingly!
I love this!!! Did you sand the desk first? And do you think painting it with the existing trim would look alright?
Thanks!
I didn’t sand at all and it worked really well! If you feel like there are dirty or greasy areas, you may want to at least clean (or lightly sand). You could definitely leave the existing trim. We just wanted to modernize it a bit more, and my husband was really wanting to use his power nail gun 😉
I want to give my old desk a makeover and you gave me an idea on what to do. Thanks for sharing!
Looks great!! The color you mentioned was French linen, I looked for it but I looks like a tan color?
That is the color I used. It looks gray in some lights and more of a khaki/tan in others. It’s a really pretty color!
Amazing, I’m painting my desk just like this over the weekend. thanks for the inspiration! Great Job!
I have a desk very much like this that also was a cast off piece from my office. I painted mine in a gray as well. I also got a matching book shelf and a 2 drawer file cabinet. They look great painted. I use them in my craft room. So much storage. I love mine.
That’s great to hear! Thank you for sharing!
Hi, I wanted to know how you took the drawers out. I have a similar desk but can’t for the life of me figure out how to take the drawers out. Is it possible to paint with the drawers in?
Ours had little locking mechanisms we just had to release in order to get them out. If you were careful, I’m guessing you could still paint it with the drawers left in but extended!
Hey I love this!! So did you put primer and then the linen color paint? Please tell me the steps. I just leased a space and they left the desk and file cabinet (same size as huge very very heavy desk). I am on budget since I just got space but this will be very cost savings for me.
No, I didn’t use any primer at all since I used chalk paint. Just the paint after I cleaned it all and let it dry thoroughly 🙂
i am attempting a project like this. did you also paint the inside part of the drawers. and how long did it take you to complete this job. i have a similar executive L shaped desk that is cherry brown and im scared to even start this project.
I only painted the drawer fronts, not the inside. And it’s been a few years now so I don’t remember 100% but I would estimate 6-8 hours or so?
Hello – just refinished a desk very similar to this and wondering how much you would sell it for if you were going to?
Honestly it may depend on how much you have into it! I believe when I sold mine, I did for only about $100. I had gotten the desk for free and really only had the expense of the paint and my time invested. And I was having a hard time finding someone that wanted such a large desk. But I think it could be worth much more than that!