this was a plain maple 1960's desk in good shape. Like most maple furniture, it had no character. I painted it and drybrushed blue over top. It was better, but not good.
so this is the latest version of the plain 1950's maple desk. better again
During my 61 years, I have refinished a whole lot of furniture, painted some and even built and upholstered some. I took level 1 and 2 of upholstery so I would know the basics, but hoisting furniture and stripping the upholstery off, and then stretching and stapling new fabric is darn hard physical work. I built an upholstered chest from scratch and have done several ottomans and even some armchairs. There were whole dining room suites, stripped down to the bare wood and then painstakingly restored, too. I remember the carved 1800's oak suite all too well. In order to get the 17 layers of stain and shellac out of those intricately carved corners and crevices, I used a piece of ebony cloth on the tip of a screwdriver and sanding the round sections of the legs was another challenge. I must have enjoyed the work or I certainly would not have done it twice over.
But I am back at it again, as it has become fashionable to play with real wood furniture once again. This desk was a 1960's desk, very similar to the dresser I had as a girl that I stripped, sanded and refinished in my teens. Instead of stripping it and adding some colour to the bare wood, I decided to paint it. Paint is removable, and since this is just latex, it is easy to remove should some one down the line want to restore the maple. They always do.
First I painted the desk after a very light sanding to help the paint adhere, then I drybrushed a lovely pale blue here and there for interest. This desk held the soap in my store all summer, the drawers opened and brimming over with the tantalizing soaps. But now, with winter approaching, the soap and essential oils and linens must come inside, so the desk sat empty. I sold the desk I had been using for a computer desk and this was going to be the new model, but not white and blue. I put it in the room just in case I changed my mind about adding to it, and decided to wax it with black wax. The black wax is hard to use, messy and inconsistent. It can be polished almost right off while still wet, but once dry, it forms a stable hard coat that is easy to strip when the time comes. I did not remove the handles to wax it to give it a more authentic 'used' appearance. For the computer desk it will be just great, since the monitor is a 27 inch flat screen imac and does not need much depth. The room is the second bedroom of the little farmhouse, which also will double as a very occasional guest room and laundry room.
I bought foam for the seats of the table and chairs I am working on, but had to buy a sheet of foam and will have to cut it to the seat cushion size. That is all I could get in this town. I will do that when I get back.
Tomorrow I am off for a week to White Rock to visit my mother, who is 90 and has been very unwell. I feel this may be the last visit with her. See you when I get back.
But I am back at it again, as it has become fashionable to play with real wood furniture once again. This desk was a 1960's desk, very similar to the dresser I had as a girl that I stripped, sanded and refinished in my teens. Instead of stripping it and adding some colour to the bare wood, I decided to paint it. Paint is removable, and since this is just latex, it is easy to remove should some one down the line want to restore the maple. They always do.
First I painted the desk after a very light sanding to help the paint adhere, then I drybrushed a lovely pale blue here and there for interest. This desk held the soap in my store all summer, the drawers opened and brimming over with the tantalizing soaps. But now, with winter approaching, the soap and essential oils and linens must come inside, so the desk sat empty. I sold the desk I had been using for a computer desk and this was going to be the new model, but not white and blue. I put it in the room just in case I changed my mind about adding to it, and decided to wax it with black wax. The black wax is hard to use, messy and inconsistent. It can be polished almost right off while still wet, but once dry, it forms a stable hard coat that is easy to strip when the time comes. I did not remove the handles to wax it to give it a more authentic 'used' appearance. For the computer desk it will be just great, since the monitor is a 27 inch flat screen imac and does not need much depth. The room is the second bedroom of the little farmhouse, which also will double as a very occasional guest room and laundry room.
I bought foam for the seats of the table and chairs I am working on, but had to buy a sheet of foam and will have to cut it to the seat cushion size. That is all I could get in this town. I will do that when I get back.
Tomorrow I am off for a week to White Rock to visit my mother, who is 90 and has been very unwell. I feel this may be the last visit with her. See you when I get back.
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