Vintage School Desk Makeover
Give an old wooden desk a new look with some paint and stain!
With all the flurry of the holiday decorating and tutorials, I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve had a simple furniture makeover. This vintage school desk that I found at my local antique mall was just begging me to love it, restore it, and find a place for it.
So I did.
It started a little rough… not terrible, but splattered with paint and ink in a few places.
All I did was sand it well and give it a good coat of a Fusion Mineral Paint’s hemp oil and beeswax.
I love how it restored the luster without making it shiny or greasy.
I have a lot of options for where to use this in my house (wouldn’t it make an adorable bedside table?!), but if you follow me on Instagram, you know that the corner of the dining room has won the honor.
Since we are homeschooling, this is the perfect place to contain my kindergartner and his school books.
I just love the details like the tilting desktop…
And the “1” stamped into the back.
I love to restore vintage pieces, and this one was a real pleasure. The kindergartener loves it, too. I even got him to happily finish his (long overdue) Christmas thank you notes in it.
I’m excited to show you how my dining room is coming together, too. More on that coming soon! In the meantime, what do you think? Do you like the natural look? I considered staining it so it would be more brown and less yellow, but I think the natural wood is just “right” for this piece…
At least for now. 😉
This turned out fabulous. Great job!!
The desk looks great. A good job. I am so glad that you got it and brought it back to life for someone to cherish for a long time.
I like the desk how it is. I just bought one from a friend, sight unseen. Depending on the condition and style I may end up painting it. Yours is the nicest one I’ve seen.
I love how you restored this, Rachel. And since you are homeschooling your little guy it is so useful for your house! I think you made the right decision with the hemp oil and skipping the stain.
It looks beautiful! I love that you are using it for schooling.
I also have an old one that is long overdue for a makeover or at least a refresh. Thanks for reminding me. You did a fantastic job on this one, it looks fresh and clean and the grain of the wood shines through beautifully.
Gorgeous desk and photos!