Retro Desk Transformation - Before and After

Prior to giving this desk a makeover, I planned to throw it away and replace it with something newer. After all, it didn't work for a computer at all, and it was old and SO beat up from belonging in my son's room during his growing up years. I also thought about listing it on Craigslist to give it away, but then when I didn't have the immediate funds to purchase a replacement, I considered a different plan. It's nice and solid, which leaned in favor of keeping it.

Here is what it looked like when I hauled it into the workroom:

 I love the size of the drawers and the pull-out work boards on the sides, but it was in awful shape. My parents purchased the desk years ago from a prison auction, and it had an intricate system for locking the drawers. I removed all of that hardware. 

 My son built a lot of models at this desk. Thus, the paint all over the top.

I found a desk that totally inspired me on Pinterest, and used it as my inspiration. I had enough leftover paints on hand to complete the project, meaning it cost me nothing!

Here is the inspiration desk from Miss Mustard Seed. 

The top of my desk was a fake wood grain Formica, so I couldn't strip the wood. But I came up with a faux finish that worked for me. So, without further ado, here is my finished desk and the process I used.

 I cut out the framework around the drawers on the right side, and then installed a board in the bottom so that I had a place for the tower. Then, I primed everything with BIN 123 primer that works on glossy surfaces.

 I also took the saw to the middle drawer and cut away all but a little frame. This way, I had a place for the keyboard. My husband helped with doing the long cut on the table saw, and then I finished it with a hand saw on each side.

 When it was all finished, I knew the wall needed something. You'll see what I did on a future blog post.

 Seems like I always finish projects late at night, when picture-taking is bad and grainy. 

 After painting the bluish parts and the off-white parts, I antiqued everything with glaze, and then used some sandpaper to rough up the corners on purpose.

 The top is a faux finish that has fake wood grain. I gave it all several coats of poly after the glaze finish.

 Random photo-bomb from the vacuum cleaner. At least you know I clean. Sometimes.

 I LOVE the pull-out sides. 

One final close-up of the finish. I spray-painted the existing hardware with an oil rubbed bronze finish. Again, it was the budget-friendly option, since I had the paint already. Recognize the blue color on the desk? I mixed leftover paint from my bedroom makeover with a lighter color to get this shade.