Vintage Desk Redo

How-to Refinish a Vintage Desk

Today, I am excited to share final pictures from the vintage desk restoration.You might have followed or read the previous post, where I shared my tips and strategies for refinishing hardwood. Today, you will see the before and after pics finally! You may remember that I started this project way back in the New Year. As I began, it quickly brought me back to all the before and after projects that I have tackled over the years. ​

Here is a peek of how it looked by the pool, as the finishes were drying.  For the finish, I applied a dark walnut stain. ​

Continue reading to see how it looked before the initial process of getting it all sanded down.

This piece truly aligns with the type of furniture or piece that like to refinish. I always recommend looking for a piece that's in good condition, has minimal repairs needed and is quality vintage or antique. This piece came from my client's family home in Laguna Beach, so there was a history to the piece. 
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Also, real natural unpainted hardwood is currently my favorite. One of the many reasons that I liked updating this piece is the natural wood grain and overall shape of the piece. 

Both my client and I, loved the idea of reimagining the original mahogany hardwood and bringing out the character of the piece through darker finish. My top 2 favorite walnut stains are Dark Walnut and Special Walnut by Minwax.

Lucky for us, we were able to renew the original brass hardware, on the sides of the mirror by scrubbing them with a scouring sponge and a bottle of Brasso, brass cleaner and polish, along with strong scouring sponge to clean them. They cleaned up beautifully!

Once the finish and polish was completely dry, we brought the piece inside and moved it upstairs. Here is how it looked in her interior bedroom that was recently painted in gray. I have always loved the color of walnut against gray walls especially. Lastly, we found the crystal knobs at Anthropologie and I liked how similar they were to the original shape of the knobs. Yay:) It feels so good to have a new project all complete! 

Here is the complete list of products that I used for this project from start to finish:

• Medium and Fine grit sandpaper
• Orbital Sander- easy to use, inexpensive random orbital sander
• Minwax stains 
• Paintbrushes- Set of paintbrushes for stain and wax
• Brasso
• Orange Oil and Beeswax -natural furniture polish
• Towels, old t-shirts for cloths and sponges

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