{"id":1062,"date":"2013-01-28T14:46:31","date_gmt":"2013-01-28T19:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=1062"},"modified":"2015-02-17T11:56:17","modified_gmt":"2015-02-17T16:56:17","slug":"the-vintage-desk-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=1062","title":{"rendered":"The Vintage Desk Makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"

A long time ago, way longer than I would care to admit, I answered a Craigslist ad about a desk. \u00a0As TB and I walked up a steep flight of stairs to take a look \u00a0I will admit that I was hoping I didn’t like it since we would have to carry the desk down those steep steps. \u00a0TB is a good sport and all but I don’t want to hurt him. \u00a0(Which incidentally happened when we dropped off a bedroom set. \u00a0More on that project soon.)<\/p>\n

Well of course I loved it. \u00a0I thought it looked awful. \u00a0I really felt like that little desk was so embarrassed at how it looked and for me to see it in such a state. There were stickers on her, poor thing. \u00a0There were the layers of paint, with the most interesting layer being a faux wood grain look. \u00a0In no way did it look like wood grain. \u00a0It really looked like a small child finger painted all over it. \u00a0 The seller had wanted to refinish it and had started sanding but had tiny children and really didn’t have the time. \u00a0So now it was my turn.<\/p>\n

Just as expected the desk was made very well – translation: heavy. \u00a0After getting it down the stairs with strength I didn’t know I had, we brought her home.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And there she sat. \u00a0I wanted so much to restore the beauty I knew must be under there somewhere. \u00a0But I have to say it was a little overwhelming. \u00a0There are a lot of nooks and crannies that I usually avoid when looking for a piece. \u00a0After TB gently mentioning “Maybe your next project could be that desk” way more than once, I got to work.<\/p>\n

First I stripped the whole desk. \u00a0My plan was to then stain it with maybe a walnut stain. \u00a0I had all these visions of how regal and lovely it would look restored. \u00a0And then I ran into this.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is white paint embedded deep into the grain of the wood. \u00a0What’s that you say? \u00a0Sand the hell out of it? \u00a0Well it’s not that easy.<\/p>\n

This desk, like a lot of furniture, has its surfaces covered in veneer. \u00a0 Veneer is very common and doesn’t indicate a piece is cheap. \u00a0On the contrary, even the “cheap” wood used for the inside of the drawers back then is nicer than most things produced today. \u00a0It was\/is a way to use more expensive woods like mahogany more affordably. \u00a0 My problem was that if I sanded the hell out of it I could sand a hole right through it since veneer is only a very thin layer of wood.<\/p>\n

So instead I used the problem as my solution. \u00a0I had just watched Million Dollar Contractor and he had used a technique called cerusing that I figured I would try. \u00a0Basically you take a wire brush and brush the wood going with the grain making grooves, stain it, whitewash over it with watered down paint then scrub the paint back off with steel wool. \u00a0What you are left with is paint in the grain of the wood with the rest of the wood showing through.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Let me warn you that this whole process is really an arm work out. \u00a0I got a little excited and took off more of the stain than I originally wanted to but I like where it ended up. \u00a0I think the kind of stain I used also played a part. \u00a0Now the desk had paint in the grain on purpose. \u00a0Like that was our plan all along.<\/p>\n

So here is the after.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I hope that I made this old girl feel pretty again after all the bad things that had been done to her. \u00a0She has such good lines she deserves to be in a beautiful office again being put to use. \u00a0She’s available for sale in The Shop<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Featured at:<\/p>\n

Better After<\/a><\/p>\n

Redoux Interiors\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

West Furniture Revival<\/a><\/p>\n

My Repurposed Life<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Linked up at:<\/p>\n

DIY Show Off<\/a><\/p>\n

Common Ground<\/a><\/p>\n

My Repurposed Life<\/a><\/p>\n

Redoux Interiors<\/a><\/p>\n

Miss Mustard Seeds<\/a><\/p>\n

Finding Fabulous<\/a><\/p>\n

The Charm of Home<\/a><\/p>\n

French Country Cottage<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A long time ago, way longer than I would care to admit, I answered a Craigslist ad about a desk. \u00a0As TB and I walked up a steep flight of stairs to take a look \u00a0I will admit that I…
Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,77,183],"tags":[11,190,192,97,191,189],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/desk-etsy-3-042-ksd.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1J4KT-h8","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1077,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=1077","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":0},"title":"The Desk is at Better After","date":"February 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Vintage Desk makeover has been featured on Better After!!!!!!!! If you haven't been over to visit Lindsey's blog you don't know what you're missing. \u00a0The blog is filled with before and afters of furniture, entire rooms and tons of other stuff. \u00a0(I always thought it was a great way\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Kelly Sherman Design"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/RR-logo-square-300-pix.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1223,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=1223","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":1},"title":"Antique Bedroom Set Makeover","date":"June 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a long overdue makeover post. \u00a0I finished this piece and delivered it at the end of November last year. \u00a0My biggest problem was getting the pictures right. You see this makeover is of a four piece bedroom set and well, I live in a tiny house. \u00a0That already\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before & After"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/KSD-Sem-Close-up.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":685,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=685","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":2},"title":"Blue & White Striped Dresser","date":"April 25, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Happy Wednesday to you! \u00a0For your viewing pleasure I present to you a dresser makeover. When I picked up this dresser, the seller repeatedly described the poor thing as \"primitive\". \u00a0I don't really know what he meant by that. \u00a0Like it only wore a loin cloth and hunted prey with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before & After"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/bb-dresser-E1-734.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2566,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2566","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":3},"title":"A Navy Desk with Nail Head Trim","date":"July 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Back when I was posting the final makeover pictures of the Habitat for Humanity furniture, I had a few people ask if the pieces were for sale. \u00a0Since they were being auctioned off for Habitat after they were done, I couldn't sell them myself. One of those people was my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before & After"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Ridiculous-Redhead-Navy-Desk-Nail-Head-Trim-handle.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2043,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=2043","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":4},"title":"Vintage Rocking Chair","date":"July 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I have a different kind of makeover for you. \u00a0For this one I didn't even pick up a paint brush. A little while back we were at a salvage place looking for supplies for the house. \u00a0It's amazing what you can find at these places. \u00a0If I can ever\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before & After"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Ridiculous-Redhead-Vintage-Chair-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":592,"url":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/?p=592","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":5},"title":"A white dresser makeover","date":"March 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Today for your viewing pleasure we have a lovely dresser makeover. \u00a0A friend of mine asked me to refinish an old dresser that had been at her family's beach house for as long as she could remember and was now sitting in the basement. \u00a0She wanted to make use of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before & After"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/brooke-after-1a.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1062"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2007,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062\/revisions\/2007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}