<\/p>\n As soon as I saw the word oak on the tag I knew exactly what I wanted to do to this desk. \u00a0Since the other designers are big paint people I wanted to do something different. \u00a0I knew I could combine a few of my favorite techniques into one piece that had a good shot at being very different that any of the other pieces being auctioned.<\/p>\n After a lot of work, here is the after.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Where to begin? \u00a0First I sanded off the old finish which was just a clear coat that was flaking off. \u00a0When I just wrote that sentence it sounds easy enough, but it wasn’t. \u00a0There was a lot of square footage to tackle. \u00a0There are a bunch of drawers. \u00a0And some parts are veneer which is very tricky to sand without sanding through the first layer of wood. (By the way, veneer doesn’t mean cheap. \u00a0It used in a lot of fine furniture. \u00a0It would be pretty hard to find a solid board wide enough to cover the whole side panel.)<\/p>\n For the stain, I used something I use on other things but have been dying to try on furniture. \u00a0I made my own vinegar stain! \u00a0To make it you soak steel wool in vinegar for a bit then brush on. \u00a0The solution reacts to the tannins in the wood to darken the wood. \u00a0Brushing on very strong tea first (to add tannins) helps get the color darker. \u00a0But it’s really kind of a unpredictable science. \u00a0It’s all about a chemical reaction and you never know exactly what you will get but the technique is known to “ebonize” oak, which is the first reason I was excited when I saw the desk. \u00a0You won’t get this reaction from light woods like maple. \u00a0In fact that’s why the feet were painted white; they had no color change at all. I will be putting together a tutorial very soon on the whole process.<\/p>\n The second reason I was excited about this desk? Cerusing! I have used this process before<\/a> but with a very different wood so it came out a bit differently. \u00a0Oak has a very open grain which is perfect for cerusing. To ceruse you wire brush the wood in the direction of the grain before staining it to open the pores. \u00a0After staining you use a rag and cover the whole thing in watered down paint. \u00a0Then you use steel wool to take off the paint on the surface leaving the paint only in the grain. \u00a0When using a dark stain and a white paint, the contrast is beautiful.<\/p>\n I am a push over for a beautiful wood grain so you can see how this is one of my favorite finishes.<\/p>\n This finish invites you to rub your hand across it. Even Lincoln would walk by and want to touch the top. \u00a0I didn’t want the top coat to interfere with that so I chose to use pure tung oil. \u00a0This is an ancient finish and has been used for centuries to waterproof boats and steamer trunks. \u00a0It comes from the tung nut (not ground up animal tongues!) so there is no petroleum used. And in it’s pure form it is food safe. \u00a0You can’t get much more eco than that. \u00a0I get mine from the Real Milk Paint Co. <\/a>which is another small business in the USA making eco stuff. \u00a0I will be talking a lot about this in the near future and the rumor is there might be some kind of giveaway so keep your eyes peeled!<\/p>\n The last part of the makeover is the hardware. \u00a0Here is a before pic. \u00a0I loved the shape but the old grimy black color wasn’t going to work.<\/p>\n I had a lot of ideas but no real plan for these. I figured I would start with a cleaning first. \u00a0I tried to scrub them but got no where. \u00a0Then I put all of the handles in a tray and poured lemon juice all over them and let them sit. \u00a0Under all of that was a lovely worn copper that I thought went perfectly against the desk. \u00a0I rubbed a little tung oil over them to prevent any tarnish or rust.<\/p>\n So there you have it. \u00a0This desk was a lot of work but one of mine (and TB’s!) favorite pieces. \u00a0And if my arms look good this summer in tank tops, I will have this desk to thank.<\/p>\n If you are in the area (Central\/Shore NJ), please come to the Habitat for Humanity Women Build Luncheon and see the desk in person. \u00a0It will be auctioned off for Habitat so you can take it home and raise money for a great cause. \u00a0You can buy tickets here<\/a>. \u00a0And if you have any questions, let me know. \u00a0I would love to meet you in person!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Linked up at:<\/p>\n My Repurposed Life<\/a><\/p>\n Miss Mustard Seed<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Ridiculous](\"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Ridiculous-Redhead-Habitat-Desk-Before-1024x737.jpg\")
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