Secretary Desk Transformed!

"Seven days, six pads on the sander, two coats of primer, two coats of paint, three hours to hand paint, another two pads on the sander for distressing, one coat of antiquing stain, one coat of finishing wax!".....no, this isn't Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race, speaking and I am not standing on the mat at the finale.  But it sure does feel like it!  I feel like I have run through a foreign city overcoming challenges filled with road blocks, detours and tasks.  But there is no Phil Keoghan and there isn't a little mat for me to jump onto with a grin stretching from ear to ear.  So I will just make this blog post my 'little mat' of celebration.  With no further adieu......

Here is my totally re-done grandmother's secretary desk.  I am smitten with it and I hope you are too.  If you are interested in reading the story behind this desk, click on this link to my blog from April 1st and get the lowdown.

The original 1940's Secretary desk. (Before Image)

So, I took the knobs off and sanded the finish off all the surfaces.

and patched up the scratches left from my beloved, long lost Silver Point Siamese Cat, Sushi.

I then wiped down the desk to get off the dust and grime, then added a coat of Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel Latex Primer.  Had a little mishap with the primer dripping on my paver patio. If you click on this link for my April 4th blog entitled "Oops! No.....no Problem,"  you will see how I remedied that problem.

So after not using a drop cloth, I got mine out and continued.  I had my guy at Sherwin Williams mix up this color for me.  It is a step between Sherwin Williams colors Swimming and Spa. Neither of these swatch colors were perfect.  One was a little too dark and the other a little too light.  I put two coats of the blue on the entire desk, lightly sanding in between coats.  You might think that this color looks too bright, but the antiquing stage of this process will tone it down considerably.  If I picked a more subtle blue, the antiquing process  would over power the color. 

Then, for a little surprise!  I will be placing a few red accents on this piece and red will play a role in the motifs that I have loosely planned for this desk, so I decided to spray paint the inside of the desk. I used two coats of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover spray paint in Satin Colonial Red.  It's a rich, dark red that will go well with the motifs I am planning for the drawers.  I love surprises.  Nothing like a little surprise for when someone opens the desk! 

TIP!  When doing this kind of work, preparation is so important.  Since I had already painted the outside of this desk and I didn't want to mess that up, I masked off the areas closest to the inside. I used blue painter tape and visqueen.  I also, propped up the fold out with a stick on a soft cloth so not to scratch the blue paint that was still setting up to a hard surface.  Important also to note.... As soon the second thin layer of red paint was done, I took the masking tape off.  If you let the paint dry completely, the tape will sometimes take a little of it up.  A big bummer you want to avoid.

I let all of this set up for about 48 hours.  I then came back for a full day of work on this bad boy. (Yes, secretaries can be men.  Get up to date, will ya?!) 

The NEVER-Ending-Never-gonna stop till I drop day of excitement was here! Yeah!  I set up a little studio near the back door so that I could easily pull the piece inside and outside as needed.  I knew this was gonna get messy and rain clouds kept drifting by.  Couldn't take the chance! 

I found inspiration for the motifs I hand painted from a series of my paintings that are hung in the adjacent dining room. But I laid it out in a pattern that was more conducive to the style of the desk.  I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about this.... I like to work intuitively....quickly mixing colors and changing out brushes frequently.  I don't use marks or pencil.  I find that restricting.  If I make a mistake, it's acrylic paint!  I wait for it to dry and paint over!

 -A painting from the series I used for inspiration -

Here are a few detail shots of the process of painting the motifs.....

Okay....so...something funny here.  I needed to make sure that each design motif fit properly between the handles, so I loosely attached them back to the drawers. (Image to the right.)  It wasn't until after I finished that I realized that I put them on upside down!  Frantically, I switched them around.  I was totally freaking out because I thought they would definitely cover part of the motifs.  PHEW!  It still worked and I counted myself one luck puppy. 

So then, it was time for my handy, dandy Black and Decker Mouse.  Where oh where would I be without my Mouse?! I dragged the desk back outside. Using 220 grit pads, I started distressing the desk.  I focused on areas that would have seen natural wear, like edges of the drawers, legs and shelves. 

My son was home sick this day.  At one point, he calls out to me and asks, "Mom, what the heck is going on out there for an hour and a half?"  I chuckle to myself, ask him how he is doing, reassure him that I am not murdering anyone and whistle my way forward.   

I made sure to heavily distress around the  keyhole area.  This area would have also naturally seen a lot of wear.  I got this idea from Miss Mustard Seed.  Gotta give her props.

 

I also added these little accents in a pretty heavy, haphazard pattern all over the desk except for the shelf tops because I didn't want to weaken their hard surfaces.

I made sure to grind the distress marks over the motifs because they would have seen equal wear over time. 

Now it time for the antiquing.....  Using Min Wax Dark Walnut Stain, I rubbed a coating over the entire piece using a clean work rag and working in small sections.  I let the stain set up slightly for about a minute. The amount of time depends on the weather and humidity where you live.  I then lightly buffed the surface with a dry cloth leaving a slight patina on the surface. This technique does a great job making new paint look aged.  I worked the stain into nooks and crannies with a brush and wiped off to help highlight the details.

Look closely at this image above.  I have not yet put stain on the little drawer.    You can kinda see the difference between the plan and patina finish.

The below image shows the amount of stain that I used on a single surface.  There were areas that I came back to and added a second layer of stain making sure to rub it into my distress marks.

I don't wear gloves.....Yes, I know that I should.  But I just don't have the same control with gloves on my hands.  This stain does wash off pretty easily with a little bit of Goof Off. (not Goo Gone)  But alas, my hands are just not ever going to be all pretty and dainty.  Nothing that a quick trip to the nail salon can't take care of in the event they need to be presentable for....whomever.  Does that really matter anyway? (That's a conversation for another day.)

So, at this stage I realize that the drawer handles are going to need some distressing.  They just won't look right in the original, dark finish.  I take out the Mouse and give it a little spin.

There, that looks better......

So, I let the stain set up for 48 hours and come back with Min Wax Finishing Wax in Natural as a sealer.  Make sure that you let the wax coating dry completely before buffing.  It makes a difference. 

So the final results! Yeah!

Ah, just love that red interior!

  Here it is all dressed up and back in it's spot!!!  So happy with the results!

So, for some "Before and After" Images.....

After

Before

So, a few little details....  I used this opportunity to fix a few things.  I bought new 1 1/2 inch wood screws to re-attach the handle pulls.   The ones that were previously holding the handles were a mess and there were a few that didn't actually fit correctly.  Also, the little finishing piece on the top of the desk has been loose for years.  I took a moment to use a little wood glue to securely attached it to the top.  I can't tell you how many times it has fallen off.  Good thing is wasn't broken.  Now, it's secure.

All in all, I am very pleased with the outcome.  It looks amazing in my living room.  The deadlines, the mess, the dust and the sweat were all worth it.  So now.....on to the next project! Yippee!!!

-The End-

This desk was featured on the blog,

My Re-Purposed Life!

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