Poof! New Desk--From The Old Cherry-Wood Version

Detail of Desk Front

Sorry. I didn't take a 'before' picture--just got so excited about changing it, I forgot! You will just have to imagine a shiny cherry-wood finish, with cheap brass drawer pulls. Ugh. 

The main reason I changed it was the daily need to dust the thing. Nothing like a dark wood to show every speck of dust. So..... I went to Home Depot and bought a beautiful light gray semi-gloss and a cheap dollar brush. Not a foam brush, mind you, but one of the ones with blonde bristles (which occasionally fall out and you have to pick them out of the paint). The reason I like them for this particular kind of finish is that the bristles are very fine, and the bottom edge is thinner (less bristles), so as I drag the loaded brush across the surface, it tends to bleed out and leave a few areas so you can see the old paint color underneath.

Prep work: Yes, I sand, even though the paint says it is primer and paint in one--and doesn't require sanding. I took my electric sander and roughed up the surface. The round legs, etc., were done with a hand sander, the kind that has a spongy center so it adapts to the shape of the legs. I cleaned off the dust, and painted it, streaking a little as I went along. The main thing is to check for drips, and even them out very gently, so they don't become a permanent part of your paint job. 

I bought some new drawer pulls, and installed them. Voila! 

I went to Jo-Ann's and found a remnant of this wonderful gray fabric, with a tweed look, and re-covered the cushion and screwed it back onto the chair. I love this new color--it lightens up the room! 

The other major project was something I did a couple of years ago, but really haven't shown you:  

These chairs were a dark stripe--navy, burgundy, cream--very masculine, but worn out. Let me tell you that I understand why upholstery shops charge what they do! The worst of it is removing the millions of staples. It's a HIDEOUS job! I save and label each piece (take photos, if you need to), so I could re-assemble once I cut out the fabric. I did go to a local shop to purchase some of the materials that were torn up in the process of taking it apart. I also removed the cushion covers, took them apart so I could use them for patterns. I re-used the zippers. 

The funny part was that I had planned to make the living room gray and citron yellow. I even had made drapes. I walked into the fabric store in Las Vegas, looking for that nice little gray and cream print for the chairs--and then I saw this stuff! I don't know what came over me, but I left with this fabric, tore down the drapes and gave them away. Ha ha. It was just such happy colors, and I wanted the look! So there you are!