A few weekends ago I got the hankering to do a DIY project. I jumped at the opportunity because it’s not every weekend that I can (or want to) do the little projects around the house! I had been on the hunt for a vintage roll up desk for quite some time. I’m talking scouring thrift stores, consignment stores and Craiglist for months (and months and months). Either they were too expensive, were too beat up to fix, or further away than I wanted to travel. I lucked up and found this one for free (!!!!) It had been well loved, but it still had great bones. It just needed a little TLC. I decided I wanted to put it in our guest room as a place to store extra desk items and in lieu of a night stand. This was probably one of my favorite DIY projects to date. The fact that it turned out so well was just an added bonus!
What you will need:
-cloth or wet paper towel to remove any excess dust,etc.
-Primer (I use Valspar primer)
-Spray Paint (I use Rust-oleum Satin)
– gloves (spray paint seems to explode on my hands every time)
-a sheet/newspaper/cardboard to cover your work area
-screwdriver (if removing hardware)
After having a few DIY projects result in really bad brush strokes from primer, I have sworn myself to using spray paint primer. Personally, I find it easier to cover the surface and it’s easier to conceal those not-so-perfect parts. I really like that Valspar goes on so easily and dries fairly quickly (within an hour if not less). That is also a huge advantage.
After my primer is fully dry, I move on to the actual spray paint. There were a few areas on this piece that showed some drip marks from the primer, so I sanded those and then got to work. I fully painted one coat of paint on the desk, then let it dry for a few hours. I pulled out all of the drawers and painted them separately. I then put a second coat on the desk. I always suggest a second coat even if it looks evenly covered with the first coat.
Once every part of the desk was dry, I added the hardware. I ended up keeping the original hardware on the drawers, but added classic, clear knobs on the roll up part of the desk. The combination of these turned out so well for a classic roll up desk look.
I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the way this DIY project turned out! It gives me motivation to do more DIY projects around the house. I often find that if I get an idea (via Pinterest of course) and am patient, the result is always worth it…. especially for a girl on a budget!!
Have you had any successful DIY projects? If so, link them in the comments below- I would love to check them out!
It looks great! I'm quite terrible actually getting DIY's done. –Hanna Lei
You and me both, girl! I had this desk for months before I got to do it. This one was super simple too, because there wasn't too much damage! xx -Emily
This is wonderful! I love the shape of this desk.
— Alex at Cashmere Kangaroo
Thank you! I am a huge fan of the desk! xx -Emily
Looks great!!
Liz @ http://www.shoppingmycloset.com
Thank you!
love this post!! great inspiration !
This Girl Loves Chic
Facebook : ThisGirlLovesChic
xx
Thank you!!
Love how this turned out. There's this stuff that you can put into paint so that you don't see brush strokes that you can get at Home Depot. It was a life saver when we did our dressers.
Oh, I SO wish I would have know about this when I did my bedroom furniture. There are brush strokes on some of it and it drives me crazy!! Maybe I'll use your tip and re-do them soon sans brush strokes 😉 xx Emily
This turned out great! Good job!
Thank you, Emily!
That's beautiful! We have an old wooden coffee table and I'm thinking about painting it a bright color but I haven't decided on the right one yet.
Go for it!! A bright color would be so fun and add a pop of color in the room! Love that idea 🙂 Xx Emily
GREAT find!!!
This turned out beautifully! I love the roll-up desk look 🙂
Heather | Port City Prescription
Thank you! Such a fun vintage find!
This turned out beautifully! Love the roll-up desk look 🙂
Heather | Port City Prescription
seriously cannot believe you did that with spray paint! first of all, how did you get it into those little boxes under the hood of the desk? and second of all, how did you get it to be so even? i tried spray painting some things last summer, some frames and a magazine rack, and found it sooo hard to get in between the rods of the mag rack and everything just looked so splotchy!!
i would love to hear your tips because this piece looks incredible!
xo mk
gold-hatted lover
I'll email you details!! Believe me, not all have turned out this well!
I would LOVE the details about this as well! I am about to paint a dresser this weekend, and the spray paint seems SO much easeir!!
Hi!! I spray about 8-10 inches away and make sure that I spray evenly and kind of overlap each layer. If there are any drips then I make sure I have a wash cloth close by to clean it-let dry- then go over the area again! I always make sure to get the quick drying spray paint (it usually will say on the back that it will dry within 1-2 hours). I do two (sometimes three) layers of spray paint and them it's done!!
Awesome Project! And fun that you can rekindle some of the DIY Love. Cute Desk! It’s so tiny..
Jas – buckeyearizonapainters.com