Before and After- Antique School Desk Redo

Remember those old school desk we use to set in? The ones you could put your books in under the seat. Why is it we all have dreaded memories about school days in those desk, but we still think they're cute? Why do we want our children to have one of them?

I'm not sure, but I had this idea to find a antique school desk for my daughters room. Everyone on Craigslist either wanted too much or the deck wasn't "old' enough looking for me. After searching on Craigslist for weeks to no avail. I had to look elsewhere.

I headed out for the trendy antique shop part of town just knowing everything would be priced to high. And what do you know this beauty was setting outside the first shop I stopped at.

Yah, I know what your thinking "beauty?". Yes, beauty. I saw potential. But how much would it be? I had seen worse desk on Craigslist in the $40 range. And I was not about to lay down that much for a before picture. I slowly briskly walked up to the desk trying to hide my excitement. And there it was- a tag saying $5!!! You are kidding me? Only $5? EXCITEMENT ! EXCITEMENT ! SOLD !

So when I got it home here's what I was in for.

Pretty bad, well it got worse. I discovered the desk was covered in some sort of wood layer (sorry i'm not a furniture expert) that was coming off. Yikes, what do I do now?

Please, children do NOT set down!

Okay, so I did the only thing I could think of, scrap it off and get down to the natural wood. Good idea, bad idea? Who knows, not me I'm not a furniture expert like I said. My husband wasn't home at the time so I just found some of his tools and went for it. Like the crowbar? Every woman at sometime in her life should find a reason to use a crowbar! Enough said. 

I headed to Lowe's grabbed a can of metallic paint and found pink paint someone returned that was in the bargain bin. And here's how she turned out.... 

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I'm so proud... I'ts only my second furniture redo. Like I said, it was suppose to be for my daughters room. But I must confess, I'm so in love with it that it now sets in the corner of the living room. I can just look at it all day. She has used it so much more than I would have imagined. Mommy is happy, girl is happy, daddy wants to know why I used his crowbar. 

Have you ever refinished or painted an old piece of furniture? If so leave me the link in the comment section below. I'd love to see it.