A Desk Molded into Shape

I found this desk at a yard sale last summer. When I spotted it, I liked it’s mid century appeal but it was not very sturdy and the legs were wobbly. Poor thing, as you can see it was leaning to one side.

No problem, a little DIY will take care of that. Since I always wanted to redo a piece of furniture using moldings and this desk needed more structure, I thought this would be the perfect piece to do just that.

I added leg braces to the underside.

Removed the front apron.

Initially I used remnant molding from previous projects; however, later I decided to stick to straight lines to coincide with it’s mid century style. I ended up purchasing additional flat molding to complete the job.

I added molding along the drawer fronts and the opposite door and an additional layer on the top, a remnant piece of wood from my china cabinet project I had painted by mistake.

I repainted the top and sides with Miss Mustard Seed’s Ironstone Milk Paint. Love experimenting with the paint!

I was totally blown away by it’s ability to adhere to the slick, un-sanded laminate surface. I thought surely it would not adhere or result in a chippy finish. Instead it produced a durable finish. Here is a test sample that I did on the back to test it out. I even tried to scratch it off with my fingernail and it did not come off. Unpredictably amazing!

As for the top, although the stripes are much less visible, I have a few more coats to go.

I’m thinking about staining the drawer fronts, drawer, and top edges in a variegated medium dark stain finish.

As for the legs that have been untouched, not too sure about that either, paint or stain? I have both white and dark pieces in my home and I like the versatility to move things from room to room whenever I feel the need to change things up. I guess I have some more experimenting to do before I take the plunge.