Antique Library Desk

It's been almost a year since I've painted a piece to sell. It was partly due to my dwindling stash but mostly due to the flooding rush of painted furniture popping up all over craigslist and facebook selling sites. Because of this I've seen prices for antique furniture go up and prices for painted pieces go down. So, I decided to step back for a while and focus more on projects around the house. I'm still not completely back into it but I've had this desk sitting in my studio/garage gathering dust for over 2 years. She was in a state of disrepair when I first laid eyes on her on the sidewalk in front of my local antique store. But all I could see was how much potential she had!

I wish I had a before picture to show you but I always forget! Just trust me when I say she was in a bad state! She was wobbly with lots of chipping, warped veneer. When I first brought her home I went to work taking off all the peeling veneer. A hot iron on a damp towel works great at loosening the glue so you can scrape it up. After that I lost interest and she has sat half done for 2 years until now! Hubby made her sturdy for me and then it was time for paint!

Sometimes it's a struggle for me to decide on a paint color but with this piece it was easy! I knew she would wear Miss Mustard Seed's Milk paint color Farmhouse White beautifully. I left some of the imperfections which I think just adds to the patina and character of a piece. My goal is never to make it look brand new but to enhance it and give it a new life! 

I distressed the edges and even got some chipping, which I love! To finish her off and add durability to the paint I gave her 2 coats of water based polycrylic. My favorite brand to use is minwax.

So, what do you guys think? I would love to hear! 

Thanks for visiting!

xo Rene'