a library table makeover.

Published on by Quandie

You know, I find it just a tad mind-boggling that I have been retired from the day job for almost two years already.    I retired on November 30, 2021, so I’ve basically been through two winters without a day job.

I had planned to makeover my home office … a.k.a. the q branch … that first winter.  Theoretically winter is the season when I would have the most time available for a room makeover.  But I didn’t get to it then.  And I also didn’t get to it last winter.

How did that happen?  Where did the time go?

Well, this winter is going to be the winter I actually do it.  Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

Towards that end, I have completed the first couple of tasks on the ‘q branch makeover to-list’.  First up, I have emptied out the rooster cupboard and moved it out.

As much as I loved that cupboard, the room always felt a bit ‘cupboard heavy’ since I have my large English pine cupboard on the opposite wall.

In addition, that little bitty farmhouse table that I was using for a desk was really just too small.  In order to fit a larger desk in the room, the rooster had to go.

After spending a bit of time trying to find just the right desk on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist and coming up empty, I decided to shop my own house.

Mr. Q didn’t really need this library table desk in his office anymore (he had a total of three desks in that room!) …

So I decided it would be perfect for me!

The desk had a darkish finish with specks of black in it.  I believe this is called flyspeck.

When was that look popularized, do any of you know?  I feel like it makes things look rather dated now, but maybe that’s just me.

Also, FYI, the top of the desk is a herringbone patterned veneer which you can sort of see here …

My plan for this desk definitely involved stripping that top, and that needed to get done before it gets too cold to work outside.  Even though it was nearly 100° here on Monday, it was only 65° here yesterday.  Fall always seems to arrive practically overnight.

I didn’t mess with oven cleaner, or other Insta-popular stripping methods, I simply used some Citristrip which worked like a charm.

Once I had the top stripped, I sanded it smooth with some 220 grit paper and then sealed it with clear wax.  I wanted to keep the pale color of the bare wood, but also to protect it from moisture and dirt.  I think clear wax does the best job of that when you don’t want to darken up the color too much.

For my own personal furniture I prefer using wax rather than a water based poly type of sealer because it’s so much easier to ‘fix’ down the road.  If you get a ring from an errant water glass, just sand it down with some 220 grit sandpaper and re-apply  the wax.  I’ve done this with quite a few of my own pieces of furniture and it works like a charm.

Next I gave the base of the desk a coat of Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S.  I wasn’t entirely sure that the pre-existing stain wouldn’t bleed thru my paint, so better safe than sorry, it’s easy to quickly paint on a coat of B.O.S.S.

I followed that up with two coats of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth.  I also find that I get better coverage with my paint when I have a base coat of clear B.O.S.S.  Two coats of paint over that original dark stain covered perfectly.

I know the use of a warm white might seem a bit boring at the moment, but when I get around to it (hopefully this winter), I plan to put some color on those walls and then the desk will really pop.

After the paint was dry, I sanded the edges of the desk to distress them and then added more clear wax to the painted areas.

I had debated changing out the knobs on the drawers, but in the end I decided the scale of them was better than anything else I had on hand.  So after giving the original knobs a good cleaning with hot, soapy water, I brightened them up with a coat of Dixie Belle’s Gold gilding wax.

That gold pairs beautifully with my gold desk lamp too.

For now I’m just testing out this angled sort of floating placement of the desk in the room.  I may move it around a bit, but then again, so far I kind of like it like this.  I no longer have my back to the rest of the house while writing blog posts.

I’ll also be shopping for a different chair to pair with the desk, my old chair is a bit too low.

I filled in the empty corner behind the desk with a stack of vintage suitcases, and then I hung my fake Matisse, a.k.a. my Al Teeter, above it.

I plan to revisit decorating the walls once I get them painted.

But for now it’s good to have ‘refinish desk’ and ‘remove rooster cupboard and old desk’ checked off the to-do list.

Speaking of the rooster cupboard, it will be for sale.  I’m just trying to decide whether or not to re-finish it.  The milk paint that I put on it back in 2015 has continued to chip away over time and now it’s quite chippy.

I love it like this, but I don’t know if there is a huge market for chippy pieces these days.

What do you think?  And what do you think of my desk makeover?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for supply the B.O.S.S., paint and gilding wax used for this makeover.

28 thoughts on “a library table makeover.”

  2. If I have a painted desk, do I need to sand it, or can I use BOSS and skip sanding?? It’s a vintage teacher’s desk and very large…..I sanded the top, but the body seems so daunting!

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    1. You wouldn’t need B.O.S.S. over a previously painted piece unless you can see stain or wood tannins bleeding through that old paint job. Otherwise, I would always scuff sand before painting over pre-existing paint. You don’t have to sand it down to bare wood or anything, just sand lightly all over enough to rough up the surface giving your new paint something to adhere to. Best of luck!

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  3. I believe the finish on your desk was antiqued fruitwood, quite popular in the 90’s. Your new updated look is a great improvement and moving your desk away from the wall will, no doubt, make you feel like your creative juices are flowing! Great job.

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  4. Very nice desk make over. I really like how the new look shows off the wood pattern on the top and how the lighter wood pairs with the painted portion. Looking forward to updates as you redo your office. I vote for doing a make over on the rooster cabinet to give it a fresh new look.

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  6. Hi,
    I retired in 2017 and it took about three years to recharge and start on my to do list. It was such a joy to not have to be on the clock and a schedule. The joy of retirement is doing what you want when you want to do it! So you finally get to fill your days doing what you love! Sometimes change needs to happen organically when those light bulbs are ready go on in your head. It sounds like that’s what’s beginning to happen for you!!! Yay!!! The desk makeover is splendid, and the tone of white you chose is delicious. It plays off the finished wood beautifully. I love how you solved the draw knob dilemma, but I personally adore antique cast brass drawer pulls polished to a soft matte finish on painted furniture. They give a painted surface so much texture and personality. Your office is truly lovely!

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  7. I love the way your desk came out. I don’t like the cupboard chipped look. I would paint it with drop cloth (the perfect color, nice brown undertone).

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  9. Your new desk turned out lovely. I also have a soft white desk in Florida. I love it because you can always pick or change your other colors in the room. I love the rooster cupboard but I think that it depends what the market is like in your area. Try to sell it. If it doesn’t sell then paint it. 😊

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  14. Hi,Linda! It’s been ages since I looked at WordPress, but when trying to come up with some ideas on how to re-do my son’s 1990s era oak furniture, of COURSE I turned to your blog. The visuals are incredible (that warm white on the desk might work well for Jay’s things), and as always, I absolutely love reading your posts… what a talented writer you are, along with your many other skills! I’m looking forward to a few years of catch up reading and writing. 🙂

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