Salmon Executive Desk

This desk was given to me by a friend of a friend. It took me a good 6 long months before deciding how I'd tackle this project. I was a bit tired of painting "normal" colors: antique white and black. I got my hands on an "oops" can of paint at our local hardware store called "Ladybug Red". YES! Finally, something fun!

I always seem to get so excited about projects that I forget to take
a "before" picture. I almost forgot here... hardware is removed. 

As with any of my projects, I always begin by sanding the old finish off. This piece was unique, in that the top was laminate, made to look like wood. So, I decided to use this to my advantage and incorporate it into the design.

As I began painting, the color began to show a bit more pinkish than I would've liked. But, after about 3 coats of paint, brushed on, it darkened and I was pleased with the overall color.

I sanded the edges of the drawers and desk with sandpaper to give it a worn look. Using a sponge brush, I lightly applied stain to the raw wood, wiping in the excess. To take away from some of the "pink", I took more stain and carefully rubbed it all over the piece. This gave it a rich, dark look... no more pink.

I used a stain, in Walnut finish and stained the small decorative pieces underneath to tie the wood colors together. Once completed, I polished up the top of the desk with Old English, for dark furniture. This filled in any scratches within the laminate, just wiping off the excess.

I polished up the hardware, reattahced and the piece was complete!

Total Investment: $13
Time Investment: Weekend