Best. Desk. EVER.

If you know me, then you know that I spend at least an hour or so everyday on KSL, browsing the treasures and sorting through the junk. I LOVE to see the things that people post and look at most things and daydream about how beautiful I could make them, given the money and the time.

One such day, I came across such a find in this desk for $25.

I really had no idea what I was in for....

I mean....REALLY did not know...

I picked up this treasure and brought it back to my folks place for a spit shine and sand down. I didn't realize how bad of shape the desk was in before I agreed to take this project on. This is a perfect example of buying on emotion, without thinking it through completely. Oh, well. All is well that ends well I suppose.

First order of business (after peeling off stickers, wiping off sticky stuff and dust, and removing those terribly hideous knobs) was to remove the part of the desk that folded up to expose the part underneath. To do this, (without completely destroying the desk) I had to get a small handheld saw to actually cut the old hinges out. The hinges were built into a piece of wood, and then that wood was glues onto the existing part of the desk. If I would have just removed the strip of wood that contained the hinges, the desk top would have been to narrow to fit the computer on. So...I began hacking away.

After the fold out top was removed, I grabbed my handy dandy wood filler and began filling all the holes and cracks that this desk so terribly needed. 

Like I said, if I had inspected this desk more thoroughly before buying it, I probably would have opted against it. Since I let my imagination make the decision for me, I had to make the best of what I had to work with.

SO - I filled all the holes (where the hinges were, as well as the two drill holes that it took to hold each ugly knob onto each drawer).

Up close you can see the less-than-desirable condition of this wood

Once the filler had dried, I sanded it down so that it could be covered with primer. I used white primer because I knew that I wanted to sand down the edges of the desk so that it would keep that antique, old, french country kind of feel to it. 

After I had covered the desk in two coats of primer, I began applying the top coat of paint. I went with an almond, vanilla kind of color (which I love) for the actual desk. 

The back part of the desk is really hashed. I will eventually have to replace it completely, but that is another task for another day. I would have liked to have removed it completely until I can replace it, but I would have been unable to do so without compromising the structural integrity of the whole piece. So far, that is the only thing that I don't love about this desk.

The drawers I decided to paint chocolate brown so that they would match the rest of the furniture in the front room, and also to make them stand out. I then installed the new, 73 cent knobs  (compliments of Lowe's) and sanded down the edges of the desk, too to make them look worn.

I must say, that I am quite pleased with the end result!

I will still need to remove the back board of this desk, (as you can see) but the stool that I bought to use with the desk will hide the wood...for now.

Awesomeness at it's finest!