Navy Blue Corner Desk

&

Hutch

Actually since my son is a Marine it is Marine Blue, but now that I have your attention isn’t she pretty. Might be one of my favorite makeovers since I was not in love with it until it was almost finished, love started when I added Black reVAX. This is why it is important to see a piece through to the end.

Navy Blue Corner Desk

This was not a high end piece of wood furniture, it was just a cheap desk with an unusual look and the potential for good function.  As someone that lives in a small house I can see the value in function.

Imagine this desk with different knobs, it would be perfect for an older boy’s room, or in a corner of your living room serving as a stylish laptop station, knick knack display and a place to pay your bills.

As you can see in the before picture the leaves were not working for me. I applied Shabby Paints Texture with a putty knife, let dry and sanded, then applied again building it up. Just like you would patch drywall. Finish with fine grit sandpaper.

DSC_0040 Shabby Paints Texture Shabby Paints Texture

How she got her look:

  1. Clean- Clean the years of pledge off with a kitchen scrubby and a 50/49.9/.1 mixture of Water/vinegar/blue dawn. I cannot stress how important it is to get all dirt and cleaners off a piece before painting.  This will save you from using too much paint and possible worse, your paint peeling in areas. Paint will not stick to furniture polishes.   DSC_0013
  2. Rinse- Almost as important as number 1, paint will not stick to vinegar so give it a good rinse.
  3. Remove hardware-If you are reusing it clean and paint. Metal Hardware looks great with Old Gold Shimmer or Brown Bronze Shimmer Glaze.
  4. Paint-Now let’s get to the fun part, 2 coats of Marine Blue. This piece was not going to be easy to paint sitting like it was so I started out flipping the desk upside down and laid the hutch on its back. Nothing like thinking you are done and realizing you haven’t painted the underside of a shelf…yikes 🙂
  5. More Paint-Optional…I sometimes need to paint the back of pieces like this. You never know if someone will want it sitting in their home where the back might show. For me it is a must because my booth is small and staging a piece for sale sometimes means sitting it in the center of my booth where the back will show.
  6. Distress-To give a plain piece depth I like to distress the edges and in areas that would normally get wear and tear. This is my favorite part. Great stress reliever.  *Warning this is real paint, there are some brands you can distress with a damp paper towel.  I want to apologize in advance for the extra work needed here, you will have to actually use sandpaper to get the paint off. On the bright side Shabby Paints will give you a lifetime of beauty and not rub off when you or your customers are cleaning with a wet paper towel.  Navy Blue Corner Desk
  1. Top Coat-Protect your hard work. Now you need to decide on a Matte or Satin finish.  Matte use VAX, Satin use Shabby Varnish. Either way it is easy and non-toxic. I applied two coats of VAX with a damp applicator Sponge. *See application tips below  
  1. Antique- Age and define with reVAX.  For this piece I chose black. It is the perfect complement to Marine Blue. I used the same damp VAX applicator sponge to apply. This can be done in many ways so play with it on a scrap piece of wood. Remember we don’t water our products down so it is very dark and will grab fast. Keep a baby wipe handy and it is okay to add a little water or add some sheer VAX to it.  Once you get the hang of it you are going to fall in love.
  2. Hardware-The hardware on this piece wasn’t working for this look so I found some pearl ones at Hobby Lobby.
  3. Stage- If you are doing this to resale I cannot stress enough how important it is to stage properly and use quality images when advertising online. (no cellphone pics)  A potential customer needs help imagining it in there space.  Not everyone can see the potential in a piece like we can so help them see the possibilities.

Enjoy!

Shabby Shannon

 

*VAX and Varnish application tips.

**Warning the first coat might look streaky depending on how you apply, your second might too. Don’t worry this is normal.  Your 2nd and sometimes 3rd coat will fix this.

VAXing & Varnishing like a Pro

  1. Keep your Applicator Sponge Damp
  2. Apply thin coats.
  3. Make sure that the surface of the Sponge is fully loaded with product. (A bare or dry spot on your sponge can pull causing streaks.)
  4. Use gentle even pressure strokes.

If you are new to VAX and have used harsh waxes in the past it is time to retrain your brain, save your strength and use soft gentle strokes.

Remember 2 coats in a 24 hour period is recommended to prevent your finish from becoming tacky…no one likes tacky!