Easy DIY Painted Desk Makeover

Looking for a way to personalize an office space? Here’s an inexpensive way to update an old desk with this DIY painted desk makeover.

Do you have a space in your home that doesn’t really have a purpose? We have a room that, until recently, was kind of a pass through from our great room to our family room.  Since I work from home, I decided to turn it into an office space and to do that I needed a desk.

Where do you find an inexpensive desk? Walmart and Target both have some great inexpensive desk options but I needed something rather large for this space so I turned to FB Marketplace. I picked this up for $100 and you won’t believe this old desk before and after.

 

 

This thrifted desk has great storage and pretty details.

 

 

The bottom is a great size but the top is a little too large and if felt just a bit formal for me. 

 

 

Here’s how to give an old desk a simple farmhouse makeover.

Supplies for a DIY desk makeover with paint:

1. Paint
2. Paint brush
3. Primer or BB Frösch Paint Additive 
4. Wax
5. Wax brush
6. Screw driver for removing hardware

How to update an old desk with paint.

1. Clean and Prep the surface.

Start by removing the hardware and storing it in a container. 

 

 

Wipe down the entire desk with a damp rag to remove all of the dust. It wasn’t greasy or sticky so I didn’t need to use any type of real cleaner. You can always use a mild dish soap and water if it’s greasy or has other marks on it. Just make sure to wipe it down well after to remove any residue. 

If it has any funky smells, you can see my tips on removing smells from furniture here.

Normally, I would make my own chalk paint with plaster of Paris but this time I wanted to try the BB Frösch Paint Transformer. It’s 100% natural, affordable, and a premium alternative to pre-mixed chalk and mineral paint. The nice part is you can mix it with any paint so you get the exact color you want and it sticks to any surface.

 

 

The other nice thing is that you don’t have to prime, sand or strip the piece you’re working on. I have to be honest, though. Once the desk was dry, I gave it a very light sanding with a 220 grit sand paper because the surface was so shiny and well, you know, I’m old school. What can I say, old habits die hard 🙂

2. Paint the desk

So how do you make a boring desk look cool? Add some color!

The moment I purchased this desk I knew it had to be a shade of green. I had a sample of we tried for the kitchen cabinets during our kitchen remodel, so it was an easy choice.   I mixed Benjamin Moore High Park and Mountain Laurel together. Just between us, I kind of wish I went a bit darker. 🙂

I mixed the BB Frösch Paint Transformer as directed; mix 2 heaping tablespoons with 1-1/2 tablespoons of warm water. Their website says it should be the consistency of donut glaze. Once the additive is fully dissolved, add one cup of paint and mix well. 

I applied it with a round brush. 

 

 

 

It didn’t cover as well as I hoped so I had to do two coats. Honestly, the surface of the desk had a bit of a texture which you can see in the picture above and I also don’t think I used enough paint on the first coat. 

Once it was dry, I applied a coat of the wax in circle motions with a round brush and then wiped some off with  clean cloth. 

 

 

3. Remove and re-stain the top.

We unscrewed the top from underneath to remove it and we took it out to the barn to strip it down to reveal a lighter wood.

 

 

We also cut it down just a bit using the table saw.

 

 

Unfortunately, it turned out to be made of particle board which didn’t look very nice but we have a solution for that. We picked up an oak

1 x 4 board and cut it in 1 inch strips to frame out the top.

 

 

He mitered the corners and used wood glue and finishing nails to attached the pieces. 

 

 

You can find more furniture makeovers here.

You can see how to painted a laminate desk with chalk paint here.

 

 

I finished the top with a light stain. My executive desk makeover is complete! I think this desk makeover DIY turned out exactly like I wanted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pin it for later! 

 

 

 

Do you have a piece of furniture that you have refinished? I’d love to hear about it! 

Happy DIY’ing my friends! 

Col

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