Craft Room Project: Painted Desk

As part of my craft room/office overhaul, I've been banishing colors that don't fit into my color scheme. The biggest offender on this list was my computer desk. We've had it for many years and frankly, it was in need of a few touch-ups anyway, so I decided to paint it black to match. Plus I'm way too frugal to get rid of something perfectly useful!

Being ignorant about painting furniture, I initially thought I'd have to spray paint the desk, but someone I know told me how she had recently painted her bathroom vanity with a special type of brush-on paint. So off to Home Depot I went, where the Nice Paint Guy recommended Behr Ultra Paint and Primer In One for my project. I have to say this was the right choice. This paint is thick and covers beautifully. I think it would cover just about anything!

Nice Paint Guy also recommended using a foam roller which, I've learned, is very different than the furry roller you've probably used to paint walls. Foam rollers create a very smooth texture and are perfect for painting furniture and doors. (Yes, DOORS, Spouse, if you are reading this!)

The desk actually has two large pieces plus a corner piece which holds them together. Since I was new to this furniture painting business, I decided to start with the corner piece which has only one leg. With Lily's supervision, I got off to a good start, so I moved on to the next piece!

  
The second component is a traditional desk (pictured upright in the first photo of this post) with four legs and three drawers. I flipped the desk upside down, as it was easier to reach the painted surfaces that way.

The drawers were a bit tedious to paint but still not difficult. Most surfaces required only one coat, but I gave a second coat to the drawer fronts.

The final piece took the longest, as it had to be painted inside and out. 

This piece also has two slide-out shelves, used for my keyboard and scanner. Again, I flipped the HEAVY desk over to work on the sides, then flipped it back up to finish painting the inside. Good thing I go to the Dreaded Fitness Place! LOL

I still have a few spots to touch up, but I'm very happy with how the finished desk components look! I won't be re-assembling the pieces until the new flooring is installed, so a full picture will come later. I can see the room starting to come together, at least in terms of color! :)

 This paint worked so well that I'm no longer fearful about painting other types of furniture. But first, I have a craft room to finish. Stay tuned!

Janet