In a previous post, I told you all about refurbishing an old headboard for my daughter’s new room. That project went so well, I decided to redo my husband’s old desk to go in her room as well. The general process was basically the same for both pieces and the difference in the before and after shots is unbelievable. I still marvel at what a can of paint can do for some tired wooden furniture!

First, I sanded the desk down lightly and then wiped it off with tacky cloth. Then, I coated it all twice with white, semi-gloss paint. On the top though, I used the marker board paint to give her a surface to scribble on that would easily wipe clean. Out of all the applications I tried with the marker board paint, the desk is by far my favorite. A tip for erasing the desk top, use baby wipes. My daughter loves to wipe it clean almost as much as she enjoys scribbling on it.

I added new handles to the drawers that I decorated by gluing small flower patches to the front. You can find drawer knobs in a multitude of different sizes, shapes, colors and themes. You can easily find some to suit your needs. The flowers and leaves on the drawers are wall decals I bought that are easily removed. You can buy these is so many different patterns and themes and they really do peel off and stick back down without a problem. It was great to match the desk to the decorations I was going to sue on the walls. When it’s time for this desk to move to a new home though, it will be easy to switch out everything to make it match a new room!

Related posts: Refurbishing an old headboard, Decorating a plain, white lamp shade, Slipcovering an old ottoman and chair