Rhonda has the kind of friends we all need — friends who give away beautiful solid wood desks on Facebook. Desks like the one above that have strong bones despite the visible wear and tear caused by years of hard use. Rhonda and her husband knew this desk would shine up to a become a showpiece in their home, and boy were they right!
Rhonda's husband took charge of this project, removing all of the old chipped veneer before sanding the wood smooth. He used a lighter stain on the frame and a darker on the drawer fronts to create a two-tone finish before sealing the piece. The last step was cleaning decades of grime from the original hardware before reattaching it to the desk.
This project obviously took a lot of time and care, but is one of those where the end result is so beautiful, all that hard work was well worth it. Restoring this 1940s desk should easily give it another 60 years of life, if not more.
See more: home.made: Antique Imperial Desk Restoration
Images: Rhonda/home.made
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MUAUUH!! YOU DIDN'T PAINT IT!!! This is truly a work of art as well as a labor of love. SO BEAUTIFUL!! Oh you get to go in front of the line on this one. JUST BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
No paint! I appreciate painted furnitures when that makes them fresher and nicer but I also appreciate "dust off" ones that kept their initial patina and look. This is a great job, really.
That is so beautiful! And it's not painted hahahaha!
My, oh, my is that one attractive desk. And huzzah! No paint!
Paint free! A revelation! Great job!
thank goodness... a redo that didn't involve paint... amen....
i have to agree, so glad it isn't another painted piece.
i find it so disappointing when ppl take a piece of furniture and do the light paint color/sand the edge 'technique', paint it white,m or paint it some bright color that is ultra trendy.
all of those just are so overdone (and AT keeps rehashing them from other websites)
love this desk, and it obviously took a lot of work!
Yes, it is beautiful but even if it had been painted, it would have been put to good use and
saved from going to the landfill. "No paint" people are kinda a drag.
So pretty. Great job. Maybe get a smaller chair with a thinner frame so you can see the desk better though. Just sayin'!
Yes, beautiful...was so hoping it was not going to be painted, and it wasn't! Perhaps if AT posted instructions with some of these restored items, more people would realize it is as doable as painting, with much longer lasting and more beautiful results.
...maybe the desk wasn't painted, but didn't anyone notice that the chair *was*?
I'm with SMMCC on this. It bothers me that the relative aesthetic merits don't seem to matter to the adherents of the "no paint!" orthodoxy. Sometimes paint is the best solution, sometimes it isn't.
I think paint could have looked great too, but this looks fabulous. The wood grain is really beautiful. I love the round feet too.
Did they cut a piece of glass for the top, or is it just a really shiny finish?
gorgeous job. SO HAPPY to see people are refinishing pieces instead of painting them. it's a terrible trend that must stop to protect the natural beauty of wood pieces.
I'm not a 'no paint' pureist. I do love to see a piece refinished in a way that shows it off the best way possible and that was certainly accomplished here. Beautiful job and well done on making the best call for what was appropriate for this piece!
Knowing how much work it really is to get this back to its original state without using paint, I applaud you! This is beautiful
I'm impressed with the result. It looks almost brand new. I could've done without the chair blocking half the desk in the photo.
I have an old sold wood (with veneer) vanity that has seen better days. I have been contemplating whether to paint it or refinish it. This made up my mind. Refinish it is! Absolutely stunning.
This is a beautiful piece and a job well done. However, I also like the painted pieces. They are fresh and beautiful to me as well.
I would like it soooo much better if they painted it purple....JUST KIDDING! I love it! :)
Stunning. Simply stunning.
gorgeous
I'm with MSVICKI 100%.
Thank you AT for giving us more of this lately.
Great job. It looks stunning.
hooray, it's beautiful!
wonderful! and I too, am thrilled you didn't paint it.
That is an awesome desk! It gives me hope for the chipped old chair I just found at the thrift store.
I'm with SMMCC, whatever saves the piece from going to the dump is a-ok in my book! If that means you want to paint it, paint away!
Great job! It looks beautiful!
Wow! Now THIS is an after! So beautiful, classic, timeless. Perfect!!!! Great job! This must have been a labor of love. You are my role models!
I'm not entirely positive a previously-veneered desk counts/counted as "solid wood desk," but the transformation (and the patience it undoubtedly took) is simply amazing. Yay, husband!
I hate seeing solid furniture in good condition painted (and ruined), but can get on board when it is really beat up. The before is something I would have totally painted, but I am in awe of the restoration. Good job!
I am glad this desk turned out beautifully (or more). It must have taken a great amount of time and effort. What I admire is their ability to see under the rubble.
WOW.
the before shows that something must be done w/the peeling veneer, the after shows refinishing skill (and some luck that the wood underneath was not mixed-grain mystery). the two-tone is effective. good job. now to strip the paint from that potentially-nice chair?
you rock!!!
Beau-ti-ful.
I liked the before better, it's too bad they didn't paint it white and lightly distress the edges... All kidding aside, beautiful job!! I can't even imagine how much work and time went into recovering that piece, I love that you even saved the original hardware.
Wow. It looked like it was too far gone, that I wouldn't have been surprised if they had decided to paint it. Some serious thought, time and work went into a correct restoration. Amazing result!
Beautiful My husband is the quintessential wood purist (as someone so aptly commented earlier), especially when the piece has so much potential as you have proven here. I thought he was going to squeal and clap his hands like a 3 year old when I showed him the "after" photo. Bravo!
Oh, yeah!!!! Excellent!
I'm gonna be the odd ball. I freakin love painted furniture and was disappointed to see it in natural wood. I can appreciate the natural wood and it was beautifully done but I love color so I'm not anti-painting furniture by any means.
I cannot BELIEVE that the "Before" was something you were willing to tackle! That took a certain level of heroism! Amazing transformation, and kudos for not consigning the original to the flames as I would probably have done!
Hard to fix veneer..or I have had a hard time with it, but you guys did this beautifully. And I love both..painted or regular wood pieces. Just depends on the look and who/where it is for.
I'm not a fan of this style of furniture, but you did a lovely job, and I bet it wasn't easy!! Congrats!
People, though, need to stop being so ridiculous about whether or not people paint a piece of furniture. It's fine to not like something, but you don't have to live with that piece of furniture, and it's not your decision so I don't understand why you're all so critical and judgemental towards people who do decide to paint their furniture. Your way is not always the best way.
wow... gorgeous!!!
So very lovely! Glad you didn't paint it.