Scavenger Chic

Mid Century Modern Desk Refresh

• By Joan
• January 13, 2019
• 11 Comments

I may have  taken a month off from blogging in December but I still kept busy working on projects.  This desk, along with an entry table which I’ll show you later on in the week, were from an online auction.  I mentioned that during my month off I was moving one of my sons into a new home and with a new bigger home they were in need of a few new pieces, one of which was a desk.

With both my son and daughter in law working from home  they really need two desks in their new home.  Their current desk was built-in so it couldn’t make the move so they were in need of  new desks fairly quickly.   I found this one but I’m still on the hunt for a second.

My daughter-in-law, Mollie, loved the look of this desk when I found it at the online auction and was so happy I won the bid for about $30.  She is totally into the mid-century modern look and if I could save the finish and the wood that would be her desired choice.  She did pick out a chalk paint color just in case it was beyond repair but she let me be the final vote.

The top had a lot of wear issues and I wasn’t sure I would be able to save it.  Some of the veneer had peeled away and where there are white lines,  the grain had become raised.

There were also tons of dingy brass accents and I removed all that I could for cleaning.

I tried my Brasso Metal Polish on the tarnished brass but it didn’t do anything.  To the internet where I found if you soak your brass in distilled white vinegar and salt for a few hours it should remove the tarnish.  It was worth a try.

So here are my brass pieces soaking.  After an hour I was bored and pulled a couple pieces out to see if the vinegar solution was doing anything.

The pieces were slightly less tarnished but after buffing them again with the Brasso, this time they shined right up. I can’t tell you whether or not the solution would work by itself if I left the pieces for the 3 hours but it did loosen the tarnish enough so I could finish cleaning them.

The feet still need their chance in the bath.

I couldn’t get all the brass pieces off.  For those hard to clean brass pieces  I took a fine Sanding Sponge with the Brasso and worked it into the nooks and crannies of the leg pieces.

Use fine sandpaper and follow the direction of the wood grain to remove any scratches or blemishes from the desk top.

Clean with a lint free cloth.

There was one other area of the desk that needed to be fixed before finishing.  All along the edge was a “brass” metal trim piece.  About a third was missing and 1/2 of what was leftover of the “brass” had rubbed off so that it appeared silver.  The rest would have to go.

Some of the wood came off with the trim and some remained.  I cleaned the  notch out  as best I could, prying some of the wood out and what couldn’t be pried, sanded the rest.

After the prying and the sanding, I filled in the notch with a wood putty shaping it just as I would  if I were finishing a caulk edge. Sand until smooth.

Someone asked in the comments what kind of wood putty I used.  This was Durhams Rockhard Water Putty which comes in powder form, just mix what you need.

Cleaned out the drawers with an all purpose cleaner.

This was the moment of truth.  Whether I could get away with just waxing the desk or would I have to paint.

This is Waverly antique wax, available from Walmart.  Paint the wax on  then rub off with a soft rag.

The waxing worked beautifully.

The old drawers were kind of sticky.  I have found that if you rub wax, bar soap or paraffin on the runners and where it meets inside the desk the drawers slide much more easily.

A brand new desk.

This was the corner with all the scratches and missing veneer.  The veneer sanded down flat and the remaining damage is hardly noticeable with the added wax.

The before and after is hardly noticeable especially from this angle but it does feel like a brand new desk.

Stop by later in the week for that second piece of furniture.

Have a great week.  Stay inspired.

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