It's good wood under there - I know it.

My husband has had his grandfathers desk for years.

It was our only desk when we were first married. A giant monitor teetering on top. Bills piled all over it.

 

Years ago I lazily slapped some blue paint scantily over the green to make it look "rustic"?. It looked terrible. It was stuck in a corner in my sons room after that.

 I decided it was time to bring it out and treat it right.

 For some reason I had this need to see what was underneath. I had a feeling that the wood would be wonderful. I was partially right.

 

After removing a few layers from the top I could tell the wood was gorgeous. I liked that there was some deep etchings made by some soul in the past, but for the most part it was in very nice shape.

 The body of the desk was looking like it was made up different woods. Actually, different paints too. Some parts had my blue, the green, different shades of brown, and some spots even had a questionable white. I can only imagine what it looked like at certain times.

 Here's how I found the easiest way to strip paint off of furniture.

 I really like this CitriStrip. I've used a few other products, but I prefer this line. I apply a thick coat with a brush, let it sit for 30 minutes, then using a plaster spreader I scrape off the paint. Some paints take a couple applications.

 Once the top looked like this-
                   

 it's time for the Citristrip after wash. **Use chemical gloves with this stuff. It will eat right through regular plastic gloves and honestly my fingertips felt terrible before I went and bought some proper gloves. Safety first!

 I used on of those M3 green scrub pads to apply the after wash and scrub the surface. It helps remove the stripper and it also removes any small amounts of paint residue left.

 I wanted a strong contrast so I decided to stain the top with a darker stain.

 

 To be fair Minwax is the only stain brand that I've ever used, but I do like it a lot.

 It's very easy to use, and the colors have been perfect. I brushed on the stain in a thin even layer, waited for about 25 minutes, then wiped the surface with a slightly damp rag.

 

 

The body was your typical, paint-rough-it-up-with-sand-paper-then-apply-antique-glaze-with-a-wet-rag-until-it's-aged-just-so. The only trick I've found with this is to make sure you age it in believable areas: the feet, corners, edges of drawers, around pulls.

 I finished the top with 2 coats of semi gloss polycrylic, but only one coat on the body of the desk.

 The pulls are the only thing that I'm not certain I like. I like how they are mismatched and have a used look, but I may switch some of the glass ones out if I find something better.

                  

 I love how it turned out and think that they way it looks now, it can switch from room to room much easier.

 Now, I'm off to find a chair to finish for her to sit at the desk.