Refinishing Desks: Giving A New Look To Old Wooden Charm

Wood furniture is beautiful but it tends to dry up and crack after some time. Wooden desks often develop dark splodges and rings, giving the surface a dull and soiled look. This ruins the beauty of your furniture, and spoils the neat appearance of your office or den.

In order to preserve the look of wooden desks, refinishing can help restore the shine to the wood. It also serves to protect the wood as much as to enhance the appearance of the wood. In desks made from cherry, walnut, and mahogany, refinishing can show off the grain contrasts that exist in these woods.

The first thing that needs to be done in any desk-refinishing venture is to strip the old finish. Use a remover that is safe for use on wood furniture. It is possible to find these products at home improvement stores and specialty shops that sell fine furniture. Use a friendly solvent to clean up the residue left by the remover (do not use a water-based solvent for this, however). And never clean desks or other fine wood furniture with water.

If the desks you are working on are rough, it may be necessary to sand the surface. After cleaning everything off, removing the old finish and any paint, sand the entire desk down. You can use an electric sander to make this process easier.

Now, comes the actual step of refinishing. Decide a color tone and sheen for your desk also, whether you want to stick to the older one or a new color. Do remember to patch test the color on an out of way portion of the desk or a similar piece of wood and ensure that you get the color you want after the stain dries. Once you are convinced with the color of the stain you can go ahead with painting the entire desk.

If you want a glossy look of the desk you can choose from a variety of glossy levels. Most home improvement and furniture specialty shops sell spray on finishes. Many people prefer the matte finish that is not shiny, but has a more natural look. However, if you want shiny high-gloss sheen you will find a whole range of sprays of different glossy levels.

It is up to you whether or not you want to add a coat of paint. Most wood desks, however, look very beautiful without paint. Indeed, paint often ruins the look of the desk. But if you wish, then you can paint the desk, of course.

It is wiser to have a wood finish done before you paint the desk. This protects the wood from harsh paint chemicals. Also if you find it better to stick to the natural look you can easily revert to the natural color. You must clear-coat the desk after it has been painted and the final coat of paint dries. This enhances the paint's longevity.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

About the author: Reggie Carvel writes exclusively for Art Desks, visit there today for the latest Desk advice, and while you're there sign up for the free newsletter. Want to read more Desk articles?, just go to: www.artdesks.com/articles
Don't reprint this article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated