Craft Desk Makeover

It’s time for a small craft desk makeover! I picked up this free desk last summer when some very good friends moved out of state. We had a pretty day last week, in the 80’s so it was time to do a quickie project.

It’s nothing special, but it’s well made. Someone had painted it with a high gloss white paint.

The desk had a pullout keyboard tray. Very few people have desktop computers these days so I took a chance and decided to remove the slide out tray.

How to give a computer desk a small makeover

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When changing up furniture it is best to turn it upside down so you can actually see what you’re dealing with. There were a few screws that needed to be removed with my drill.

Remove keyboard tray

remove small bottom brace that holds keyboard tray

I separated the small brace on the bottom that the keyboard tray rested on with a hammer. Look at those long staples!

use jigsaw to cut away extra trim on desk

The side brace needed to be separated before I started whacking it with a hammer. I used my battery operated jigsaw to make a small cut. You could use a handsaw if you don’t have power saws.

tap side braces away from the side of the desk

Using a putty knife and a hammer the pieces were removed. You can see that there are some major paint runs on the right side. Notice I also removed the thin piece of plywood on the back.

I use a small furniture dolly to easily move awkward or heavy pieces of furniture alone. This method is sort of like a wheelbarrow technique. I place the flat furniture dolly under the heaviest end and wheel it wherever I need to to go.

Not shown: I sanded the entire desk with 150 grit, then 220 grit sandpaper with my orbital sander. It helped to knock down that glossy shine. Wiping down with TSP is a great way to get rid of all the sanding residue.

I used some pretty green oops paint to mix up my special diy chalky paint primer using plaster of paris. It was time to break out a new mesh paint strainer . My old one would hardly allow paint to flow through it.

Quick and Easy paint job with an HVLP paint sprayer

I have switched to a tarp instead of a drop cloth. The drop cloth I was using got so paint laden that I can barely lug it around. I’ve been using it for years!! Tip: I use scrap 2×2’s to hold down each side of the tarp. Have you ever been so happy with a paint finish, only to have the cloth blow up and ruin your paint job? My favorite Homeright Super Finish Max Extra made this job go quick and easy. It’s more powerful than the original Finish Max and requires less thinning of your paint.

Paint Desk Chair

thrift store wooden chair for small desk

I dug around in the storage garage to find a suitable chair to go along with the small desk. I wiped it down and it was ready to go.

small desk makeover after diy chalky paint primer coat

This is the best thing about using the diy chalky paint primer. The primer coat and the top coat are the same color. I did two light coats of the chalky primer on both the small desk and the wooden chair.

How to Paint Craft Desk Drawers with a Paint Sprayer

how to paint desk drawers with a hvlp paint sprayer

You can see in this image how I sanded all the pieces of this mall desk. After allowing the two light coats of primer to dry, I put the drawers in place to paint them. The easiest way to paint drawers is upside down on a flat surface, or in place where they belong like I did here.

I didn’t want to wait for patching to dry, so I waited until after I painted the desk to patch the rough spots. It would be a quick and easy fix on the day that I got back to the project.

So, this is how it went in the storage garage to wait until I would have time to touch up the paint.

Several days later I was able to get back to the craft desk project and touch up the paint. I staged it with my portable wall.