Advice on painting an old desk black

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

I am currently updating my study

I've had this desk for about 10 years and rather than throw it away, I want to have a go at painting or staining it "black" (gloss or Matt?)

Has anyone ever tried this? If so, what did you use and how did it turn out?

Any advice much appreciated - thanks

Featured Answer

embzop

9 years ago

Hi, I had an old pine desk that I painted a few months ago. It's quite a nice desk but the top had been damaged and I felt it looked a bit studenty. I painted it with Annie Sloan chalk paint in 'graphite'. I haven't got round to waxing it yet. I left some of the wood showing so it would look a bit different.

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Comments (36)

PRO
OnePlan
9 years ago
Here's an interesting thread that might be useful to you !!
http://houzz.com/discussions/2833502
Z Stevens thanked OnePlan
Matthew Decorator
9 years ago
Instead of sanding it down you can paint it straight away with bin sealer shellac, then oil undercoat it then oil gloss it
Z Stevens thanked Matthew Decorator
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Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you One Plan - the painted bureau looks wonderful - I'm going to contact and ask her what she thinks of my idea!
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you Matthew - I will go and research the bin sealer!
Matthew Decorator
9 years ago
It's available in B&q, Brewers etc. it's quite expensive but as previously stated no sanding is needed and it's more than capable of sticking to any surface as well as priming and undercoating it.
Z Stevens thanked Matthew Decorator
Helen C
9 years ago
Have a look at Annie Sloan paints. I haven't got around to using them yet so I can't comment personally but I think they have a good reputation. As I understand it you don't need to sand the furniture with this paint which would save a lot of hard work!
Z Stevens thanked Helen C
minnie101
9 years ago
Annie Sloan do a granite colour which is a darkish grey. I used it on a bar and counter we picked up cheaply on ebay. I added clear wax to it which does turn it pretty much black. If you drink alcohol at your desk it will dissolve the wax though, we found that out after our first party! I really think this paint is best if you're after a french slightly distressed look as it is very chalky. The waxing is also hard work! If you want a glossy modern feel try Matthews suggestion. You could always just revarnish the desk and redecorate the study with a modern gentlemens club feel (the clean variety!)
PRO
OnePlan
9 years ago
( the clean variety) !!! Hahahaha!!!
minnie101
9 years ago
I thought I should clarify and be careful if you search for images of this style on Google!
Z Stevens thanked minnie101
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Haha!! Thank you minnie101 - love the suggestion of a gentleman's club feel - but I'll be very careful what I search for!!
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you campo73 - will have a look at your suggestion - appreciate your time!
Helen C
9 years ago
Embzop do you have to wax it or can you just leave it as a matt painted finish?
embzop
9 years ago
I believe it needs to be waxed to seal the paint and give a lasting finish. I keep intending to put the wax coat on, I just haven't got round to it.
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you embzop - love what you have done with your desk - I will certainly look up Annie Sloan!!
Tim Price
9 years ago
Don't do it! In a large, swish office a black desk can work but even though staining it black may look okay at home in a small room, don't be fooled. You will find it very depressing to work at that desk. Given the desk design with the leather top I would simply smarten it up in the colour it is but if you really have to change the colour, go lighter, not darker. If this is a desk you use regularly you will soon feel down and your work standard will be down with it in black. Black looks good from far and in photos but not when working there. Just consider all the advice about a bright kitchen etc. - same applies. Banish the black!
Z Stevens thanked Tim Price
Sylvia McGrain Elliott
9 years ago
I clean a very large log house and there is so much black furniture that I could scream. Even the toilets are black and even they are hard to clean because every bit of lint shows up. A minute after I dust anything
it reappears. The kitchen is also black and everything shows up. Looks good from afar, but a real pain for keeping it looking nice.
Z Stevens thanked Sylvia McGrain Elliott
Lisa de Araujo
9 years ago
I found a recipe online for a homemade chalk paint like Annie Sloans but much cheaper. Using chalk paint means almost no sanding and it really works. It's much blacker than it looks in the photo but with a tiny bit of speckling from the plaster of Paris that's mixed with the paint. I like it as it successfully masks the dust that another commenter rightly points out shows on black furniture! I waxed it after with a dark wax and I love the way it turned out. It was so easy too. Took a couple of hours.
Lisa de Araujo
9 years ago
PS - I think that desk would look fab in black and that's exactly what I'd do with it. Very steampunk.
Carly
9 years ago
I painted my furniture in this colour and its so beautiful and rich http://www.dovetailsvintage.co.uk/shop/annie-sloan-chalk-paint-aubusson-blue/
Z Stevens thanked Carly
bruket
9 years ago
I agree with Tim Price. Don't paint it black. It is depressing to work at and it shows up dust and any marks. Marks will be difficult to repair with extra paint and waxes, it will end up looking blotchy.
Z Stevens thanked bruket
Tim Price
9 years ago
Yes, the scratch factor is something I forgot to address. A piece of wooden furniture kept the same colour as the wood's natural colour is easy to maintain since scratches don't change the colour.
If this is a working desk rather than an occasional desk as a statement piece then I stand by what I said - keep it light. Finally, I have been thinking of that gorgeous red leather inset top to your desk all afternoon. All the more reason to maintain the original colour (which was probably a little lighter than its weathered patina it has now). Simply sand it back and refinish with a transparent finish - or simply wax. Again, consider whether this is a working desk or a piece of furniture when deciding how to finish it.
Z Stevens thanked Tim Price
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you Lisa Araujo - I think your item looks fab! I know Tim Price and Bruket are against me painting the desk - but my house is full of 20 year old reproduction wood - and although it was very expensive to buy - I'm tired of it and need a change. My thought process is ..... I may well end up replacing it, so it's probably worth painting it and seeing what it looks like (might save me a fortune??!!)
Sama Ana
9 years ago
Well. why black ? you have to clean it from dust daily ... a have tried to do it with a black oil ... for an old bed ...it was'nt even close to bretty... then i went to dark brown oil ... it makes the wood look great ... i used this oil
Z Stevens thanked Sama Ana
PRO
Lisbet Home and Style, Esher
9 years ago
We are currently converting an old pine TV unit into a bar - much the same idea; however, in order to give it a touch of glamour we are changing the handles to chinese handles and add a little bit of oriental mystique with a touch of gold paint on the edges of each drawer. I think black furniture can be glamorous and very elegant! Recommend Farrow and Ball in Pitch Black Full Gloss for the paint if you're in the UK. Good luck and pls post pictures!
Z Stevens thanked Lisbet Home and Style, Esher
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Lisbet Home and Style, Esher - I hadn't even though about the Farrow and Ball Pitch Black - great idea!
Tim Price
9 years ago
If I lived nearby your place I would offer you a new desk as a swap for this lovely old one so that it could be restored to its former original glory, where shiny natural wood complements the leather writing pad insert and shiny period handles grace the drawers. Sadly I live on another continent, so I can't save this desk.
Z Stevens thanked Tim Price
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi Tim - you make me smile!!! I've had this desk for so many years - so I understand that ideally I should have it restored - the problem is, the desk seems so dated and I'm keen to update my whole house! I think you will probably have a fit when I tell you what I plan to do with my beautiful yew dining table and chairs!!!!!! I'll add the photos later!
minnie101
9 years ago
Hi again. If you're not keen on the modern gentlemens club look with a re varnished desk! Why not try either leaving the top as wood or painting in an olive to match with the leather insert. Or try the gold gilding wax to define the edges and drawers. If you use annie Sloan you definitely need to wax the desk and they also do a gilding wax but you can pick this up at loads of places. Last image is from etsy.
Z Stevens thanked minnie101
Tim Price
9 years ago
A Yew dining table and chairs? There is a good chance that you could sell for a large amount, buy exactly what you want to replace them in your new look and have a tidy bit of money to spare. Not forced to be correct, but worth checking out first.
I am a big fan of preserving, renovating and repurposing but when considering repurposing I do check this out first. Since the point of repurposing is meant to be to save money as well as reducing materials used in getting a new look, then the idea of selling them (thus not wasted) has to be looked at first. Once repurposed the process cannot be undone and the value of the item as an original is gone. Of course a lot of things are great for repurposing as they are not of a condition or design or material that others want in the current condition, so fine, modify to your heart's content - I do that too. For example I have some furniture made from pallets. I made armchairs and a coffee table from a type of polystyrene used to space large pipes during transport (I had to sell them as I got fed up of being pestered by someone who wanted them so badly). I also have a wooden chest that is 17th century - I wouldn't dream of altering that.
Z Stevens thanked Tim Price
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
minnie101 - love the desks!! I am always amazed at how people think these ideas through! Why can't my brain function like that?!!!!
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Tim - I'm one of these odd human beings that finds it very difficult to throw things away - my attic is full of items I have collected over the years - it's so full I'm worried the ceilings will fall through! I've decided I need to live in America where they have basements - it must be easier to store things "down" rather than "up"!! Hahaha!! I will certainly look into selling the table first!
Adela A Martinez
9 years ago
Cual
Shelly Anne
9 years ago
Just saw this thread and was interested in what Tim Price said. Not long ago my parents tried to sell a set of Yew furniture (reproduction) that included an extending dining table & 6 chairs, a matching coffee table and 2 corner display cabinets & a desk just like the one above and literally no one would buy them. In the end, despite being beautiful pieces in good condition, they had to ask (beg!!) a charity to take them away. In the UK such furniture is not 'worth a fortune' but just the opposite. You can't give away Brown wood furniture. I very much agree that it's a real shame but unless you can a) live with it or b) afford to store it until it comes back into fashion then probably the best thing you can do is change it to suit your current decor
Z Stevens thanked Shelly Anne
Z Stevens
Original Author
9 years ago
Well - I bit the bullet and painted it! I took Matt's advice and used a BIN Shellac primer, and then just painted it black!! Don't get me wrong - a professional would probably cry and the quality of my work - but it has transformed my study and I think it looks great! I couldn't bring myself to simply throw the items away (desk, filing cabinet and bookshelf) - so what did I have to lose? I also hated the thought of throwing away items that had previously cost me a fortune, to go and buy something from IKEA - just couldn't do it - so I made the decision to have a go ... if I ruined the furniture, then nothing lost! I'm just waiting to finalise the whole room (blind, new chair etc) and then I will post a photo for comments haha!!
Helen
7 years ago
Did you post the photo? Excited to see