Refinishing Desks: Giving A New Look To Old Wooden Charm
By: Reggie Carvel

Dried, cracked and damaged wood, dull and soiled furniture surface, dark splotches and rings; they mar the beauty of your office furniture and spoil the prime and proper look of your office or den. There are only a few things that make your office or den look more beautiful than wooden furniture and desks.

If you learn how to refinish your wooden desks you can preserve the original look and restore the shine to the wood. Refinishing protects the wood as much as it enhances the appearance of the wood. Moreover, refinishing can bring back the grain contrasts that exist in desks made from cherry, walnut, and mahogany.

The first step in the process of refinishing the desk is to strip the old finish. Make sure you use a remover that is safe for use on wood furniture. You can find these products at home improvement stores and specialty shops that sell fine furniture. Look for a friendly solvent to clean up the residue left by the remover. Remember not to use a water-based solvent for cleaning 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.

Once the desk is free from the old paint and the surface is smooth you have to decide on a color and sheen for your desk. It is entirely up to you whether you want to refinish the desk close to its original color or make a color change. It depends on the stain that you use. However, before you do the entire desk, test the color of the stain on a portion of the desk that is less noticeable. This is to make sure that when the stain dries, it is the color of your choice.

You could settle for a shiny high gloss sheen or matte finish for your desk, depending on your choice and preference. While some people like the shiny appeal of the high gloss finish others prefer the more natural look of the matte finish. You can get a variety of sprays for furniture finish from home improvement or furniture specialty shops. You can choose between the varieties of glossy levels depending upon the kind of finish you prefer.

Though the wooden desk look their best without being painted over, you can add a coat of paint if you prefer. Remember, these paints can ruin the look of the desk so just be very careful when you choose one or else let the natural look be there.

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.ArticleJoe.com

About the author: Reggie Carvel writes exclusively for Art Desks, there's a wealth of knowledge on the website, plus while you're there sign up for the free newsletter. If you want to read more Desk articles go to: www.artdesks.com/articles
You can get a unique content version of this article.

Please Rate this Article

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

Not yet Rated