Refinishing Desks: Giving A New Look To Old Wooden Charm

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.

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.

You will need to sand the surface of the desks if it is rough. You can sand the entire desk down but only after you have cleaned everything off, removing the old finish and paint, if any. 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.

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.

If you want to add a coat of paint, then you can paint the desk also. However, most wood desks look very beautiful without paint. In fact, it spoils the look of the desk.

It is important to make sure that you have a good finish on the wood before you apply the paint. This will protect the wood. If you change your mind down the road, having the finish will make it easier to revert back to natural wood from paint. It is a good idea to clear-coat your desk's paint job after the final coat of paint dries.

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Reggie Carvel is the chief writer for, and editor of Art Desks, it's one of the webs most up to date Desk sites, while you're there sign up for the free newsletter. For more quality articles on Desk why not visit: www.artdesks.com/articles

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