a gorgeous vintage desk in general finishes arm-r-seal and marzipan milk paint by miss mustard seed
This vintage desk is finally finished and I’m so excited to share it with all of you! It has a new warm look thanks to Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in the color “Marzipan“. The drawers have been refinished using General Finishes oil based topcoat, Arm-R-Seal, in a Satin finish.
it all started with the drawers
This vintage desk is in fabulous condition! It’s structurally sound and didn’t need any repair work when I bought it. The drawers had the most gorgeous wood veneer on them, and I used them as my launching pad for the rest of the desk’s makeover.
Normally I like to strip and sand wood veneer on drawer fronts, but the condition of these drawers was a bit precarious. I didn’t want to take an orbital sander to them, so I opted to sand them by hand using 150 grit.
Once they were sanded down, I applied two coats of General Finishes oil based urethane topcoat called Arm-R-Seal in a Satin finish.
Using oil-based products used to freak me out in the early days of my furniture painting career. Now, I don’t think twice about it! You can watch how I applied this fabulous product and learn a bit about the differences between oil and water based finishes in this Facebook live post.
The results are gorgeous.
You can read about another project where I used Arm-R-Seal on the drawers here.
sprucing the handles
The original handles lost their shine and luster, so I used Rub N Buff to spruce them up (affiliate link).
Marzipan milk paint by miss mustard seed
When it came time to pick a paint color, I wanted to use something that would compliment the warmth of the wood grain on the drawers. It was between Linen and Marzipan by Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint. In the end, I chose the warm almond tones of Marzipan!
It took 3 coats to get full coverage on the desk. I was painting over a dark wood surface, so that’s not unusual. After the second coat, I tested to see if that was enough, but my gut told me I needed one more.
Using 120 grit sandpaper, I gently distressed the edges of the piece to provide contrast and draw the eye to the gorgeous shape of the desk.
sealing the desk
To seal the desk, I applied a layer of Hemp Oil and wiped away the excess.
I let the Hemp Oil dry for a few days and then added a layer of clear Furniture Wax over top. This adds extra protection, which is important on a piece like a desk!
You can layer Hemp Oil with Miss Mustard Seed’s wax products as long as you apply the Hemp Oil first. If you ever forget, just follow the alphabet! “H” and “O” come before “W”, so you Hemp Oil before you Wax!
staging with props from morgantown market
On a recent shopping trip to Morgantown Market, I picked up some really great staging props.
I loved this collection of vintage trophies.
And this fabulous oil painting.
I already had this cute alabaster lamp in my stash, so I paired it with a bundle of carpentry books and some glass ink wells.
a classic redo
This desk is an absolute classic. The warmth of its new finish paired with its curvy shape and sturdy construction make it a quality piece of furniture to add into your home decor.
