Teacher Desk Overhaul

After getting to inventory my new classroom, the first thing I wanted to accomplish was fixing my desk. You might be able to see in this photo that the wood veneer was coming off of the particle board top. Funnily enough, the first thing the janitors talked to me about was the state of the desk and wanted the know if I wanted to fix it. My resounding answer: YES!

Right after getting approval for this project, I took the wood veneer off ASAP.

I was on the right track, it already looked better.

I knew that I wanted to do something neutral enough that if I wanted to change my decor it would still match. And I wanted to be trendy, so chevron it is! I purchased the Frog Tape Chevron precut tape, and boy was it a life saver! I spent an hour and a half trying to do my own chevron, but wanted to pull my hair out! I think it turned out awesome! I used a 3-2-1 primer and let the desk sit for 24 hours. I then painted a single coat of white paint all over, just to give my stripes a nice shine. I used Valspar semi-gloss paint in Stone Mason Gray. I actually purchased one of the small samples for $2.98 and it was plenty for one coat of gray. I thought about doing a second coat of gray, but the Frog Tape says to remove it while the paint is wet, right after you finish painting. So better safe than sorry!

This is the result!! I love the way it turned out (below)! But I knew that I needed to give it something extra so that my arms wouldn't be rubbing against a rougher surface. So I bought a quick drying polyurethane to apply over the paint. The guy at Home Depot said that it wouldn't turn the white yellow. Well, shocker, it did! However, it wasn't terribly yellow, it just dulled the white. It gives it a almost vintage look, so I'm ok with it! Plus now, it's super smooth and perfect for my work space!