If you have decided that you would like to add a writing desk to a room there are many options available to you. You can very easily pick up a writing desk for as little as around $70 or so. You can also find unassembled desks that you bring home and put together yourself. Both of these options will provide you with a ‘what you see is what you get’ writing desk, which many people are fine with.
However, another option available, especially if you enjoy home projects, is to look around at second hand furniture shops or garage sales, and buy an old writing desk to refinish. Some people enjoy refinishing furniture for the pleasure it gives them, others do it in order to save hard earned cash. It is very easy to refinish a desk and you need little skills to do it. You can either stain and varnish it, or even paint it. For example usually a white writing desk looks great in a child’s bedroom. Of course you can paint it any color that matches the overall room’s decor, although white seems to be a popular color for a painted writing desk.
If you plan to refinish a small writing desk you may want to set aside an area where you can work and then leave the project unattended. It will need time to dry between coats of finish and as such it is not really a project that can be finished in an afternoon thus the reason for finding a workspace where you can leave the desk in-between coats.
The first step is to sand the wood down. It is fairly laborious doing this by hand, though of course it can be done and in fact some parts may need to be hand sanded. If you can avail yourself of an electric sander you will find it is most efficient to sand the desk down using it.
Once sanded you should wipe the desk carefully with a damp rag in order to remove any of the dust left over from sanding. Even though the dust particles may be so small you can barely see them, they will leave your finish looking less lustrous than it should.
When sanded and dusted you are ready to apply your first layer of stain, or paint. Follow the instructions carefully in regards to how long you should leave the coat to dry before applying a second coat. The longer you leave it to dry the better your refinishing job will be. Once all the coats are on you can finish it with varnish if you have stained the desk.
You will end up with a marvelous writing desk at a fraction of the cost you would have had to have paid for a new desk. You will also have probably had a lot of fun completing the project by yourself too.