Refinishing Second Hand Desks

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.

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.

Now, comes the actual step of refinishing. Decide a color tone and sheen for your desk also, whether you want to stick to the older one or a new color. Do remember to patch test the color on an out of way portion of the desk or a similar piece of wood and ensure that you get the color you want after the stain dries. Once you are convinced with the color of the stain you can go ahead with painting the entire desk.

Sheen is the shininess or glossy look of the desk. Most home improvement and furniture specialty shops sell spray on finishes. You can choose from a variety of glossy levels, depending on how shiny you want your desk to be. There are even matte finishes that are not shiny, but rather look more natural. This is very desirable for some people, rather than having the shiny high-gloss sheen.

It is up to you whether or not you want to add a coat of paint. Most wood desks, however, look very beautiful without paint. Indeed, paint often ruins the look of the desk. But if you wish, then you can paint the desk, of course.

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.

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