Refinishing the Maple Desk

During our vacation, a crazy thing happened. The cold weather went away, and the ground was bare. I know. We were surprised too. There was an estate sale around the corner from our house, and we walked there. M. actually rode her bike. While were out walking, the sun was shining, and a delightful woman with a great deal of life experience wished us a Happy Easter. I was so proud of my boys. They simply said, “Thank you.”

This was my first estate sale, and it was not at all what I was expecting. When I think of estate sales, I think of a sale that takes place after an occupant dies. In this case, it was clear that a family was making a huge life change for some reason, and I felt sad as we were walking from room to room. It is completely possible that the estate sale was a good thing for the family, but watching people paw through their belongings just felt so personal and strange.

Upstairs, we found the maple desk. Aside from a lot of drink glass rings, it was in great condition. It was a solid wood piece, and I felt confident that we could refinish it quickly so we could use it in our library. With more than a twinge of guilt, we paid and left.

Once we got the desk home, Andy and I put it outside so I could sand it. The weather was dry and decent, and I was drawn to the idea that if I sanded outside, no clean up would be necessary. After working on the bedrooms, I am so tired of cleaning up dust and debris.

I tried sanding with the mouse sander, but I quickly discovered that it was not heavy duty enough for the job. The rings were deeper than I expected, so I switched to the orbital sander.
I started with 100 grit, and worked my way to 220 grit for a smooth surface. It took less than 15 minutes.

At this point, I was in new territory. The top needed stain, and because I am inexperienced, I did not know what color finish, if any, was on the bottom of the desk. If I chose incorrectly, the top and the bottom would be mismatched, and I would have to start over. With my sister’s help, we decided on a clear stain without a polyurethane finish. Although polyurethane is durable, I thought that a regular stain would be easier to sand off if we made a color match mistake. I also wanted a more matte finish, and polyurethane tends to be shinier than I like. Am I the only one that feels like DIY is as much critical thinking as it is skill?

Fortunately, we took a guess, and it was the right one. Clear stain was a winner. The top only needed one coat for a proper match. This project just kept getting easier and easier.

After 24 hours, I rubbed on a light coat of wax, and let it dry for additional 24 hours. The desk took longer to dry than it did to finish.

We did some rearranging in the library which is the most popular room in the house. Now there is a desk for each computer, and we no longer use TV trays for the printer, coffee pot and router. It almost looks like grown-ups live here. We know the truth.

This is one of those projects that was so satisfying that I find myself staring at the desk and running my hand across the top several times per day. I do not even feel embarrassed about that even though I probably should. Self-satisfied smugness is not flattering on anyone.

The next post will be about the electrician’s visit and the good news about heating the boys’ bedrooms. In addition, I will share some of the 2015 goals we have for BHH and some personal resolutions as well. I love the new year.