Dumpster Desk to French Glazed Desk
Several months ago, I posted this desk on Trashy Tuesday. I had found it one glorious morning of Dumpster Diving at my favorite Apartment Dumpsters spot. The desk was SOLID wood, but had a very sad and abused top. I knew it would take some time, but I could transform it to a thing of beauty. It’s former self, only a mere memory.
This was a rare find, solid wood, CHECK. All Drawers present, CHECK, no broken or missing legs, CHECK. Fabulous potential? CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!
The top was a sad story. The boards were warped and pulling away from each other. There were deep scratches and overall damage. Time to pull out the heaye artillery . I knew Wood Filler, Joint Compound, or any of my other arsenal of tricks wouldn’t work. I had to turn the hard-core BONDO. I don’t recommend this for general use. Only when there is no other choice. It is a compound filler, and dries harder than cement. It is very chemically, so always wear a chemical respirator, a dust mask isn’t going to cut it. My dog, “Keiki” was not interested in wearing a mask. Irresponsible I say. 
Because BONDO dries rock solid, a belt sander is your best bet, followed by Orbital Sander, or Palm Sander.
Finally ready for the beauty shots. I base coated the entire piece in CeCe Caldwell’s Virginia Chestnut. This creates a rich, dark wood look for whatever color you put over it. It is my favorite furniture trick for layering colors. 
I followed up with two coats of CeCe Caldwell’s Vintage White. I used Cece Caldwell’s 100% natural glaze and Modern Masters glazing tint in Tobacco Brown. The two make beautiful music together.
I sealed the entire piece with CeCe Caldwell’s Endurance. It is a low VOC non yellowing Polyurethane. There is almost no perceptible smell, yet the finish is solid.
I added these vintage looking knobs, and voila, a fabulous Dumpster Desk to French Glazed Desk was born! 
Showing off my Dumpster Desk to French Glazed Desk at these fabulous parties:
Another beautiful save Karen!
oooh wow! what a beauty! and love those knobs!
Oh Karen what a beautiful transformation. Gorgeous.
Kris
You did a great job on this desk, Karen! I said “Wow” out loud while reading this post after seeing what it looked like before.
Karen!!!! This is gorgeous!!! Beautiful work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I absolutely love this piece! Great layering. Good job Karen!
Wow! Great work. This looks so good. I’d love for you to link up to The DIY’ers! http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-diyers-28.html
Woot to the Hoot! That is gorg! I didn’t know CeCe’s has a glazing medium….can you also wax or use the clear top coat over it?
keiki looks thrilled – hopefully she’s not chewing the legs!
Kelly
This is just the best piece ever! So full of yumminess that it’s right up there with a Fenton Sundae!! You are the glazing master!!! One of these days I wanna grow up to be just like YOU!!
It’s beautiful Karen – and you rock for all the work put into it! Could I use that poly on Annie Sloan paint? I’m wanting a finish besides wax for some stuff – I am getting really really tired of buffing.
Gorgeous!! What a stunner, you did a beautiful job!
Absolutely stunning!!! You are such an artist!
You did your magic as always! I love this desk. It would look perfect in my craft room, is it for sale? Keep up the great work.
Hey! I have the same belt sander! Great minds think alike! The desk turned out beautifully (no surprise),
She’s a beauty alright! Filing away the Bondo suggestion. 🙂
xo Heidi
This desk is a beauty! Never worked with Bondo, but will keep it in mind when I need it!
Absolutely great find and wonderful job reviving it to full beauty. I started painting furniture with CeCe Caldwell paints about a month ago after finding a 1920s buffet in the ditch. I’m almost finished with repair on the buffet and am excited about painting it. I’m so excited about the paint and painting, I’ve already painted 4 pieces while still repairing the buffet. I love to work with each piece and really get to know the history and probable previous use. It makes selecting the colors and finishes so much fun. Thanks for sharing.
What a find! And a beautiful restoration 🙂
Wow! Great rescue. Thanks for the tips on bondo too. I got some bondo filler and that is good to know. I also love the knobs. Thanks for sharing at Silver Pennies Sundays. x
Everything you create is absolutely gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing at this week’s Project Inspire{d} ~ pinning!
Such a table would be very much in our corridor! It seems to me that it’s cool to create from the old something interesting new