Vintage Desk Redo

While at Goodwill a few months ago, I spotted this little eyesore gem.  It was originally marked $39.00 but after a few markdowns was only $9.00.  It was in pretty rough shape cosmetically speaking but was actually really solid.  No wobbles, cracks or anything else that I could tell.  There were a couple of names scratched into the top (Jessica and James, you should be ashamed) and someone had spilled a bottle of blue nail polish down the side.  Aside from that, pretty typical scratches and water (or hopefully, DIET COKE) rings on the top. It was solid mahogany and had dovetailed drawers so I knew it would be worth the work. Here is how I found it:

I completely stripped the finish with Ace Hardware brand stripper then sanded (and sanded and sanded - dang your little hides Jessica and James) until it was smooth. Anyhew, after it was sanded, I stained the top with Minwax Dark Walnut.  I painted the rest of the dresser a creamy white.  I decided to stripe the drawers.  I can't tell you the color I used because I mixed a few leftover colors from the garage....kind of a grayish greenish I'd call it.  Very neutral maybe even more of a light khaki.  I used painters tape to create the stripes.  Once everything was dried, I used a light antiquing glaze to give it some authenticity and dimension. I finished it off four coats of wipe on non-yellowing poly sealant made Minwax in glossy to protect the top from Diet Coke and pesky kids.  I replaced the round pulls  with new hardware I found at Hobby Lobby.  The hardware is amazing.  It looks much better in person.