One of my favorite ways to save money is to refurbish or repurpose old furniture instead of buying something brand new. My husband has been working on an old Ikea kitchen table as his desk for the last 5 years and it was definitely time for an upgrade for him. However, a new solid wood desk was going to cost us upwards of $1000 CAD. That is when I had the idea to look for something second hand instead. By the grace of God, I came across the most perfect solid wood desk for FREE and got to work restoring it. Read below to learn how I went about refurbishing a 100 year old banker’s desk.
Table of Contents
The Desk and It’s History
One of the coolest parts of refinishing furniture is that each piece comes with a story. Call me nostalgic, but I love this! I like working on old pieces that have a history because I get to give them a new life and continue their legacy.
This particular desk was a bit hard to research. I noticed a few maker’s marks on the piece. One said “Prestonia Business Equipment” in the main drawer. The other information was found on the bottom of the main drawer. It said that the piece was built in Stratford, Ontario and the model number was 1305.
Upon further investigation I learnt that Prestonia Business Equipment was part of the Preston Furniture Company. The owner of this company purchased an already existing furniture factory in the 1920’s in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Later, in 1928, this company merged with the Canadian Office and School furniture Company. It was really hard to find any further information on these desks because most of information out there is from Facebook posts and not necessarily true. However, I can safely assume that this desk was made for school or a bank somewhere between 1920’s and 1930’s due to the maker’s marks that I found.
How to Strip Wooden Furniture with Oven Cleaner
My original idea with this desk was to strip the whole thing down to the bare wood and then do a beige paint wash over it to maintain a weathered and antique raw wood look. However, after stripping down the wood, I realized that the veneer was not in great condition in some parts of the body. Therefore, I ended up with a two-toned look in the end.
The method I used for stripping the wood was “the oven cleaner method”. I had been wanting to try this for a while and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
How to strip wood with Easy-Off Oven Cleaner:
- Pick up 2-5 cans of Easy-Off Oven Cleaner
- Spray liberally over the entire surface that you want to strip. Wait 30 minutes.
- Rinse off the cleaner. I used a hose and a small scrub brush.
- Lay out in the sun to completely dry. This is where the magic happens.
Normally, before refurbishing a piece of furniture, I would recommend giving it a good clean and also taking off the hardware. In this case though, I left it on until after using the Easy-Off because it helped to clean the hardware as well. There is no need to do additional cleaning on any of the areas you use the Easy-Off because it is degreasing and cleaning while it is sitting on there.
Sanding The Desk
Once everything was completely dry, I took some wood filler and filled in any major dents or areas that needed some repairs. Once that had dried as well, I got to work sanding. I removed the top of the desk for the sanding process to make it easier. I also removed the hardware at this point.
Next, I decided that I was going to sand the top all the way to the bare wood. To do this I used an 80 grit and paper on my orbital sander until the rest of the finish was gone. Nest I used a 120 grit to smooth out the surface prior to staining.
For the body of the desk, I just did a scuff sanding with 120 grit. This just roughs up the surface so that the primer and paint will adhere better.
Painting The Desk
Using a primer is always a good idea when you are painting furniture. It gives better coverage, prevents wood tannin stains from coming through, and allows the paint a better surface to adhere to.
The first step is to wipe off any dust from sanding. Then apply 2 coats of primer. Allow the appropriate dry time in-between coats for the best results. I used Zinsser BIN Bulls Eye Primer (water based).
Pro-tip: Sand with 400 grit in-between every primer and paint coat for the smoothest finish. Remember to wipe off the dust each time as well!
Once the primer was all done, I did 2 coats of chalk paint. I used Bluestone House Chalk Paint in the color Barn Door.
I used my paint sprayer for both the primer and the paint. I use a Wagner Spray-tech Paint Sprayer and I love the results it gives!
Staining The Top
I really wanted to do a beige paint wash on this desk’s top but when I was in the store I came across Minwax’s Rustic Beige Wood Stain and decided to give it a try. I really likes the result and ended up doing 3 coats of it for a nice raw wood look.
Oil-Based Top Coat Versus Water-Based Top Coat
Once everything dried completely, it was time to do the top coat. Now normally it is easier to just do the same top coat on the whole project. However, I happen to have only enough oil based top coat for the top of the desk and only enough water based top coat for the body. And I like to use up the product I have without wasting little bits.
Oil-based Top Coat:
I used Varathane’s Professional Clear Finish in Satin. I prefer to paint oil based top coats on so that it doesn’t get my paint gun all sticky. Oil-based top coats are good for high traffic areas like table tops. I suggest doing 2-3 coats for the best results. Make sure you let it fully dry in-between coats. You can lightly use the furniture after 1 day but allow it to fully cure for 7 days before any major use.
Water-Based Top Coat:
The nice thing about water-based top coats is that you can use the paint gun to apply it. This makes the job so much faster and it looks flawless! I used Saman water-based wood varnish in satin for the body of the desk and love how it turned out.
Final Product
I love the way this desk turned out! And the best part is that my husband loves it too. Refurbishing a 100 year old banker’s desk proved to be challenging but ultimately very rewarding. I am so glad we can give this old desk another chance at life.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post! If you enjoyed learning how to DIY your own old desk, please comment below and don’t for get to share this post with other DIY-er’s in your life. For more DIY tips and homemaking adventures be sure to check out my other articles!
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