Our Forever House: Student Desk {Boy}

School has started again so I decided that it was time to finish up the desks that I bought for the kids last November. I know, that was a long time ago, and they have been collecting dust in the garage, partially sanded and not done! Well, last week I got to work. I started with the smaller desk for the boy because I knew I could finish his a lot quicker than the girls.

I really wanted the kids to each have a nice, wooden desk in their rooms as they grow up. I am certain the desk will be used for many art projects, coloring and homework as they get older. Of course, there are two options for desks in the stores. There seems to be the fancy expensive Pottery Barn desk (which of course I LOVE but am way to cheap to buy) or the basic, metal and pressed board computer desks that have no style OR storage - a must have for kids.

I knew I needed to find an old-school student desk like the wood (albeit thin) desks we had as kids. The flea market had several to choose from and I was so excited to be able to pick up 2 desk for $30. There is nothing special about these desks but with a bit of paint, some fun knobs and creativity, they are perfect.

The boy has dark wood furniture in his room. With his desk I decided to use spray paint (Rust-oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2x Coverage in espresso brown with a satin finish). It was so quick and great. I did about 3 light coats on the desk with a couple of extra coats on the drawers and top since they get the most wear. I followed up the paint with a few coats of polyurethane. Again, adding a couple of extra coats to the top for added protection.

After looking at a variety of fun knobs, I decided to go with a nice shiny nickel finish as it gives a nice industrial feel to his room and plays well with the cars theme in his room.

Above the desk we hung a metal bulletin board. I decided that push pins and kids were probably not a good idea since most everything ends up on the floor. We picked up this board from Ikea. The magnets are simply some plastic wheels and Sheriff Woody stars from a couple of tic-tac-toe games I picked up at the dollar store. I simply added a magnet to the back and they are perfect.

Since these were used desks the drawers were a bit dirty. Additionally, the thin plywood bottoms were a bit rough and could cause splinters so I decided to line the drawers. I had these fun rolls of striped wrapping paper from the Target Dollar Spot. I simply decoupaged them down by putting a thin layer of decoupage on the bottom of the drawer and placing the paper down, using a credit card to smooth it out and remove any bubbles. I let this layer dry overnight and then placed a thin top coat on to further protect the paper and create a nice seal. I love the happy stripe when you open up the drawer!

Of course this project is to be continued (a.k.a. a work in progress)...

• Desk Chair - I am hoping I can find a nice wooden chair similar to the one I found for the perfect little desk downstairs. I will continue on my thrift store visits until I find just the right chair that can be spray painted up to match!

• Glass Top - While I made sure to add ample layers of protection of paint and poly, I would like to have a piece of glass cut to fit the top of the desk. Not only will it protect the surface, it will allow the kids to put photos, pictures etc. under the glass to customize their desk. It is like a scrapbook and desk all in one!

• Desk Accessories - Kids love to feel all grown up so I am working on finding or creating some fun desk accessories like a blotter, calendar, name plate, pencil holder, etc. With the boys room I want to go with the galvanized theme. He already has a galvanized metal trash can (lid and all) that he got for Christmas last year from Santa.

Watch for part 2 of the Student Desk posts next week when I unveil the {Girl} desk!

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