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Writer's pictureLori Siegel

Ladies French Writing Desk Revamp!

Updated: Sep 1, 2024

In the past, I have purchased items that required a lot of work but were ultimately worth the effort. The French desk I recently bought from Facebook Marketplace for $35 definitely challenged my perception that giving pieces of furniture a second chance and almost rebuilding said furniture are two separate things. The end result was beautiful, but the amount of work and time involved made me question whether it was worth it.


Let's see what I am talking about:






This is the desk I purchased for $35. There were a lot of red flags, but I chose to ignore them. The top had fallen off before we arrived, which brought the price from $55 to $35. The veneer was peeling off everywhere, and it was a nice piece but not good quality. However, I was taken in by the lines and beauty, so we bought it.





The veneer was coming off in a lot of places and needed to be glued down. I collected every size clamp we had in our garage to tackle this job. I also got out my wood glue syringes. They are easy to use. Simply fill the syringe with glue, put on a blunt needle, and then inject it into the area you want to glue down. I wasn’t kidding about the clamps!

There are two small doors on the desk that have beautiful detailing. One was in great shape and the other not so much. I had to work really hard, but in the end, I was able to save it!





The veneer on the drawers could not be saved. Some of it came off easily, but the rest was firmly stuck. To help loosen the veneer, I used a wet paper towel. Gradually, the veneer started to come off, I repeated the same process multiple times until it was all off. During the removal process, the raised molding also detached, but I managed to save and reattach it after sanding the drawers.





There were some chips in the veneer that I had to fill. I used spackling to fill them in. After it dried, I sanded it smooth.


Although it took a while, we have completed all the repair work and are now ready for painting.




I knew I wanted to paint this desk black, but when I saw this picture, I also wanted gold accents.





As I was painting, I realized the backer board was warped and needed to be replaced. I went to Home Depot for the board and while I was there, I had it cut to size. Before reattaching it, I thought it would be easier to paint the design on the back before putting it back on.

I used a stencil and antique gold wax to create the design. Once it was dry, I reattached it and then finished painting.





The finished project!



It was a long road to get here, and it is beautiful, but as I stated at the beginning of the post, my belief that every project deserves a chance was a bit shaken. I still believe in that, but this project has forced me to be more realistic about it. My plan is to choose projects in the future based on their quality, feasibility, heed the red flags, and most importantly, not to feel bad if I choose to walk away.



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