Drumroll, Please!

Welcome to the before-and-after teacher desk post...as promised. I am oh so proud of myself not only for keeping my promise to you readers about posting pics, but for the excellent handiwork this woman can bust out! Boy, how I love a good project (and a chance to use power tools)! 

Here is the scoop: 

I bought an older, but solid, teacher desk from a thrift store called God's Way for 25 dollars. A very small price to pay considering you cannot even buy an end table for that cheap! It was beat up in some areas, but all around wasn't too bad. 

Upon first getting this desk, I almost broke my thumb moving it into my house- it was ugly, but I guess all that pain is worth it now!

Today, I finally dragged it out of my house, set it up on a pallet (yay pallets!) and got to sanding. My little sister helped and it took a while, but eventually we had a blank slate. I ended up not having to use wood filler like I thought I was going to. 

After sanding, I headed out to purchase my paint. I already knew what I wanted, but at the store I decided spray paint would be faster, easier and cheaper- plus I have experience with using spray paint on furniture. I used 1.5 cans of black Krylon paint + primer, less than 1 can of this funky teal color, and less than one can of chalkboard spray paint (YES! They make chalkboard spray paint!). The paint was about 12 dollars.

I painted the entire desk black, painted the front panel with the chalkboard paint, and painted the top of the desk, as well as the drawers, using the teal paint. It was quick, easy and dried fast! 

Here are the pictures! 

BEFORE:

Drumroll pleaseeeee.....

AFTER:

You can see in the above picture, the desk had a pullout and I covered it with some green fabric I had laying around. I also taped off the top of the desk to create the black lines before I painted the top with the teal- I like the extra details. And the front serves as a chalkboard, too!

I would say my project was successful. I had the vision in my mind and went for it, spending a little cash on something that can follow me to my future classrooms for years to come. There are a few finishing touches that I have to add like drawer handles and I will probably purchase a piece of plexiglass to put on the top of the desk, but other than that- this project is a wrap! 

If you need inspiration for a similar project, go snoop around your local thrift stores, look for yardsales or ask around for people needing to get rid of furniture. It's simple and easy to have bright, cost efficient elements in the classroom! And of course, our dear friend Pinterest helps, too. 

Hope you have enjoyed this post! 

Here's a shout out to my helper, my little sister, Morgan!

Love, 

Miss Laura