DIY Antique Desk Furniture Flip Makeover

This furniture flip was one for the books. When Joshua found this old desk at an estate auction for $25, we both knew this was an instant win. I mean, from the photos, it looked like real wood and easy to refresh. So he bid on it, won, and picked it up all in a few days. Once it was home though, we realized this desk was going to take much more than we anticipated. In fact, we started with one plan and ended up pivoting by the end.

Even though it looked rough, we saw potential in its classic design and solid structure. Not to mention, there is something really satisfying about taking a piece of furniture that nobody wants and giving it a brand new life. Keep reading to see how we tackled this DIY desk makeover with a lot of elbow grease and patience—and how you can create your own beautiful makeover, too!

Materials & Tools

Here’s a list of materials and tools we used for this antique desk makeover. This post contains affiliate links—thanks for supporting our work!

Materials:

DAP Wood Filler
Minwax Honey Stain
Rust-Oleum Milk Paint (Eclipse)
Minwax Clear Poly (our protective topcoat of choice)
Bar Keeper’s Friend
Steel wool/scouring pad
Water and vinegar
Old towel
Lint-free cloth
New Hardware – Brass Drop Bail Pull Hardware (for the drawer pulls we couldn’t salvage)
Optional: Drawer liners or drawer inserts for a finishing touch

Tools:

Steam iron (pro tip: use one that’s not your go-to for clothes)
Putty knife
Sandpaper (assorted grits for sanding stages)
Cheap pot (for boiling hardware)
Paint brush

Related Post: 10 Essential Tools Every Furniture Flipper Needs

Step 1: Stripping the Old Veneer

The first challenge in this vintage desk makeover was the damaged veneer on the desk top. It was chipped all over and definitely not something we could work with. If you’ve ever tried an old desk makeover, you know this step can be a real pain. And this one had multiple layers of veneer—so it wasn’t a simple tear off situation.

If you’ve never removed veneer before, we use a surprisingly easy method with an old towel and a steam iron. Don’t use the iron you will use on your clothes, get a “workshop” iron for this project.

Process:

Put a wet towel over the veneer. It helps to let it soak with water for an hour or so before starting this process.
Apply heat using an iron on the highest steam setting. The moisture and heat from the iron softens the adhesive underneath the veneer.
Use a putty knife (or crowbar, if its stubborn) to lift and peel the veneer.
Repeat until all layers are removed.

We peeled off 4 layers, only to realize we still weren’t working with salvageable natural wood. Sometimes that wood grain is just too far gone—or wasn’t even there to begin with. So we left the last layer and made a side note to circle back later.

Step 2: Repairing Dents and Filling Gaps

Next in our old desk makeover, we used DAP’s wood filler to fill in a lot of the missing wood and a plastic knife (should’ve used a putty knife—don’t be like us). This part felt more like sculpting than patching.

Process:

Apply the wood filler to damaged areas.
Fill dents and cracks smoothly.
Let it dry completely before sanding—this step takes patience.
Start with coarse grit, finish with fine grit for a smooth finish.

Step 3: Sanding to Reveal the Raw Wood

We weren’t going to strip everything down since we planned to paint the desk body in a dark color. But we did sand it a bit to help the paint adhere and did a full sand only on the drawer fronts and desk top, which we wanted to stain.

Process:

Start with 60 or 80 grit to remove finish.
Move to 120–220 grit for the smoothest surface.
Wipe with a lint-free cloth before the next step.

Step 4: Staining the Top and Drawer Faces

We used Minwax Honey Stain for the desk top and drawer fronts. I wanted a wood tone that wasn’t too dark so that it contrasted well with the dark paint I wanted to apply on the desk body.

Process:

Clean off all dust.
Apply the stain with a rag, by following the grain and using long brush strokes.
Wipe excess and let it dry.
Apply a second coat if needed for a darker shade

Step 5: Painting the Desk Body

Next I painted the desk body using Rust-Oleum Milk Paint in the shade Eclipse. We had been using Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel, but this was our first try with milk paint just to try it out. It ended up giving us a pleasant surprise! It went on smooth, didn’t chip and seems durable, although you won’t know that for sure until some time has passed. Milk paint is a popular choice for furniture flips because it requires minimal prep/primer. It worked well for this one and we’ll keep testing it out to see if it’s a new favorite.

Process:

Clean the surface after sanding.
Apply the first coat with a brush, cutting in before using a roller.
Let it dry, then apply a second coat for full coverage.

Step 6: Cleaning and Replacing the Hardware

The drawer pulls were tarnished but had character, so we kept most and added new hardware for the missing ones. It took A LOT of scrolling but I was able to find drawer pulls that looked exactly like the originals. The only issue was that the screws were not spaced the same. So I needed to reposition/drill the holes.

Process:

Boil hardware in water + vinegar for 10 minutes.
Scrub with Bar Keeper’s Friend + steel wool.
Replace and reposition drawer pulls if needed (we had to drill new holes).

Step 7: Desktop Redo

Now, remember that desk top we planned to save with the stripped veneer? We tried sanding it down and using paint stripper to salvage it but in the end, we just couldn’t live with it. So Joshua built a brand new one using scrap oak from our old kitchen table.

We attached the new top to the desk body. Then I stained the top using a few coats of Varathane Pecan and just a little of the Varathane Honey. I was attempting to match the oak top with the shade already-stained drawer faces, which were made out of pine. Then I sealed the entire piece with Minwax Poly as a top coat.

Final Thoughts

This vintage pedestal desk makeover was a lot of work but we knew it was pay off once we got to the end. It was just a long way coming! Furniture flips are rewarding but they also take some time so remember to be patient!

We are thinking of selling it and I’ll update this space if we do to let you know how it went! Since we only bought it for $25 for antique Drexel furniture, I’m sure we’d make a nice profit!