Another awesome Kijiji score!  I have been on the hunt for an antique office desk for years.  Something inexpensive that I could fix-up. Our set-up had worked okay (at best) and always looked cluttered.  When we bought our house, the quaint little 9′ X 11′ room just off our front entrance was introduced to us as “library” and the name has stuck.  It’s small and cozy with an antique electric fireplace, original built-in book cases and a wall of windows.  It really is lovely, but our computer set-up was barely functional with little desk top space and no storage. The little washstand we were using for our printer looked great in our purple bedroom at a previous home, but horrible here.  I was on a mission, but would not settle until I found the perfect fit for our library.  (Reminder…click any photo to enlarge it.)

Photos of Our Library ~ Before

Ugly grey office chair, purple cabinet, melamine desk and of course, the clutter.

Ugly! Need I say more?

Antique Oak Teacher’s Desk and Chair

I was so excited when I found this desk on Kijiji for $75 and the best part was that the seller was including the oak office chair with it!  The desk was pretty beat up.  The top had some minor water damage, gouges and several dark markings.  The opening at the front (where the chair sits) was very beat up along the inside edges where the chair had obviously been rubbing for years.  To me, this spelled CHARACTER and I was all over this project. We sanded the surface of the desk.  All of the rough edges (that were really worn/damaged) were sanded quite deep, so that they were rounded and safe.   We didn’t want to catch our clothes on the splinters or worse yet, get a sliver.  The only thing we had to do to the chair was dust it ~ and that rocks!

Refinishing the “New” Old Oak Desk

As mentioned above, we sanded the entire desk down and removed any splinters and sharp edges. We then gave the entire desk a coat of stain and several coats of urethane. I think I put two on the sides and back, 3 on the drawers and about 5 on the top for extra durability. We had the stain and urthane here, so the only cost was the original $75 and lots of “elbow grease”. You may notice that the handles on the top middle drawer are not original. A previous owners must have replaced them at some point. They are definitely more of a modern style, but they are oak (I think) and blend well with the piece. We left them as most people wouldn’t even notice and it does not really compromise the integrity of the piece.  We are completely thrilled. The desk is huge! The top is 3 feet deep and 5 feet long. It provides enough space for the printer to sit on top of the desk as well as ample work space. It also has two slide out work surfaces, so there is plenty of room to work. I love the drawer space for storage and the one on the left is actually a double drawer that holds files (it is just made to look like two single drawers).

Refinished Desk ~ Front

Refinished Desk ~ Top

AFTER: Refinished Desk

Refinished Side-outs

The New Look Of Our Library

There is not much extra room, as we also have a love seat in the library for reading, watching movies or just hanging out. It is cozy, but there is still enough room to move in and out easily and gain access to all of the book shelves. Love it!

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