A French Desk Makeover

We've all seen these vintage pieces that have leather tops - on coffee tables, end tables, and desks. I've generally steered clear of these pieces before because I wasn't sure what to do with the leather top.

But I couldn't resist bringing this vintage desk by Sligh home, because I loved the scale, lines and storage space. It sat in my shop for months before I got the courage to give it a makeover.

So I decided to paint it! Surprise, surprise.

But first there was a lot of prep that had to be done to make sure that the paint would adequately adhere to the leather.

I gave the leather a gentle hand sanding with 220-grit to loosen any dirt that had accumulated over the decades. See the discoloration? That sanded right off!

I then filled any gaps between the desk and leather with wood filler. After it was dry, I sanded it smooth, so that we would have a seamless transition from the wood and leather.

After that, I primed the leather parts with an oil-based primer. I wanted to make sure that the paint was adhering properly, so I just left it for about a week and moved on to the other parts of the desk!

I painted the rest of the top in General Finishes Seagull Gray and the body and drawers in their Snow White.

I wasn't wild about the white on the top, so painted the entire top grey as well as the drawer fronts. The crystal knobs I added give it a little bit of bling! The entire piece was then sealed with General Finishes High Performance Top Coat in Satin.

One of the things that I loved so much about this desk is that all of the sides were finished and it would look great floating in a room.

So that's my solution for a leather-topped desk. Paint it, of course!

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