The Makeover of a $5.00 Thrifted Kid’s Desk
Sometimes finding stuff at the thrift store is like a furniture famine. Everyone is afraid that they won’t find something good, so when they spot it, they snap it up so quickly.
That’s what I did with this kid’s chair. I was walking down the aisle and nearly the same time that someone else stopped in front of this chair, I said, “Wow, this is so cute! And it’s only $5.00!” Some woman was like “OMG, yeah!” as if she were about to buy it if I didn’t.
Ummm……Rule #1 at the thrift store–never let someone grab something before you. 🙂
So I quickly loaded it in my car, with a cat-eating grin on my face. I knew I had scored something great!
BEFORE
It was cute, but with all that natural wood, a bit “BLAH…”
AFTER!
But after slathering on Annie Sloan chalk paint in Aubusson blue, with white accents, and a chalkboard on top, this piece was AH-mazing!
The blue was so crisp against the white. It looks expensive, doesn’t it?! Little does anyone know it was only $5.00 :).
The drawer on the side was perfect for chalk! And I wanted to draw attention to the drawer so I created a white square around the edge. Love that!
There’s tons of storage for my smaller boys to keep all their chalk!
How to Create This Look
Adding a chalkboard to the top is pretty simple. You just need some chalkboard paint or the Rust-Oleum chalkboard spray paint.
I prefer the spray-on kind, but in this case, it was easier for me to use the brush on chalkboard paint since I didn’t want the whole top to be covered in spray-on chalkboard paint.
You’re also going to need some sheets of alphabet stickers. If you’ve got a Silhouette Cameo cutting machine (I love mine!), you can cut out vinyl letters. But not everyone wants (or can afford!) to drop a few hundreds on a Silhouette and accessories. Cheap letter stickers work well, too! :). After I placed the alphabet stickers, I used Annie Sloan Soft Clear Wax over them to seal them in.
And be sure that you prime your chalkboard first. {{{{Insert face slap here…}}}}}. LOL
I was a dum-dum and forgot to prime the chalkboard before it was used! To prime a chalkboard, just rub the side of chalk over the entire chalkboard and then wipe off. Then your chalkboard will work nicely :). If you don’t prime, writing this this from your kids will totally stain in. {{{{LESSON LEARNED}}}}}
So what do you think?! Even though I’m sure you won’t find this unique little chair at your favorite thrift store, you can still use the idea for lining alphabet stickers along the edges, so your little one can practice 🙂
Have you refinished any desks for kids? What kind of designs/styles did you go for?
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5.00?!! You did wonderfully! Love it!
Thanks for all the comments, you guys!!!
Are you KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?! AWESOME! AWESOME!
Are you KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?! AWESOME! AWESOME!
This rocks at the highest order. Don’t be surprised if Pottery Barn starts selling their own version of this.
This is awesome! You need to share this with http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/
she will love it and post it for sure! love your blog! Sarah
Very very cool! Your kids are so lucky!
This is my favorite project of yours so far. It’s awesome! (p.s. your re-covered chair is close behind, though. Love the fabric you chose!)
So pretty! And your son is the cutest! And btw, I love your tagline, it is awesome!
You are the most AWESOMEST mom ever!
Great job! I have a Silhouette and just used it to cut out letters, too and it worked out great. Just wished I knew about using the AS wax to help set the letters. Thanks for the tip.