Project Information
I have felt pretty bad for the past 2 months, trying to fight off this Epstein-Barr virus, and I've tried my best to behave and follow the doctor's orders. But the past two weeks I've felt better and decided to go outside and play. Laurie purchased a desk years ago at an estate sale for about $75. One thing led to another and the desk wound up outside, exposed to the Oregon elements, for about 6 months. When she moved here, it's been confined to gargage, covered with a quilt for nearly two years. There's no family ties or heritage stories to the desk, so she gave me permission to "experiment". The stain was damaged by sun and rain and it just looked sad. In my condition I wasn't all that fired up about using a chemical stripper even with a mask, so I decided to sand it. I discovered the wood was different colors, so I'm not sure if that's natural or from exposure. I brought each drawer into the house (better lighting) to paint the edging and on a day when it was near 70 degrees (in Jan for goodness sakes! not that I'm complaining) I painted the really thin pieces that clung to the stain like cement. The desk was built in the 1940s. I haven't found much in the way of nails. It is sturdy and even exposed to the elements I haven't found any warping. On the thrid picture I've shown some of the more stubborn stain areas. I have a Dremel, but I'm not convinced it would be a good choice…afraid it would take off too much wood. Any suggestions on how to attack these areas? Also, since the color of the wood is varied, I've decided I like the unique look of it and don't want to cover it up in any way. Any suggestions for that? Varnish? Polyurethene? I'm just not sure. We plan on using it as a place where I can sit with my laptop, design and draw, etc.