MCM Chocolate Painted Desk

February 23, 2023 by Denise - 43 Comments

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THIS SALVAGED MCM DESK GETS A RESTYLE USING A CHOCOLATE PAINT WASH | YOUTUBE VIDEO

Hello creative friends! I’m back today with this thrift store MCM Desk and a super easy paint wash I used to freshen it up.

It’s also the fourth Thursday of the month and this means it’s Furniture Fixer Upper Day. I’m sharing my blogging besties’ FFU makeovers below. And exciting news, we have a NEW addition to our crew. Gail from My Repurposed Life has joined our FFU tour and I can’t wait to see what she’s done!

Here’s the MCM Desk I started with. I picked it up from the Restore for $80. This is a little more than I would usually spend on a desk this size but I was inspired as soon as I saw it. I fell in love with all the gorgeous texture.

The textured veneer on this desk really excited me even though it was old and dingy.

And check out this Formica (laminate) top. Have you ever seen a top like this on a wood desk before? This was a first for me.

THIS POST IS SPONSORED AND/OR CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I LOVE AND USE. YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

SOURCE LIST

MCM Desk – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Gorilla Epoxy Stick (similar)
Slick Stick Primer for Laminate
2″ Chip Brush
Coffee Bean Chalk Mineral Paint
Chocolate Chalk Mineral Paint
Gator Hide Topcoat

TOOL LIST

Paint Scraper Multi-Tool
Scrubby Brushes
Heat Gun
4″ Mohair Roller
Paint Gun for Topcoat

TEXTURED MCM DESK MAKEOVER

Here’s how this desk all came together using a super simple paint wash!

CLEANING

This desk needed A LOT of cleaning! I used this White Lightening Cleaner mixed with some water in a spray bottle. I sprayed the inside and outside of the drawers and wiped everything back with a large sponge. But the grooved wood veneer needed extra attention. So I brought out a few different-sized scrubby brushes. This worked amazingly to get into all the grooves.

Pro Tip – Don’t forget to clean the bottoms and backs of the drawers and body. You never know what is hiding out there.

FILL HARDWARE HOLES

Once the dresser was clean and dry, I filled the hardware holes using Gorilla Epoxy Stick. This epoxy stick looks and feels like hard clay but it’s very easy to use.

Cut off a little piece using a putty or utility knife.
Knead it in between your fingers until it becomes pliable and all one color.
Then press it into the old holes or any dings and dents.

PAINT WITH WASH

To give this desk a NEW textured wood look, I created a wash using a 50/50 mix of water and this yummy-looking Chocolate Paint. When this chocolate paint color is mixed into a wash, it creates a beautiful warm wood tone. This is such an easy paint finish and VERY little paint is needed for a wash.

I mixed 50% paint into 50% water
Using a chip brush, I brushed the wash onto the textured wood
Then I wiped back the excess wash with a large sponge

Dixie Belle now has small 4oz sizes of most colors which would be perfect for a project like this. Check out the difference this chocolate wash makes in the pics below!

PRIMING FORMICA TOP

To paint the Formica/Laminate top, I gave it a quick scuff sanding with an 80-grit sanding sponge. (Not needed but I wanted to remove some of the wash that had been brushed onto the top) Then I primed the laminate top with two coats of Slick Stick Primer using a 4″ foam roller.

Before painting, I performed a scratch test with a screw (which I’m sharing in the Youtube video below) to make sure this primer had adhered to the laminate top 100%… and it had!

PAINTING

I wanted a smooth finish for my top so I used this 4″ Mohair Roller. It’s made of 50% Wool and 50% synthetic fibers. It’s shed-resistant and made specifically for very smooth finishes. I bought mine from Sherwin Williams and they are the Rollingdog brand but they sell similar types of Mohair Rollers on Amazon as well.

Three coats of Coffee Bean Chalk Mineral Paint were used to get full coverage on the top. However, I was surprised that the finish didn’t come out 100% smooth. I think my Coffee Bean paint was too thick for the Mohair Roller. I’ve used these rollers with mineral and latex paints and they’ve always worked beautifully. As you can see below, when sanding between coats, you can see the very fine texture the mohair roller created.

Before I added the last two coats to the top, I gave the body a light sanding as well. This helped bring out the texture a little more.

To protect this piece, I spray three coats of this heavy-duty Gator Hide Topcoat using my new paint gun. Isn’t she pretty all shiny and green?!!! My Husky paint gun is over 10 years old and has been a workhorse so I decided to retire her and try something new.

And totally off-topic, but I’d LOVE your opinion. What do you think of these new logos? I think I’ve picked my favorite but I’d love to hear your thoughts as well!

So after adding new knobs to the top drawers, here’s how it all came together.

What do you think? I have to say I’m loving all this gorgeous texture!

The chocolate paint wash gave this desk new life. It looks so warm and rich.

And here’s a close-up of the Coffee Bean Top after three coats of Gator Hide. Because of the small variance in texture, it’s reminding me of a leather top. It’s not what I set out to do, but it looks beautiful!

I can’t wait to hear what you think!

YOUTUBE TUTORIAL

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on Youtube. If you have any problems viewing it below, feel free to watch it on my Youtube Channel HERE. Our #siyoutubefamily is already a community of 37K so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so already! So exciting, thank YOU! 🙂

AND NOW FOR SOME FURNITURE FIXER-UPPER FUN!

You’re going to LOVE what my creative team of Furniture Fixer Upper ladies do. Below are the BEFORE photos. Visit the links underneath to see the amazing AFTERS and learn how they did it! I’m heading over to take a peek as well! x

1. CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DIYER

2. MY REPURPOSED LIFE

3. PETTICOAT JUNKTION

4. SALVAGED INSPIRATIONS (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)

Here’s another look at this MCM Desk before and after. I hope this chocolate-painted makeover has inspired you and given you some new ideas for your projects.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS MCM TEXTURED DESK MAKEOVER. FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU. IT MAKES MY DAY! 🙂

Happy furniture painting friends!

Denise x

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