SECOND CHANCES: Desk Makeover in 48 hours

My latest freebie, a "hand-me-around"

In my family, we were big on hand-me-downs. However, when us kids became adults and sizes could/can be shared, we began the phrases, "hand-me-ups" for going up in birth order, and "hand-me-arounds" for when they travel any direction in the family. So when me neighbor was getting rid of a children's desk, I saw the perfect hand-me-around that could be used for my youngest son. This once unfinished pine desk had been painted white with white knobs. The paint was in need of some sprucing up.

Always preferring to showcase natural wood, I sanded down the top to reveal the original pine. Somewhere along the way, my new Dewalt sander (only used a few times since May) decided to quit on me. Yes, kaput, dead, no sanding! So I finished the top off by hand and hoped for the best, all while grumbling about this "awesome, contractor grade" sander I had purchased. In my frustration, I forgot to take a picture of the natural wood.

Stained and Primed!

Moving on to the stain, I went the cheaper route and chose the Minwax Honey I already had from a dresser project. I also took the time-saver route with the primer and used Zinsser 123 Primer so I didn't have to worry about sanding or cleaning the white paint. Also had this left in storage.