Painting a Desk Black

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Painting a desk black with General Finishes Enduro Poly creates a perfect satin painted finish. Here’s how to paint a desk AND transform it into a farmhouse style sofa table.

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This is what the desk / vanity looked like when we bought it.

The old finish on the top was in really bad condition, but I loved the shape and style of it.

So I scooped it up and couldn’t wait to fit it up!

Then I saw this desk by The Freckled Farmhouse on Instagram and I was completely inspired!

I loved the wood top on top of the existing top, and I loved the farmhouse feel!

So here’s my version of the little black painted desk.

** This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn from qualifying purchases through other companies, or may receive free products. This does not cost you anything extra! All opinions are my own.

Painting a Desk Black

1. Prep the desk for paint.
2. Prime with 2 coats of primer – sand smooth after each coat is dry.
3. Spray a thin coat of Enduro Poly. Let dry.
4. Sand smooth.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4.
6. Spray your 3rd and last coat of Enduro Poly. Let dry.

Scroll down for the complete supply list!

Step One: Prep for Paint

First things first in any furniture makeover, we always prep the furniture for paint.

Prepping shouldn’t take a long time – unless you have a bunch of damage (click here to see all of our favorite ways to fix damaged furniture).

The best way to prep furniture for paint is to:

1. Clean and remove any wax, oils or grime.
2. Scuff sand to remove any sheen.
3. Remove the dust.

First – Clean your furniture with a grease / oil cutting cleaner. I like to use Krud Kutter.

Second – Simply scuff sand with 220 grit sandpaper (this sandpaper is the BEST kind!). Rub it all over the dresser, making sure that it removes all of the shine.

Third – Then remove the dust with a vacuum hose attachment and/or a damp lint-free rag.

For the best dust removal, I like to use these tack cloths! They pick up all the dust and don’t leave any lint behind!

Now you’re ready to prime!

Step Two: Two coats of Primer

For the best results, apply two coats of primer, letting the primer dry between each coat (read the back of the can for exact dry time details).

If you choose not to prime before using Enduro Poly, be aware that the poly may:

• Scratch off easily
• Not have an even sheen
• Not be able to stick to your furniture very well

To create a soft and smooth finish, sand the dry primer with 220 grit sandpaper. Then remove the dust.

First I used a grey tinted water-based primer. But after one coat of it, I could see a ton of bleedthrough!

So then I went over the grey primer with 2 coats of the BIN shellac based primer.

I like to use BIN shellac-based primer because it has excellent adhesion, and it blocks any bleed through from the wood tannins. (yep, bleedthrough is an issue with dark paint too!)

Step Three: Spray Enduro Poly

Pour your Enduro Poly into your paint sprayer (you shouldn’t need to thin it).

But you’ll still want to filter the paint through a paint filter to get any lumps or debris out of the paint.

(Even the smallest speck of debris or dried paint can clog a paint sprayer, so you do not want to skip filtering your paint before putting it in the paint sprayer).

Then spray a thin coat of Enduro Poly onto your furniture.

It should dry to the touch in about 5 minutes.

Step Four: Sand Smooth

After about 45 minutes, you can sand the poly smooth with 220, 320 OR 400 grit sandpaper.

This will create the most durable finish, but it will also make the black paint really smooth.

You don’t need to go crazy with this step and remove all of the paint.

Just lightly sand it so it feels nice and smooth.

Then remove the dust with the vacuum and tack cloth.

Step Five: Repeat Steps 3 & 4

Spray another coat of the Enduro Poly, let it dry and then sand it smooth again.

If you need more than 3 coats, you can repeat this step until you are ready for your last coat.

But General Finishes recommends to use at least 3 coats for the best durability.

Step Six: Spray the Last Coat of Enduro Poly

Spray your last coat of Enduro Poly onto your furniture and let it dry completely.

It will be super delicate until it cures (about 3-4 weeks), but it’s best to not set anything on it for at least 24 hours.

Here is a video of a dresser makeover with the same paint!

Painted Desk with Stained Top

1. Cut a new wood top – sand it smooth and stain it.
2. Attach the wood top to the top of the desk.
3. Attach your new hardware and enjoy!

Step One: Cut, Sand and Stain the Wood Top

I think the wood top makes this piece really unique!

Yes, you see wood tops on a lot of furniture, but the wood top is usually part of the original piece.

This wood top sits on top of the existing desk top!

And I love the look!!

I picked out this edge glued wood from our local hardware store.

And then I cut the wood to size with our table saw.

For the measurements, I cut the wood just barely (about 1/8″) under the size of the existing top.

Then I sanded it smooth with my SurfPrep Sander.

Man, I love that sander! (It really comes in handy for sanding between all of those coats of paint!)

But you can use any power sander or sand by hand.

Then I used a homemade water-based stain (made out of brown latex paint) to stain the top a very light weathered wood stain.

After the “stain” was dry, I sealed the stain in with 3 coats of my favorite water – based poly.

Step Two: Attach the Wood Top

The next day I attached the new wood top to the existing desk top.

We ended up using my brad nail gun to shoot 1 1/4″ brad nails into the wood.

I really didn’t want to put nail holes in my new wood top, but I could not for the life of me get the desk top off.

(I wanted to screw or nail the new top onto the old top from the bottom of the old top.)

But the screws were way too tight.

So, after I put little brad nails in my new wood top, I filled the holes in with a little bit of natural wood filler.

When the wood filler dried, I sanded it smooth and then I used a small paintbrush to put a small amount of “stain” on the wood filler.

You can barely see that the holes are there now. So it didn’t end up being a bad option.

Step Three: Attach New Hardware

To finish off the farmhouse look, I attached these card catalog style label pulls onto each drawer. And then I added labels that matched the color of the wood.

Supplies Used:

• Old Desk/Vanity
• Krud Kutter (It’s cheapest here at Home Depot )
• 220 Grit Sandpaper
• Tack Cloths
• BIN Shellac Based Primer
• 3/8″ Nap Paint Roller
• Paint Filters
• General Finishes Enduro Poly (Paint)
• Fuji Q4 Paint Sprayer
• Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer – ((Hobby Paint Sprayer I used to use))
• Respirator
• Edge Glued Wood for Top
• Homemade Water Based Wood Stain
• Water-Based Poly
• Brad Nailer and 1 1/4″ Nails
• Card Catalog Style Drawer Pulls
• Screws for the Card Catalog Drawer Pulls

Use the code “sunlight” at checkout to get 10% off your order of hardware! D Lawless Hardware is one my my favorite places to shop for hardware and their prices can’t be beat!

Best Black Paint for Furniture

The black paint that I used for this desk makeover is honestly the easiest paint I have ever used to paint furniture!

It dries quickly, levels really well, dries hard and durable (you don’t need a top coat), and it doesn’t leave brush marks!

The one downside is that it has to be sprayed (trust me on this one. I tried brushing it instead of spraying, just to see, and it was not easy to make it look good when I brushed it on.)

The other minor downside is that it only comes in clear, black or white. You can get it tinted to any color, but you need to special order it from a place that can tint it. (This is a great company that can tint it!)

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More Black Furniture Makeovers

• Black MCM Dresser Makeover
• Black Milk Painted Dresser
• Farmhouse Style Black Dresser

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