How To Paint A Vintage Desk With Dixie Belle Paint

This desk makeover was such fun, and the new look is amazing. I teamed up with four of my favorite furniture painters and Dixie Belle Paint to showcase the new Dixie Belle Cottage Collection of paints.

Now for my tutorial. I bought the vintage Queen Anne style desk at a local shop for $75. I fell in love with the slightly rounded drawer fronts and the legs. 

The first order of business was to clean the desk really well using Simple Green. Next, I had a few worries about the stained finish. Sometimes, the original stain on furniture will bleed through the paint. And this desk has a reddish stain that tends to bleed.

So, just in case, I applied two coats of Dixie Belle Boss, which will stop bleed thru and block odors. I just found this product, and I sometimes get stinky furniture. Now I know how to get rid of the odor!

Boss dried clear and to a matte finish, a great base for paint. The paint color I chose for the desk is Cucumber Ice, Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint, from the Cottage Collection. The color is white with a very, very slight hint of green. I was provided with products from Dixie Belle Paint for this project.

I got a brand new paint brush! The tapered edges make it easy to get into every nook and cranny.

Before painting the drawers, I applied painter’s tape to the edges where the drawer front meets the sides so I would have nice clean paint lines. We don’t want paint on the sides of the drawer.

I was really wishy-washy about the knobs. The desk needed stand-out knobs and a little something else for pizazz. I tried all kinds of knobs.

My first pick was the knob on the top drawer with a metallic gold design and birds. The idea was to add a stenciled design in gold to match the knob but that sounded a little too fru fru. I then tried out the black knob with a gold rim. No go there either.

Then I found the crystal knobs with a blue and green floral design. They looked too blah, and at this point, after standing back and taking a good look at the desk, I decided the middle drawer needed knobs.

I measured and marked spots for a pair of knobs on the middle desk drawer.

Then I drilled the screw holes. This process is not difficult at all and will make a big difference in the look of the desk.

I decided to use a silkscreen stencil to add a bit of color to the desk. The only decision was how much of the design to use and where to put it. The silkscreen stencil is Belles and Whistles Roses from Dixie Belle. There are three sheets of different designs in the package.

I chose Dixie Belle English Ivy and Dixie Belle Peacock for the stenciled design. I have a thing for green and blue. I painted a small bench in the Peacock color a few months ago.

I selected a small design from the stencil sheets and cut the design from the sheets to make it easier to work with. I

first stenciled the top of the desk leg where it meets the body of the desk. I did not like that at all. You guys have no idea about the issues we DIYers go through when painting furniture. It is not always cut and dried. 

I finally decided to add a small design to one corner of each drawer. The stencil is sticky so you don’t need tape or anything. Just press it down firmly onto the surface you are stenciling.

Then paint over the silkscreen. A silkscreen is totally different from a regular stencil. On a regular stencil, you want to dab on a little bit of paint or swirl it on but for a silkscreen stencil, you need to brush paint over it with a paint brush. Use enough paint to cover the screen area completely but do not gunk it on. 

Peel the silkscreen away from the painted surface right away. Do not let the paint dry.

The desk didn’t have a chair or stool so I went on the hunt. It took me two days of shopping at local thrift stores to find a stool similar in style to the desk. The price was a little steep at $40.

One of the deciding factors on the purchase was the green vinyl-covered seat. It perfectly matched the English Ivy color I used in the stenciled design. That saved me from choosing a fabric to recover the seat and doing the work.

I painted the stool base the same color as the desk then used the Belles and Whistles Thing-A-Ma-Jig to faux distress the edges of the stool. To do this, I applied paint to the underside of the Thing-A-Ma-Jig using a small paint brush.

Then I dabbed most of the paint off on a paper towel. Next, I ran “the thing” over the edges of the stool. You can see in the photo how this leaves a thin line of paint on the stool. It is necessary to brush more paint on “the thing” as you work. 

One last step. To protect the painted desk and stool, I brushed on one coat of Dixie Belle Terra Seal, matte finish.

Ta-Dah! Doesn’t the desk and stool look fantastic? Sometimes I surprise myself.

There is a fine line when it comes to adding details to a painted piece. Too much stuff and the piece looks tacky, too little and it looks unfinished. 

I think I hit the mark just right on the stenciled design. And finally, the turquoise knobs I bought at Hobby Lobby are perfect.

A last-minute touch was the stenciled design on the middle drawer. I thought I was all finished but that space between the two knobs on the drawer was too big and too bare.

Patting myself on the back for this one. Some of you will give me a hard time for painting the vintage desk but the new look is light and fresh.

I can’t believe I lucked up on the stool with the green vinyl seat cover. The vinyl was in good condition too, with no rips or stains.

(this Giveaway has ended) I want to thank Dixie Belle Paint for this amazing giveaway. Enter to win the $250 prize to shop your favorite Dixie Belle Products! They have so many great products and $250 will buy a lot of paints, brushes, and other supplies! One winner per blogger, so visit all five bloggers. #dbcottagecollection

Now it’s time to take the furniture tour. Just click the links below the “before makeovers” photo collage…..

Thanks for being here, Kathy  Sign up to receive Petticoat Junktion emails here.

Kathy Owen

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Author: Kathy Owen
Kathy Owen is the founder of the home decor blog Petticoat Junktion where she shares tutorials on painting furniture and upcycling thrifty finds into unique home décor. Her DIY projects have been featured on the Home Depot Blog, Plaid Crafts, Behr Designer Series, and in numerous magazines.