Recently my amazing sister in-law sent me a snapchat with an image of an old school desk sitting on the side of the road with the message "think you might be keen to restore this?"
10 minutes later she pulled up out the front of my house and I was the proud new owner of an 80+ year old antique school desk.
We were so surprised to find a stamp inside which reads...
Manufactured in Victoria for Sale by A. Hunt, Son & Oliver Pty Ltd. 126 Rupert Street, Collingwood. European Labour Only.
After googling this information we found that these furniture makers made school desks way back in 1937.
Things I required to restore the desk:
- 2 x Dulux Duramax 340g Gloss Spray Paint in Vivid White
- 2 x packets of Prestige Decorative Hinges in Florentine Bronze
- 34 x white head screws
- 1 x paint brush
- 1 x Feast Watson 500ml Spar Marine Clear Varnish
- Rough and gentle sand paper.
STEP 1
After disabling the desk into pieces take the rough sand paper and sanded down all the timber while also lightly sanding the metal frame. My hubby used a battery operated sander on the timber however hand sanded the legs due to it's rounded shape. Once the timber was sanded back to a raw clean finish we went over it with the gentle sand paper to give it a soft smooth finish.
STEP 2
Spray the metal frame with the white spray paint. Once it had dried a second coat was added.
STEP 3
We weren't able to purchase white hinges so we opted for bronze and decided to spray them white ourselves. They need three coats to eventually cover all the bronze.
STEP 4
Varnish the timber on the outside. I chosen not to varnish the inside of the hatches just because I like the raw worn antique look. The varnish I used is a marine grade clear vanish that is thick and will last.
STEP 5
Assemble and enjoy!
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