Bleached Desk Refinish
I love the way this bleached desk refinish turned out! I had been looking for a small desk that I could add to our guest bedroom to give an extra work space outside of our office for when my husband and I are both working from home.
This small desk was listed for free on Facebook Marketplace.
There were only a couple things I really like about this desk; it was free and it was small. Aside from that it really didn’t fit my décor but I knew, or I hoped, that I could refinish it and make it into what I wanted!
Step One: Strip Furniture
To refinish this desk, I started by stripping the old finish. I used Citristrip Stripping Gel to remove the thick layer of varnish that was on the desk.
Once the varnish was removed, I then used my palm stander sanded the entire desk to remove as much of the dark red stain as I could, without sanding too much. I started with 180-grit sand paper and then 220-grit sandpaper.
Step Two: Apply Bleach/Bleach Solution
Since this desk had such a dark red tone to the wood I knew I would have to bleach the wood to get the color and finish I was hoping for.
There are several different ways to bleach wood, for all the different methods check out our full post here!
For this desk, I used household bleach to bleach the wood. That said, It took quite a few coats of bleach to get the wood to a color I was happy with.
Bleaching this desk took me a long time. Each time you do a coat of bleach you need to set the wood out in the sun to dry. I did a total of 7 coats of bleach on this desk allowing it to dry between each coat.
Step Three: Neutralize the Bleach
After reaching a color you are happy with, make sure to neutralize the bleach by wiping on a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water.
Step Four: Prepare the wood for Finish
You will notice after bleaching the wood there will be a slightly rough feel to it. Before applying a finish you will want to be sure to lightly sand with 220-grit sand paper. I hand sanded my desk with a 220-grit sanding block. After sanding, I then wipe the whole desk down with denatured alcohol to clean it of any dust.
Step Five: Apply your Finish
This desk is a cherry wood, which is very red in color even without a red hue stain. Even after bleaching the wood there was still noticeable red tones, so I decided to stain my desk by layering different stains to even further drown out the red tones in this wood.
I started with a Weathered Oak stain and then layered a Early American stain on top of the gray.
Once the stain dried completely, I then did a white wash over the whole desk (1 part white paint, 3 parts water).
Lastly, I applied a top cost. I used General Finishes Flat out Flat topcoat.
Links to Get Started
DIY Bleached Desk Refinish
Equipment
- Palm Sander
materials
- 220-grit sandpaper
- Disposable paint brush
- Household Bleach
- Weathered Oak Stain
- Early American Stain
- White Paint
- Matte Topcoat
Instructions
- Strip old finish and stain from furniture.
- Apply bleach/bleach solution.
- Neutralized the bleach.
- Lightly sand the wood to prepare for finish.
- Apply finish.