Antique School Desks with Chalkboard Tops

A couple summers ago I got these two antique school desks at a garage sale and started working on sanding down the top, but the weather got cold and I never finished them. This time when I pulled them out of the basement I set out to finish them! I bought chalkboard spray paint at Hobby Lobby (using a 40% off coupon), for the legs I used black gloss paint, and to seal the wood I used leftover polyurethane from another project.

Using a fine grit sand paper I took what sealer was left off the desk top and seat. As you can see these were definitely desks used by children. One has more wear and tear than the other but I think it shows the history of the desk. After taping off the top of the desk I applied a few thin layers of the chalkboard paint. I was concerned how the chalkboard would do on some of the deeper grooves, but after sanding they weren’t quite as deep.

After using a wire brush to removed any loose particles from the rusty areas I then applied Rust-Oleum’s Gloss Protective Enamel. I think it looks great and will prevent any more damage to the beautiful scroll work.

I applied two coats of poly to seal up the wood and love that I got a darker finish without having to stain it. I’m so happy with the way the desks turned out! Now I just need to find small metal cups to put in the ink well holes to hold chalk. Anyone have any ideas?