Flow Blue Milk Paint Desk { Furniture Makeover }

I went back and forth, trying to decide if this piece was a desk or a vanity . . . I’ve decided to settle on desk.  I think in my earlier posts where I walked you through the prep on this piece I called it a vanity, so please forgive my inconsistencies!

Let’s get back to the main issue though, which is that this sad little desk isn’t so sad anymore!

I have really been wanting to try Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in Flow Blue, but I think it’s best reserved for smaller pieces since it’s such a bold color.  This desk is quite petite, so it was the perfect piece on which to try it out.

I’ve showed you the refinishing of the top, so let’s take a look at the whole thing together:

The color did not disappoint!  It is a rich, beautiful blue and the milk paint did its job of chipping in the perfect spots.

It may be hard to see in the “before” picture, but the original art deco pulls had been spray painted brown. I used spray on Citri-Strip to remove the old paint and then cleaned them off with Bar Keeper’s Friend. They aren’t back to their original bright brass color, but that wasn’t what I was going for anyway.  I like their dullness, but my main goal was just to get rid of the cheap brown paint.

Before painting, I did give the body of the desk a light sanding with my orbital sander to prevent too much chipping from taking place.  Most of the paint that did still chip away was on the drawer fronts; I was happy with that.

You may be worried that chipping paint like this might continue to fall off at the slightest touch, but sealing it with furniture wax keeps that from happening. If you pick at it hard you can get more paint off, but the wax keeps more chipping from happening just from everyday use.

The Dark Walnut refinished top contrasts well with the deep blue.

And who doesn’t love cute little casters?

I’m very happy with how the desk turned out, and I’m even happier that I finally got to try out the Flow Blue milk paint!  I have plans to use it on another project, and then use the two blue pieces as part of my blue and red Christmas color scheme in my antique booth.

Is Flow Blue too bold of a color for you?  What do you think?