Welcome to the Dixie Belle Paint blog! We’re excited to have Denise from Salvaged Inspirations with us today. Denise transformed a thrift store desk into a floral masterpiece using Dixie Belle Paint, Color Wash Stain, and the Magnolia transfer (Please note that the Magnolia transfer is no longer available.  You can find our available transfers by clicking here). Let’s dive into her creative process and see how you can achieve a similar transformation! 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED 

Thrift Desk  – SALVAGED
Sand Pads | Shop Towels
White Lightning Cleaner
Bonding Boss Primer
Paint Brushes
Water Mister Bottle
Magnolia Transfer (or similar floral transfer)
Dried Sage Chalk Mineral Paint
English Ivy Chal Mineral Paint
Gator Hide Top Coat 

(The following is an excerpt from Salvaged Inspirations. Read the full article here)  

MAGNOLIA PAINTED DESK 

Here’s how it all came together. I had a lot of fun working on this piece. As I mentioned in a few of my recent posts, it’s the beginning of the gardening season here in the GTA. The budding flowers and tending my garden are inspiring my furniture makeovers! 

Magnolia Painted Makeover

Here’s the thrift store desk I started with. The drawers are old school but work great. It is a nice solid wood piece, but I noticed the top was a little scratched. 

 

Magnolia Painted Makeover

CLEAN/PREP 

I started by giving this piece a cleaning with White Lightning. Once I wiped it down a few times until my sponge looked clean. 

Cleaning Desk with White Lightening; A hand in a white glove is holding a yellow sponge on top of a brown table that sits on a wooden floor, in front of a white wall.

SANDING 

I scuff-sanded the body and drawers with a 120-grit sanding pad to give the surface a little tooth for good paint adhesion. The top was sanded until the finish was removed and all the scratches were sanded out. To do this, I started with a 60 grit, then 100 grit, then 150. Then using a tack-cloth, I removed all the sanding dust before priming. 

Sanding Desk; A hand in a white glove holding an electric sander on top of a brown wooden desk.

PRIMING WITH BONDING BOSS 

To seal any bleed-through and create a surface that the paint will stick to, I brushed on this Clear Bonding Primer. The clear primer goes on milky so you can see exactly where you are brushing or where you have missed. Then it dries clear and invisible. I like using a cheap chip brush or roller to apply this primer. 

Tip – When using this Bonding Boss, I’m careful not to clean the brush in my sink or pour any of this bonding primer down my drain. It will block up the pipes because it sticks to everything. I suggest using a bucket to clean your brush OR using a cheap brush that you don’t mind throwing away. 

Priming Desk with Bonding Boss; a hand holding a paint brush against a brown wooden desk with a jar of Bonding BOSS sitting on top.

PAINTING 

Now for the fun part!  I painted the body of this desk in two coats of this Dried Sage. Well not really. I slipped up…lol. The first coat was Dried Sage. The second coat was a custom mix (I believe Endless Shore mixed with Cactus) I had sitting on my counter right beside the Dried Sage. As I was painting I thought, wait a minute… this looks darker! 

Painting In Dried Sage; A hand in a white glove holds a brown paint brush with light brown paint against a painted desk with a brown wooden table top. A jar of Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint in Dried Sage sits on top of the desk.

HOW TO APPLY A PAINT STAIN 

Then I created a wash mixing 50% Dried Sage with 50% water and brushed on a paint stain to the sanded back top. I worked in sections brushing on some paint and wiping the excess off with a shop towel. 

Applying Paint Stain Wash; a hand in a white glove holds a brown paint brush with light brown paint on it against a light brown table top.

MAGNOLIA GARDEN TRANSFER

I applied bits and pieces from Magnolia Garden Transfer to give this desk a sweet floral flare. Unfortunately, this transfer is out of stock.  To see what other floral transfers are available, click here.

Magnolia Gardens Belles And Whistles Transfer; A hand holding the round canister with a photo of the Magnolia Garden Transfer printed on it. The table under the canister is holding pages from the transfer.

I added florals to the drawers. 

Applying Magnolia Transfer on Desk Drawer; A hand holding a brown piece of wood against a light brown desk, the Magnolia Transfer is on the drawer behind a clear piece of paper.

And created a floral top. I love piecing transfers together to make original designs. 

Applying Transfers on Desk Top

PINSTRIPING DETAILS 

I decided to add some pin striping to tie in the magnolia florals. I masked off each side with painter’s tape. Using this English Ivy Green, I dry-brushed the pinstriping going lighter around the florals. I wanted the stripes to fade as they got closer the flowers. 

Masking Off And Painting Pin Striping

I was so happy when I pulled up the tape. It turned out exactly as I envisioned it. 

Removing Pin Stripe Masking

GATOR HIDE TOPCOAT 

To protect this piece I sponged/wiped on Gator Hide topcoat. I made sure to mix the topcoat (not shake – shaking can cause bubbles while applying) before pouring some onto a paper plate. Then I dipped the applicator sponge into the topcoat and removed the excess on the side of the plate. In one smooth swoop, I work my way across the surface. I applied three coats waiting a few hours in between. 

Topcoating with Gator Hide; a hand in a white glove holding a round blue sponge on top of a light brown table; flowers and a green stripe are on top of the table.

THE FINISHED LOOK 

Here’s the finished look… 

Vintage Desk Magnolia Makeover

A close-up of the magnolia design up top and on the drawers. The florals all came together with the custom green paint. 

Magnolia Transfer Desk IG

And what do you think of the pinstriping? 

Painted Pin Striping on Telephone Desk

The plain brass knob gives the piece some ‘shine’ without taking away from the floral details. 

How To Update An Old Desk; step by step photos of makeover

YOUTUBE TUTORIAL 

Here’s the full step-by-step video tutorial. Our #siyoutubefamily is already a community of 45.7K so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so already! So exciting, thank YOU! 

Thanks for joining us and Denise from Salvaged Inspirations on this creative journey. We hope you’re inspired to use Dixie Belle Paint products for your own transformations. For more information about how to apply Dixie Belle transfers, check out our Silk Paint and Transfers Tutorial blog.

Visit our website for more project ideas and the best products to bring your visions to life. Happy painting! 

a photo of the magnolia desk on the top of the page with the words Guest Blog, Magnolia Painted Makeover Salvaged Inspirations printed below the photo, white and pink magnolias ae in all 4 corners

Featured, Guest Author, Home Decor, How To

About the Author

Salvaged Inspirations

Denise is a blogger, self-taught furniture artist, writer, photographer and the owner/creator of Salvaged Inspirations. She is a lover of all things vintage, repurposed and restyled. A thrift enthusiast, she’s always in pursuit of the next creative upcycle.

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