Dumpster Diving

We love a good deal. So when Dave and Judy arrived at Adam's apartment during our trip to Ohio last September and said there was a desk outside next to the dumpster, we ran out to look. Apparently, one of the neighbors didn't have room for it anymore. My favorite kind of find! 

I had been looking for a small desk for Matt and this one was in good shape at a great price. To get it back to Minnesota was a little more complicated. It traveled south to Cincinnati first, to Wisconsin a month later, and then finally to Minnesota in November. So a HUGE thank you to those of you who helped with the move! We are very grateful.

The desk was in such good shape. I'm fairly certain it may be an antique or at least old with how it was built. After letting it sit in the garage for a few weeks, I brought it inside and wiped it down with just a Norwex enviro cloth and water. It worked wonders and cleaned it right up. 

When I turned it over, there was a surprise. Green paint! At some point it must have been painted and then stripped back to it's original wood. I only had to make one minor repair, but it was easy enough with some wood glue and a hammer and nails.

It was cold out, so I took over the kitchen space for the day. Good thing my husband wasn't home. :)

I absolutely love the distressed, chippy look and enjoy reading Miss Mustard Seed's blog. After watching her tutorials, I decided to give it a go using MMS milk paint in Grain Sack.  I love that you don't need to sand or prep anything to use milk paint. It is very convenient and eco-friendly. I mixed enough for a coat and then taped off the top of the desk to leave the surface in its natural wood state. 

I used two to three coats of paint and mixed it as needed in a Mason jar. 

After the paint was dry, I used a spackle knife, running it over the paint to achieve the distressed look.  

To finish it off, I used a vintage antiquing wax over the paint and desktop (hemp oil would have worked well too). A new knob was added (which I'm still not completely sold on yet), and it was as good as new! Not bad for being a free find, and Matt is pretty pleased with his new desk. 

Love the chippy paint. Please excuse my lack of photography skills. :)

Now I'm on the lookout for a chair or stool and wall decor. And the armoire needs to be painted to match, but that might need to wait until spring because I don't think it will fit in the kitchen. :)

If you are interested in using milk paint for a project, I would suggest locating a retailer in your general area. Personally, I didn't want to spend the extra money to have it shipped to my house, so we stopped by Farmhouse Inspired on the way to Wisconsin to visit our families.

If there is not a retailer in your area, you could always order from one of the 200 retailers across the country. However, I found it to be most cost effective to either swing by a shop that carries the products or order from a shop on Etsy. I actually ordered some MMS Crackle Medium and Hemp Oil off Etsy that I'm excited to try on the next piece of furniture.

Also, I would suggest watching video tutorials or reading the how to guide before you get started. I watched the videos and then just went for it. Probably not the best idea, but I can be impatient.

Don't be intimidated. If I can do this, anyone can with a little time and some paint!