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Thread: Finish Suggestions For a Child's Desk

  1. #1

    Finish Suggestions For a Child's Desk

    Hi, I am building a desk for my 6 year old daughter that is a poplar and plywood base with a cherry top. I want to do a natural looking finish for the top and was thinking of using either arm-r-seal or a hardwax oil like rubio. I know that the hardwax oil does not provide the protection that arm-r-seal does but I was thinking that when it inevitably gets damaged it will be easier to fix than the arm-r-seal.

    What would yo use for a desk for a child that will surely be written on, have cups set on it, spills, scratches etc.?

    What type of paint should I use for the base? I would like to paint it white and have a Wagner Flexio 2000, but wouldn't mind spraying a rattle can or brushing the finish on. Just want a finish that will look good and is durable. What would you suggest?

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Children like color. Your daughter is not going to be happy because its rosewood or any color that is not the same as her
    favorite crayon. My suggestion is let her pick color.....no, make that colors!! And I would let her write and draw on it !
    Tell her "it's okay ....because I made it for YOU!" As an adult she will cherish the desk and your loving indulgence.
    Well, I know I've made my case well ...'cuz I've brought a tear to my own eye !! It's a good thing that I use this
    talent "only for good....never for evil !"

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    I'd use the wipe-on varnish over the hardwax oil, personally, for this particular application.

    As to the paint, I agree that the child should be able to influence you on color choice, albeit with coaching around what will look good (subjective) in the room...either complementary or contrasting. Rattle cans are easy if you can spray outdoors for safety and can let it dry/cure for a week or so. If you do choose to not use the rattle cans, a 100% acrylic would be my choice, like Sherwin Williams ProClassic or Benjamin Moore Impervo. They wear well and if there are any places where stuff will sit (such as a shelf) there will be no blocking/sticking. They brush on easily, too. Spraying works, but only as long as the spray system you have can handle thicker waterborne coatings and properly atomize them.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
    Mel/Jim, thank you for the color suggestion. The desk case will be white which my daughter is very excited about, but when I tell her she can choose the color of the drawer fronts she will be very excited.

    If I go with the acrylic paint, should I use a primer under it? If so, any suggestions?

    Would something like Sherwin Williams Kem Aqua not stand up better to the abuse the desk will see than an acrylic paint?

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Kem Aqua is an acrylic. Almost any waterborne is, with only a few exceptions. It's a decent product but I had some issue getting it to lay down well. Using some GF extender helps to alleviate that, but at the time, I didn't have that luxury. My local SW store also doesn't stock it, so I have to order in and if I'm going to do that, I might as well stay with the Target Coatings products as I've been using their materials since 2003 as my contractor discount at SW for the Kem Aqua puts it at about the same price I buy Target Coatings using discount codes and paying a small amount for shipping.

    For white in your application...I'd just use the ProClassic which I always have around as it's my standard for trim in our home and a desk doesn't use much finish.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
    Julio, that is great news ! And believe me again as I say that she is not going to pick any shade of brown !! I think she
    will want the drawer fronts all done in different colors. I like the acrylic primer that was called The Gripper...but I think
    they have changed the name. Covers well and drys fast. Well, my work here is done. Whoosh!!!

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    I missed the primer question. My opinion is that bare wood is a good reason to use a quality primer to insure good adhesion of the subsequent paint.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. I'm late to this, but I've had great luck with Waterlox on things like this. You can spot refinish without problems and it's really durable. I've done our dining table with it and it's held up great for 4 years. I also did a bench for the coat locker and the kids climb all over it and it's holding up great.

  9. #9
    I've had great success painting children's furniture over the years with Sherwin-Williams All Surface Enamel. I use it over a Zinsser primer. The finish sprays nicely, builds evenly, and is durable. I've had the same table and chair set come back for refinishing twice as the set passed from one set of children to another.
    Chris

  10. #10
    To follow up, I ended up using Glidden Gripper primer 3 coats sprayed with a cheap handheld sprayer (Homeright), then Sherwin Williams Pro Classic. It looked really good for 4 ft. away but definitely has some orange peel. For the top I used General Finishes Arm-R-Seal 2 coats of gloss and the final 3rd coat in satin. If I were to do anything differently, I would try thinning the primer even though you are not supposed to, and try thinning the paint more than I did to limit the orange peel.

    Thanks for all the suggestions.

    I was really happy with the results. After a school year of use, it has gotten pretty abused by my 7 year old daughter and 3 year old son. He decorated the front, and my daughter had some marker bleed through on the top. I can't be upset about it because she sat diligently through online classes 5 hours a day, 5 days a week the entire school year and did really well. She also got to work on her own desk a bit when we were assembling it.

    Here are is a beginning of the school year pic, and end of school year pic.

    IMG_20210103_194644877.jpg

    IMG_20210624_170900106.jpg

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