DIY DIY Thrift Store Desk Makeover (Using Silver Leaf!)

You guys. I finally did something I've been wanting to exercise for years now. I silvery leafed a slice of thrift store furniture! I'm absolutely smitten amongst the agency it turned out, but I conduct maintain to survive honest. This tabular array nearly ate me survive xiv times over the past times 2 days. I still have silvery flakes inward my hair. But it was worth it.

A couplet weeks ago, I mentioned that my vanity tabular array was a lilliputian worse for habiliment after all of the makeup, hairspray, too the occasional flatiron melting. In the comments section, ya'll had some bright suggestions virtually how I could gear upward my problem: plexiglass. I was thence excited past times that idea, too couldn't hold off to pose it into action. I had planned to but add together a slice of plexiglass to my one-time vanity (which was also originally a disaster), but when I came across a larger, much nicer desk at the thrift store finally week for $15, I decided to donate the one-time i too start over. Here's the desk I establish that I but knew would survive an awesome replacement.

It had a few dents too scratches inward the wood, but I absolutely loved the shape. It had unproblematic plenty lines that I knew it would survive the perfect specimen for my showtime silvery foliage project. I've had the below motion painting saved every bit inspiration for my lilliputian vanity expanse for quite some fourth dimension hither on Pinterest, too since cutting mirrors to tally my desk turned out to survive agency likewise expensive, I decided that using silvery foliage would survive a great, affordable agency to accomplish a similar look.

via Decor Pad

So here's how I did it.
This projection was super fourth dimension intensive (about iv hours total) too super messy (glitter inward my hair, glitter everywhere), but truly sort of slow i time I got the hang of it.

Here's what you lot need:

Metal leaf adhesive

Silver foliage (Great bargain on 100 sheets here. I used l sheets on this project, but leafing the transcend too drawers.)

Paintbrush (To apply silvery leaf)

Sealer (I tried the i pictured above, but wanted something sturdier, thence I ended upward using Polycrylic.)

Sponge brush (to apply polycrylic)

Silver pray pigment (I used my favorite silver color too you lot could in all probability accomplish a similar await amongst the spray pigment alone...if I'm beingness honest.)

*Above links all accept you lot to my Amazon Affiliate shop.

I started on the drawers. After removing them from the frame of the desk, I sprayed the entire surface amongst my spray adhesive. It stays viscid for virtually 10-15 minutes, thence it plant best to piece of job on modest areas at a time.

Pardon my human being hand.

Then, I applied i canvass of silvery foliage at a time, laying it gently on transcend too smoothing it out carefully amongst my paintbrush. To avoid a line of piece of job inward betwixt each canvass of leaf, I slightly overlapped them. The sheets are super delicate, too tend to stick to your ~~man~~hand. Whenever i would tear, I would but embrace the gap amongst a smaller piece. There volition survive plenty of lilliputian pieces to conduct from, every bit the silvery foliage is super flaky, too you lot volition halt upward amongst a meg bits of silvery foliage on the floor. Dropcloths come upward inward handy.

Also, I definitely walked inward some adhesive at i request too silvery leafed my feet.

That added to my enjoyment of this project. :)

Once the surface is completely covered inward leaf, you lot conduct maintain to seal it. I ended upward using 2 coats of Polycrylic.

And instantly for a minute of honesty. After several hours of silvery leafing the entire transcend of the desk too all iii drawers, I realized how difficult it was going to survive to silvery foliage the legs too all of the parts inward betwixt each drawer. So, instead, I covered the transcend of the desk amongst some arts and crafts paper, left the drawers out, too thence took the frame exterior too spray painted the legs amongst a super shiny chrome metallic element spray paint. It ended upward working out perfectly, too since the larger surfaces are all silvery leafed, it looks similar the whole thing is.

Poof. Magic.

Once the desk was done, I decided to pose your suggestions into action. Even amongst ii coats of Polycrylic, I knew that the transcend of the desk wouldn't agree upward to my flatiron too human face upward goo, thence I decided to purchase a canvass of plexiglass to protect the top. After searching around for a bit, nosotros ended upward at Lowe's, where they cutting drinking glass for free.

I nation 'we' because after DAYS of working on it, this vanity became a solid unit of measurement affair.

Jesse intend vanity lovely, but Jesse loathe vanity.

I came habitation amongst a perfect slice of plexiglass for $20. Seriously, who knew?!

You did. You knew.

The plexiglass transcend is super functional, too it looks great, too. I couldn't survive happier.

And since I didn't desire to ignore whatever inch of this beautiful lilliputian hard-earned desk, I decided to pigment the insides of the drawers black.