Each piece of rescued furniture comes with its own set of challenges, most of which can be fixed. You have to determine if the piece you have is worth restoring.
First, I gave this desk a light sanding. For intricate areas, a small sized sander with a handle is helpful to have.
This old desk was in terrible shape but it was free, so it was worth fixing. After sanding it lightly I used wood filler to smooth out chips and dents.
For furniture painting, I prefer to use a paint sprayer. Sprayers give a super smooth finish with no brushstrokes and gets into intricate areas easily.
The back of this desk was rotted so we had to replace it with a new piece of wood. We simply nailed it to the back of the frame.
Lastly, I used a durable, clear sealer topcoat over the entire desk to help protect it from scratches and chips.
There are lots of issues you can run into when working with used furniture, such as drink rings. Click the link below for more tips on dealing with common problems when restoring furniture.