DIY Restoration of a Roll Top Desk

Before restoring a roll top desk ask yourself how much it's going to cost and whether it's worth it. Cost will depends entirely on the amount of damage and wear to the desk. The worth of the piece depends on its value. The value of any piece of furniture is more an appraisal. An old roll top that has some sentimental value to you may make even a major restoration well worth the time, effort and cost.

Paint stripper
Paint brushes assorted sizes
Putty knives assorted sizes
Shop towels
Sandpaper, medium, fine and extra fine grades
Steel wool – very fine
Wiping oil stain
Protective gloves
Woodworking tools
Screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches
Eye protection
Wiping polyurethane clearcoat
Linen rags
Furniture polish

Instructions

- 1
  Disassemble the roll top Remove drawers, take apart the top, remove the hardware and anything else that will come apart. Mark the pieces and set them aside where you can find them easily and restore them to their original places.
- 2
  Remove the old finish from the surface areas of the desk with paint stripper. Allow it to set for the recommended time, then peel it off with putty knives and sandpaper. Some furniture restorers will strip the old varnish and stain off for you at a price. Removing the old finish is messy and time-consuming. The sanding and scraping is the most physical part of the job.
- 3
  Sand the finished surfaces with fine grade sandpaper. Repair any small dents or dings with wood filler. Larger damaged areas may require you to inlay pieces of veneer of the same material as the desk. This can be difficult and requires a practiced hand so that the repairs don't show. You may want to hire out this sort of work.
- 4
  Sand the pieces until all the surfaces are smooth and clean. Preparing the piece for refinishing takes up about 75 percent of the restoration time.
- 5
  Reglue broken pieces, repair or replace damaged parts and hardware. Each job has to be done accurately. Craftsmanship counts. Today's new adhesives and woodworking tools and techniques help a lot, but there's no substitute for ingenuity and skill.
- 6
  Stain all wood surfaces of the desk pieces with a wiping oil stain. Wipe the stain on, leave it long enough to darken the stain to your taste, then wipe it off with a clean shop towel or soft cloth. Use the same set time for all pieces so the color will match across the entire desk.
- 7
  Finish the wood pieces with a wiping polyurethane clearcoat. This method is by far the easiest for the do-it-yourself furniture restorer. Wipe on the thin finish with a linen cloth. Allow the finish to dry for three hours, then sand with very fine steel wool. Wipe the surface, then wipe on another coat. Repeat six to 10 times, sanding between coats to achieve a finish comparable to any spray-on clearcoat.
- 8
  Reassemble the parts of the desk, put the drawers back in and polish the outside surface thoroughly.

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