Putting the ‘challenge’ in Upcycle Challenge

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Like many people in Vancouver, I have several jobs. And normally my balls-to-the-wall schedule is maintainable, but for some reason this week deadlines and appointments just dropped out of my head — on Monday, I completely forgot that I had tickets to Beach House and had to head there straight after work. Last night, I found out my deadline for the Vancouver Home and Design Show’s Upcycle Challenge wasn’t next week when the show starts, but today ( it seems I can read everything but rules and regulations). WITH pretty photos for publication. Lord help me.

So last night I had a sanding and priming party until around 4 a.m. Felt very Trading Spaces. Only way more paint on me than the desk.

Paint party

If these are my legs, imagine what my hands must look like. And the primer is oil based. And no I do not have the ‘mineral spirits’ Home Depot recommends for its removal.

So speaking of the desk, you’re probably wondering what it looked like before I messed with it. An $85 find from ReStore (I love this place), donated by the Sutton Place Hotel, complete with vintage Sutton Place Hotel stationary. I’m counting on this as a charming selling point.

Julia Dilworth's ReStore desk

And this is it after sanding attempt #1:

Sanding a vintage desk

Why were there so many knicks?? It looks like someone’s pelted it with quarters. And this drawer doesn’t even open, it’s a faux-drawer. Anyway, I managed to sand that out with only a couple heat burns on my fingers. The electric sander seen above was only good for big surfaces like the top, but I am so glad I bought it (Home Hardware $30) — sanding the top part evenly would have been an absolute nightmare. And I’m sleeping poorly enough as it is.

After a morning coat of primer at 8 a.m., this desk is finally iPod white. And, now that I’ve learned that you must paint the trim before you paint the main parts, I’m hoping the coloured paint portion of this project is going to go spectacularly better. But one coat has to dry for four-to-six hours and I need daylight to shoot the photo and probably another coat of paint before that. Will I get it done in time? WIll it look like crap?

I guess I’ll find out soon enough!