This antique desk was purchased off Facebook Marketplace and had two thick coats of DIY paint on it. The brief was to remove as much of the paint as possible and restore it to its original wood so that it could just be lightly tinted and sealed by the scenic painters.

Started by removing the drawer hardware, which was eventually left to soak in acetone and scrubbed clean with a wire bristle brush. Could not tell if the spiral designs around the handle were removable at this stage. The first two days (between some other projects) were spent testing methods.

Beginning of day 3. Started to use a heat gun to peel away the larger areas of black latex paint. Used the drawers as test areas trying CitruStrip cover vs uncovered, in various thicknesses and lengths of time.Using a triangular pallet knife and a 2” metal scraper to remove the stripped paint.

Day 3. 2-3 thick coats of CitruStrip, left uncovered, for over an hour was the most effective method. Used 1/2 of a quart of CitruStrip on the desk, over the course of two weeks. The age of the desk/the matte white paint was unknown, so performed a lead test to ensure it was safe to continue.

Day 3. The two paints behaved very differently throughout the process. The black layer was definitely a latex based, more glossy, house paint. We could not identify the white paint, but it was much harder to remove. The CitruStrip would only cut through one layer at a time, especially on the tight curved surfaces, so most of the desk had to be stripped twice.

End of Day 3. Discovered after several layers that the top had a beautiful decorative inlay, that was being revealed quite easily. Used 2" metal scraper on the flat sections after 2, thick, 30 minute coats of CitruStrip. Discovered that the spirals around the drawer knobs were metal and easily removable once most of the paint was off the edges and then they were cleaned with the knobs.

End of Day 4. Gently getting into the edges of the drawers with a small pallet knife and wire bristle brush. This was the most time consuming step as the cracks/decorative elements of the drawer fronts were very small. Going back over with a ScotchBrite pad when finished to prevent residue from sticking.

End of day 4. The top after the first round of scraping revealed the inlay. This was the easiest step since it is a flat surface and the coats of paint were much more even. Shows the original varnish, minus the scratching/dust because it was still damp from being cleaned off.

Day 5. The end of the stripping process from the front. Starting the process of gently washing and scrubbing to remove excess paint, stripper, and sticky varnish with warm soapy water and mineral spirit.

Day 5. The original varnish had been painted over without sanding, so it was coming off inconsistently in places. This was not a concern since we ended up sanding the whole thing.

End of day 5, after thoroughly scrubbing with Scotchbrite, a scrub brush, warm soapy water, and mineral spirit.

End of day 6. Hand sanding the legs using multiple different sandpaper grits . Assisted by C. Steinmetz. This was the most challenging part because of the curves and tight details in the feet.

Final sanding step, using palm sander for flat surfaces and Dremel for the tight curved surfaces. Assisted by L. Miller.

Final sanding from the bottom. Assisted by L. Miller.

Final product backstage. Gloss/tint done by the scenic paint department. Returned the hardware, now restored to its original brassy finish. Carpentry by L. Miller removed some of the heavy underbody of the drawers, which was clearly not original to the desk.

Production photo of the final product onstage. Stringer/wheels built by L. Miller.