Damask patterns suit all surfaces.
Adding a damask pattern to an old desk can take it from tired to terrific. The repetitive pattern of leaves, flowers, creatures or modern geometrical designs has its origins in weaving and steel-making techniques during the first millennium in Damascus, Syria. Similar patterns featuring two or more colors can be produced on furniture, wallpaper and textiles using stencils of various sizes. Damask patterns work well in modern, classical and farmhouse decors and stand up to kids' wear and tear. Match the gold with a dark green or deep red background for a sumptuous Victorian library feeling or use cocoa and gold to create a contemporary effect.
Instructions
1. Remove all handles, knobs and drawers. Remove any paint from the desk with diluted paint stripper. Allow the desk to dry overnight. Clean the desk thoroughly with a cloth soaked in a diluted mixture of vinegar and water and allow it to dry for 1 hour. Sand down the desk with fine sandpaper. Use a tack cloth to clear the wood dust.
2. Decide whether you will use a centerpiece pattern or a continuous pattern over the entire desk. Select the stencil size and paint color you wish to contrast with gold. Large wall stencils may be up to 24-by-26 inches in size.
3. Apply one coat of primer to the desk and allow it to dry for 3 hours. Repeat the process with a second coat of primer. Apply the topcoat paint and allow it to dry for 3 hours. Apply a second coat of paint and let it dry for the same period.
4. Determine the center of the desk and the center of the large stencil if you want a damask centerpiece. Measure the desktop area that will accommodate the smaller stencil in its entirety a whole number of times along the width and length if you want a damask pattern over the entire desk. Use a carpenter's level to draw a grid of vertical and horizontal lines over the desktop as well as the drawer fronts and sides of the desk, where each grid unit will accommodate the smaller stencil.
5. Position the stencil at the center of the desk for the centerpiece, or at the top left-hand grid unit if you're stenciling the entire desktop and desk, and affix it with painter's tape. Pour some of the gold paint onto a foam plate. Dip the tip of the stencil brush into the gold paint, dab excess paint on the paper towel and dab gold paint on the stencil design, working from the top down. Remove the stencil gently.
6. Allow the centerpiece to dry for 3 hours or move the smaller stencil to the next grid box below the freshly stenciled one. Affix the stencil to the desk with painter's tape and repeat the gold painting process as before until the first column is completed. Move the stencil to the top of the next column on the right and paint with gold paint as before. Continue moving the stencil and painting until the entire desktop is complete. Continue the same procedure to paint the desk's drawer fronts and sides. Remove the stencil from the final box and allow the desk to dry for 3 hours.
7. Wipe of the pencil marks with a damp cloth. Spray two coats of aerosol sealant over the desk, letting dry per the manufacturer's instructions between each coat. Replace the handles and knobs, and put the drawers back into the desk.
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