General Finishes

My small office desk top was white and was not holding up to the daily use. The desk top was made of plywood so I could have stripped it, however I was unsure of the quality of plywood and did not want to risk taking off the top layer and ruining it altogether. So I opted to with a faux wood look….that would not appear fake. I painted over the existing white with Millstone milk paint. I have done this to other projects using antique white, but I was out and had Millstone on hand. I then applied raw umber glaze with inexpensive thick bristle craft brush. Using a cheap brush is usually a NO NO in my book but this was done intentionally too eave brush marks that would lay the foundation for a wood grain base.  GF extender was added to increase my working time and allow me some time for creativity. I then proceeded to us a natural bristle brush to apply 2 coats of Van Dyke Brown Glaze with some extender added as well. One 3rd and final coat of Van Dyke Brown Glaze was then added with a foam brush to soften the look and add some additional depth and color. The project was finished with 3 coats of Gel Top Coat. Three months have passed and it looks as good as the day I finished it. Very pleased with the look and extremely please with the durability.