Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - refinishing old school desk

I have found two old school desk at a antique store. They are the wooden top and metal bottom. I want to refinish them. What is the best way? I guess you would sand them down and put a primer on them and then paint them. How would you do the metal part? Do you use a special paint on the wood and metal? I think I would like them a cherry color on the wooden top, and maybe a gray color on the metal. I do not know how to paint metal or if you can. The wooden tops also have some dents, what should I use to fill them in? Any advice is welcomed. Thanks..

Kim:

Dependiong on the condition of the metal, you may not have to do anything but paint it. If it's not rusty and the present paint job isn't falling off, paint (prime first). Both primer and paint for metal comes in aerosol cans, which is usually the easiest way to tackle that part. If any of the paint is loose, get it off using a stiff metal bristle brush - sort of like a king size toothbrush - then prime and paint. PS - some primers are gray in color - if you like the look you don't have to put a finish paint over it.

If you want to fill the dings and dents in the wood, Famowood, or wood putty by 3M will do the trick. Fill in layers, allowing each to dry (it shrinks) before applying a new layer. When you've filled the dent, sand smooth and paint. I'd suggest a good primer, such as BIN or KILZ, followed by the paint of your choice. A good acrylic latex should work well, in the color and sheen of your choice.