Mahogany Desk Prep

I'm working on a mahogany desk that I bought a few weeks ago. I am going to paint the bottom. The top I am going to strip and stain. I really love that look on certain pieces of furniture. The top on this desk has some pretty deep scratches so I will also do some sanding after it's stripped. I've mentioned bleed through in some of my posts lately and I'm fairly certain this mahogany desk will be a bleeder. So I am going to prep the bottom part prior to painting to try and prevent any bleeding. 

I have mentioned several techniques you can use to prevent this problem but I haven't mentioned that you can also use a metallic paint to seal the bleed through. I use Modern Masters Metallic's, spray on metallic's, and Martha Stewart's Metallic's. Any one of these will work so it's strictly up to you and what you like to use. I'm leaning towards the Modern Masters Metallic for my desk. 

Here is a BEFORE so you can see what it looks like - see all those scratches. I'll be back with more pics for this make over. 

I was excited to be featured on West Furniture Revival. You can go here to look at all the great Monday Make-Overs that Lauren featured. It's a great blog to follow so check her out.

Leather Inserted Table Make Over

Have you seen the two-tiered tables that have a leather insert on the top? These tables were popular in the early 1900's. I wanted to cover the leather with CeCe paint and I chose Destin Gulf Green for the top but I left the legs dark mahogany. 
After I finished applying two coats of Destin Gulf Green I wanted to add a stencil to the top. I used Modern Masters Metallic paint for the stencil. I had a little trouble centering the stencil but finally got it right(with help from my husband)! Remember when you are stenciling to tape the stencil down and use a pouncing stippling type motion when applying your paint. Less paint on your stencil brush is better. You want it almost dry so that you won't have paint bleeding under the stencil. I use a paper plate and a paper towel to "pounce" the brush to remove excess paint.
I love using glazes so I decided to glaze the table with Virginia Chestnut to give it more depth. With CeCe Caldwell's glazes you tint them with the paint.
The leather insert was easy to paint over and I like the new look much better! And now I'm moving on to the next make over.....