I found some plans online to make a corner desk with a wood plank top.  You can find the plans from the rustic barn on this DIY website Handmade Haven. I changed the measurements on the plan to perfectly fit a corner in my living room as well as customizing it into a farmhouse corner desk.

Materials for the farmhouse corner desk

I knew I wanted an antique top instead of using new wood so I found these two antique painted doors at an amazing antique mall in Lawrence, MA called Canal Street Antique Mall.  If you live in our area you have to check them out!

Anyway, during a Sunday trip looking specifically for something to use as a top for the corner desk, I was ready to give up.  Then there they were.  Two of the most beautiful antique doors I have ever seen.  Perfect for what I was looking for. My heart was beating out of my chest.  Just look at them.  Arn’t they georgeous!!

Prepping and finishing the wood doors

When we got home I washed the doors with a 50/50 mix of vinager and water and let them dry in the sun for a few hours.  A lot of the loose paint chips came off during the washing. But anything else that was loose I vacummed up with the upholstery brush attachment on my vaccume.

Next I used two coats of a satin water based poly to seal in the rest of the chips.  I’m going to bet that the paint on the doors were lead based.  I really wanted to make sure it was sealed well for this reason.  Please be very careful when you purchase anything antique that has pealing paint.  Clean up any debris immediately to prevent children or pets from digesting it.

The only other thing I had to do was cut one of the doors down to the correct size.  My husband did this for me because I am completely petrified of a skill saw.  I can use any other tool including a chop saw or a jig saw but I just don’t feel in control of the skill saw and feel like Im going to cut off a limb.  Sooo…Thanks Babe.