taking it old school

I have had this lovely vintage school desk sitting in my garage since last summer, when a friend of mine let me rescue it from her parent's yard, where it was just begging to be given some TLC.
Yes.
Since last Summer.
Give me a break, okay? I've been lazy busy.
But, finally, FINALLY, I decided I couldn't stand it taking up room in our garage anymore and I had to get it finished before this little baby girl makes her appearance.

The first step was obviously all the prep work, you know, the "unfun" part: first, I had to sand all the wood down; then I cleaned everything with diluted vinegar; lastly I had to tape all the wood off so I could spray paint all the metal. That part probably took the longest, but once that was all finished I was able to give it three light coats of Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover in Seaside.

After letting the paint dry overnight, I could get started on re-staining the wood table top and seat. I picked Minwax Polyshades Honey in Gloss, which I already had leftover from another project. I love the Polyshades stain because you don't have to completely sand or strip the wood down before you use it. 

I am in love with the contrast of the bright, new looking aqua metal base against the antique, natural wood tone. I could have sanded all the wood down more, treated it with a wood conditioner before staining it, tried to erase all the imperfections; but I think that's what's so great about it. I love all the scratches and dents that stand out even more now that the stain has settled down into them.