Mustard Yellow Desk

I got this desk after someone already attempted to strip it.  They didn't quite finish the job--notice the 2 panels on the inside--they were still the original finish.

Since the top was already down to the wood, I planned to stain it.  For the base of the desk I wanted to do a mustard yellow color thinking it would look great with a dark stained top.

Turns out this color was harder to choose than I thought.  I first bought a sample pot of Behr Mustard Brown to mix into homemade chalk paint.

I painted the desk with two coats of it and it came out a strange yellow green color.  I was convinced HD mixed me the wrong color.  So back to HD for another sample pot and this time I picked Yellow Gold as it was the next color up on the color card from Mustard Brown.  I was hoping it would come out to be the right color.

I painted one coat of this color on the desk and was still not 100% happy with the results.  Not wanting to paint it a fourth time, I moved on to distressing and then used the dark wax "glaze" technique hoping it would alter the color to what I wanted.  It did!  Take a look at the results...

BAM!  Look at that transformation!

I went VERY heavy with the dark wax glaze. I globbed it on all over and extra heavy in all the nooks and crannies, especially in the braided trim at the top. I even let the wax sit for a little longer before I wiped it away. It really toned down the bright color a lot.

I soaked the hardware in white vinegar to clean it and then buffed it. 

I stained the top with Minwax Dark Walnut and also used the dark wax glaze to darken the color more.  I finished the top with two coats of Minwax wipe on poly.  Since I used the dark wax on the paint, I didn't have to wax again, I just buffed it after the wax cured. 

I am still not sure if this color is really a mustard yellow, but I think it looks gorgeous!

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