Zebra Desk Makeover

One more down. One dresser to go. Almost done with the Tween Zebra Room transformation. I will be glad to finally breathe a sigh of relief when it's completed. I plan to have the entire room painted and redecorated by February 13th. Thanks to the help of my husband we will meet that deadline!

This desk makeover turned out fabulous! The look on my daughter's face when she saw the stencil results makes all this hard work, worth it. I can't wait to see her face when the walls are painted and everything is moved back in. Oh I should video that!


I found this desk for $30 on an online yard sale about a year ago. Perfect size for her. I always planned on painting it, just never made up my mind about how. When she asked to have a pink zebra room, we started making plans and picking colors. My "mini me in training" searched Pinterest alongside me and we found the perfect idea for her desk! Check out this zebra desk makeover by Home Happy Home.

I found a zebra stencil on eBay and we picked out colors for her room. Prior to this desk makeover I've completed her headboard and her nightstand. This weekend the paint FINALLY goes up on the walls! Now back to this desk...

I started off by sanding the entire desk and drawers down with 80 grit sandpaper. I used the same black Valspar paint as I did for the other projects in the room.

The weather was unpredictable during this time so I moved my projects indoors. Time was of the essence. I moved the desk into our playroom/Sunday school room/I have no where else for this so lets put in the back room. The latex paint didn't have a strong odor so I was lucky to have plenty of ventilation with the large space and a fan for circulation. I usually wait 1 day in between coats, but that is usually a lack of time on my part since I work. Just make sure you wait for your coats to fully dry before reapplying additional coats.

Once my second coat was on the desk I started the drawers. I first painted them white, with the paint I bought for her room. These took 2 coats as well. 

I lined up my stencil exactly where I wanted it and used painters tape to keep it in place. (For step by step instructions on how I stencil click here and read how I stenciled the zebra nightstand.) For this project I applied 3 light coats of black paint. My stencil was only long enough to cover half a drawer at a time. Once one half of the drawer was dry I turned it over and lined up the stencil as best as I could for the second half. It's not perfect, but it's a zebra pattern so no one will ever notice :)

Once the desk and drawers were completed and fully dried, I applied polyacrylic to protect the surface. 

In between coats gently sand the surface with a super fine steel wool pad. This will make your surface nice and smooth in the end. After sanding with steel wool pad, wipe down with a dust free cloth. Apply your second coat, dry, sand with steel wool again. Apply the third and last coat. When this third coat is dry you will have a smooth surface and well protected paint job. You can apply only 2 coats if you choose. I applied 3 coats since I knew this desk would be handled quite frequently. 

I replaced all the drawer knobs with new zebra knobs from Lowes. I am very happy with how this piece turned out. My daughter is in love with her new desk and that's all that matters! The room is coming together wonderfully and I can't wait to share the room reveal with you all :)