Restored

Jenavieve stared at the old gray desk her mom had bought at a yard sale. Does she really expect me to put that ugly piece of junk in my room? she wondered.

Mom saw the worried look on Jenavieve's face and laughed. "Don't worry, we won't leave your desk looking like this. We'll make it look as good as new."

Jenavieve frowned. How in the world are we going to do that?

Out in the garage, Mom and Jenavieve started working on the desk. First, they removed all the layers of paint. "Look at that!" Jenavieve said, pointing to several spots where bits of old paint could still be seen. "This desk was painted light green and then blue before it was painted gray. All those layers make the paint really thick. No wonder the desk looks so old and ugly."

When the last bit of old finish was finally removed and the wood was sanded smooth, Mom stepped back and looked at it. "This solid oak desk was hiding under all that paint and grime," she said. "Now we'll stain it and add a finishing coat. It will