The Tanker Desk

Refinishing this baby was a huge undertaking and my biggest project yet. This type of vintage steelcase desk was used in the 1950's up until the 1980's as a staple in offices and corporations around America. It's made purely of steel and takes a cue as it seems to weigh as much as an Army tank. Today these guys are no longer used widespread thus, they are being recycled as scrap or junked. But if you watch any office scene on Madmen, you will see the tanker in all it's glory.

My sister of course, had to have this desk for her office being that she is an antique lover and a journalist-- hello? Tanker just goes with the territory.

As you can see, this monstrosity is no longer green, but Rustoleum's shade of Almond. It's much softer-looking and shinier too. I began by removing all handles and sanding every green part with a coarse 150-grit sandpaper. This removed any loose rust and prepared the surface for primer. After wiping clean and spraying a sandable, metal primer into the dings and let it dry, I continued sanding with a less-coarse 400 grit sand paper. Using blue painter's tape, I protected the top from overspray and began spray painting every knook and cranny with the enamel. The top is made from a type of linoleum, which lucky for me, was not gouged. I light sanded this as well with a 400 grit paper. The metal trim around the top, handles. and legs were cleaned with brillo pad and water. And for kicks, I used polishing compound to smooth out the top layer. Bada bing, an authentic steelcase tanker desk! All it's missing now is a fabulous chair.