Computer Desk Finishing

[Richard S. Ellis]

So some people told me this doesn't look good at all. I have some dark cherry stain I am going to work on this oak, but do you all have any ideas? I don't know if I really like the way the trim ends towards the front of the desk with the edge on it..... Any pictures or photoshop or ideas would help!

[Steve Schoene]

Lets start with the front. You need to cover the sawn edge of the plywood. I'd glue (with a few brads to hold it as the glue dries as Norm would say) a solid strip of oak, thick enough that it brings the front edge to just short of flush with the drywall surrounding. I'd make it a bit wider than the plywood, say one full inch, so that it gives a more substantial look to the shelf. If the shelf has any "bounce" in it as you work, I'd make that front strip beefier, possibly rabbetting it so that part of it works under the shelf and stiffens it.

Oak takes stain well, so that shouldn't be a problem, though you need to remember that all the excess needs to be wiped off, not left on the surface like a paint. I'd likely use a few coats of an oil/varnish mix over one coat of stain to give an in-the-wood finish that looks good on oak if you don't fill the pores.