[elementdesign]

So I finally stepped up to the plate and signed a lease on some studio space. The space is a little rough and I have a limited budget so thought I would throw a couple of the issues out there and see if anyone can provide some suggestions.

Floor
The space has the original wood floors from the early 1900's and are in OK shape. However, the previous tenant painted them with a weird whitewash stain but didn't strip the floor beforehand. I was planning on re-finishing the floors myself by sanding and re-staining but after 3 hours of sanding on Sunday and only 50 sq.ft. out of 400 mostly sanded, I'm loosing ambition. I really don't like the idea of painting wood floors but don't really want to spend that much time and money on re-finishing them... especially when its a rental. Any ideas / suggestions? BTW, landlord already said he wouldn't pay for a professional re-finish.

Desks
I purchased 4 old metal desks with the formica tops on them from a manufacturing company going out of business. The desks are in good functional shape but have some cosmetic blemishes. Some of them have peeling laminate and none of the metal is the same color. I know I'm going to paint the metal portions but am trying to figure out the tops. Has anyone ever tried applying wallpaper to a desk top? How about a thin layer of concrete? Again, budget is of concern and would like to stay around $100 for all 4.

Any help/suggestions are much appreciated.

[illvibe]

What are you using to sand the floors? Concrete on the desks? Hmmmm...

Got some photos you can post up?

[cjgraphix]

Floor - Area Rugs. Especially if it's a rental. This way you can take them when you go.

As for desks... as long as they are stable and flat I wouldn't worry to much. They'll get covered with junk before too long.

Not sure how you intend on using the space though. Might want to make things all nicey nice if you intend on having a lot of client meetings there. Otherwise it's just a workspace, so make it work.

[Clever Mind]

I agree about the area rugs. expecially if you only have 400 sq ft, plus it will make it nice to walk on when you do not have clients around.
As for the desks, I have taken some of my designs and had them digitally printed from a large format printer. Didn't cost too much, around 300$ for 5 desks, and made them look kinda cool for clients to look at my work and style when then come to the office.
Be creative though because if your like any other designer you will be spending a lot of time in there. Enjoy!

[elementdesign]

I think I've decided on just a coat of paint and a rug or two. Will still have to do a light sanding for the paint to adhere but thats easy enough. By far the easiest/cheapest route.

I did think of using a printed adhesive vinyl. Would be cool to have some great designs and brand on them. I've also read about people using the shiny silver tape used for duct work (not duct tape) on surfaces. Super durable and a decent finish (for the cost). Might try them both.

FYI: A lot of people are starting to use thin layers of concrete to refinish old kitchen counters. Cheaper than a poured concrete or new counter.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Gotta get this up and running soon as we're having water leak problems in our work/live condo.

Can't post photos yet, need more posts. Odd, just realized that I've been reading these forums for a long time and not contributing. No time like the present I guess.