My sister recently refinished an old mahogany desk (circa 1950) in a deep blue chalk paint. It had been in the loft of the machine barn for several years, and the original finish had been ruined from the heat. She said she sanded it, then primed before the finish coat. She took the original brass hardware off, cleaned and polished it, then applied a clear coat. The original leather top was beyond repair, so they got a sheet of nice plywood, and painted it to match. The piece actually looked quite good.