Painting the desk was much more enjoyable than sanding. A coat of primer was applied first followed by four coats of semi-gloss white. I chose to paint the desk white in order to give it a clean appearance, and because it would provide a good amount of contrast between itself and the gear going on it. A roller was used to apply the paint because it gave a texture to the final finish that would help prevent things on the desk from sliding around. After the paint had time to dry the desk was flipped over so I could begin attaching the rest of the components for it.