I'm refinishing an old desk for my daughter and for the top portion (the writing surface) I want to re-use the same purple paint I used on her walls. It has an eggshell finish which might not be great for a desk top. Could I lightly sand this to smoothen it without ruining the color?
oil field trash
The wall paint won't adhere real well to a desk top. It will also tend to be porous and absorb fingerprints.
If you want a really smooth surface use one of those small roller that is only about 6 inches long and about 1-1/2 inches in diameter to apply the wall paint. Then apply a couple of coats of wipe on Minwax poly satin finish. That will protect the surface better.
XTX
try your sanding and paint technique on a place that does not show -- so you can know the results == you may have to get a primer base coat to get the results that you want ..... so, experiment a bit ..............