20 Furniture Flips That Prove the Best Things Are Worth Saving

The frame doesn’t wobble much and the spring block feels okay. That means we can avoid a full teardown.
First, I removed the horsehair from the seat, the armrests, and the soft part of the backrest. I pulled out the nails and washed off the paint. Without the paint, it’s easier to see all the damage from the nails and past use.
I went the extra mile and found birch toothpicks, 3 packs of 200 each. Breaking each in half, I got 1,200. Each one was dipped in PVA glue and inserted into the holes. This was needed to reinforce the wood and came in handy later when I worked on the upholstery.
For the missing decorative elements, I carved and fitted oak leaves, drilled out the holes from the screws, and inserted dowels. I prepared the putty and filled the small flaws. Glued the frame together and patched up the gaps.
I applied colored oil, then used an abrasive sponge on the raised elements, and after that, applied a second layer of oil, this time transparent. Eventually, I achieved a sense of depth and antiquity.

• My husband brought home 2 Viennese chairs from the dumpster. He said we could fix them up, repaint them, and they’d look brand new. He took them to the balcony and started inspecting them.
  About 20 minutes later, he shouted to me, “Mary, come here quick!” I rushed out to the balcony, and there was my husband holding a chair leg in one hand and a stack of coins wrapped in paper in the other.
  It seems the previous owners had hidden a stash inside the chair leg and forgotten about it. Too bad the surprise was only in one leg.

Right now, it sits in my daughter’s room.

To preserve its vintage charm, several tasks needed to be tackled. We carefully patched up the old lock holes on the side glass doors for the new hardware. A new key and catch were made for the solid front door.
The back panel was painted to match the kitchen wall, giving the cabinet a “floating” appearance. During the work, the following defects were fixed: veneer peeling on the display case top, door marks on the lower part, and worn hinge sockets.

The upholstery of the armchair was in terrible condition. It had already been reupholstered at some point. Careless owners had screwed bolts into the armrests, ruining the appearance. There was no appearance to speak of.
Together with my younger sister’s husband, we made handles out of oak, sanded the legs and the chair’s frame to remove the lacquer, and prepared them for oil and wax treatment. I don’t have experience in restoring such things, but here’s how it turned out.

Got rid of 3 layers of paint to find walnut veneer on the drawer faces and finished them with Danish oil. Cut up the old base and built new ones using the pieces. Repainted the rest after realizing this used to be a desk. Bought some new hardware and voilà! Feel pretty good about this one, let me know what y’all think!

Had a lot of fun painting loose with this one! Everyone has their own tastes, and I must admit that mine can be quite bold!

• I ran into a neighbor in the stairwell, and she was about to throw away a small cabinet. The cabinet was a bright green color, but beneath the thick layer of paint, there was some charming furniture peeking through. And judging by how hard it was for my neighbor to drag it, the wood was obviously good.
  I asked her if she could give me the cabinet, and she was glad that she didn’t have to take it to the dump. At home, I looked up on the Internet how to remove paint from wood, bought everything needed, cleaned it up, and yes, I was right! The cabinet turned out to be a real gem, with carved details, and of good quality.
  And just recently, I bumped into my neighbor again and blurted out that the cabinet turned out to be wonderful. She asked to see it, and when she did, she started demanding it back! I asked for some time to think it over. I hope we can find a simple solution that will satisfy us both.

In general, I sand them down with 150 or 180. If I want raw wood, I’ll sand until I reach the natural wood (but be careful not to sand through veneer if the piece is not completely natural wood). If I want to paint it, first I clean it, then wood filler for the parts that are damaged, then scuff sand with 150,180 (only for paint to have something to stick to).
Then I use primer.Then lightly sand it with 220 (with hand not orbital sander) just to have smoother surface. Then paint!
After the first coat of paint I use 220 or 320 (again, just for getting smooth finish). Second coat. If needed, a third coat. In the end, top coat. Usually I do 3 coats of top coat (varathane).

This pair had been waiting for their moment for about a year. Some parts were lost over time, and we had to recreate them. It took me nearly 2 months to work on this project, but the result was worth it.

The stains didn’t match 100% because of the different wood types but I still love it. Sold in no time with lots of interest.

This work could be exhibited. The client provided the material for the covers. The body was treated with oak stain and cherry-colored oil.

Someone had barbarically, to their own taste, “restored” these sufferers: covered them with silver and gold paint, glued on some rags as makeshift cushions using PVA glue and tied them with a coquettish ribbon to the backrest. The chairs wobbled; the legs were falling out of their joints.
I began the revival: disassembled, sanded down to the bare wood, glued them, applied a water-based “rosewood” stain in 2 layers, followed by an acrylic clear coat with a semi-matte “satin” sheen, and finished with a final layer of matte alkyd-urethane varnish. I reupholstered the seats with burlap.

• I saw that someone was giving away an antique dresser for free online. It was, of course, dried out, and the bottom drawer wouldn’t open. But my husband is a jack-of-all-trades. So, we went and took it.
  My husband spent a week working on the drawer and finally got it open. We looked inside, and there was an envelope with old photographs. We called the woman who gave away the dresser, and she quickly came over.
  It turned out that the photos were of her grandparents when they were young. She thought she had lost that envelope, but there it was. How happy she was!