25 Satisfying Before-And-After Pictures Of Furniture Restorations That Will Scratch Your Brain
If you're anything like me, you probably spend HOURS watching furniture flip-and-restoration videos. Do I have the slightest clue how to reupholster a chair or sand down a wooden dresser? Not at all. But do I love a satisfying before-and-after? You bet.
So you can imagine my delight during a Reddit scroll when I came across r/ReversePinterest and r/furniturerestoration and saw just how talented people who restore furniture truly are. Here are some of the projects that blew my mind.
1.This dresser that was found for £5 and restored to all its glory.
2.This mid-century modern coffee table that seemed to be the victim of a DIY fail but was thankfully rescued.
3.This side table that was stripped of a patchy chalk paint job.
"I HATE chalk paint! But I feel like this was a noble task."
4.This Heywood-Wakefield desk that was given a refresh that was definitely a labor of love.
"I bought this desk about 15 years ago for $200 but never got around to working on it until this summer. I've worked on a lot of Heywood-Wakefield pieces before but never one that had been refinished so dark. After a lot of sanding, I think I finally got it back to its original champagne."
5.This Facebook Marketplace bar cabinet that was brought back to its original wood finish (and given some adorable bee handles).
6.This light and colorful restoration of a vintage '60s chair.
7.This nightstand that probably took HOURS of tedious paint stripping but was clearly worth it.
8.This colorful dresser that was given a more modern, fresh feel (hairpin legs and all).
9.This thrifted cabinet that was hiding a gorgeous art deco wood pattern underneath the white paint.
10.This FREE Craigslist find that was in pretty rough shape before being restored to look brand spankin' new.
"Previous owner had this through three of his kids, thus three thick coats of paint (white, pink, and blue). Pain in the ass but ended up really nice. Now for one more kiddo's life!"
11.This $7 thrifted table that was given a lovely two-tone finish.
"I paid $7 for it and spent eight-plus hours stripping and sanding. It was chalk painted, which unfortunately doesn't strip nicely with a heat gun like latex, so I had to use a chemical stripper, then sand through all the stain that was originally on the piece. Pretty sure it's a Kroehler piece in the style of Adrian Pearsall."
12.This funky chair that was found on the side of the road and given a timeless upgrade.
13.Yet another Heywood-Wakefield piece that had been painted over five (?!?!) times before being saved.
14.This armchair that's a testament to the power of reupholstering.
15.This abstract-painted coffee table that was hiding a unique wood pattern underneath.
16.This scratched-up $20 yard sale find that was given a little mid-century modern TLC.
17.This beauty that was updated to really highlight all of its intricate carvings.
18.These vintage Cesca chairs that looked hopeless but turned into something I'd sell my soul for.
19.And another set of Cesca chairs that are just *chef's kiss*.
20.This old bench that will now look perfect in any garden or patio.
21.This cart that looked as if it was destined for the trash but is now a super-versatile piece.
"When I started this project, there was rust everywhere and it was covered by at least three layers of pretty ugly paint. The worst part of the project was stripping the paint off of the trays. I am in no rush to work with metal again."
22.This beat-up early-1900s armchair that is so perfectly restored, I could shed a tear.
23.This cedar chest that originally had white paint over a gorgeous wood grain.
"My friend's dad had painted it white. Why, I’ll never know..."
24.This teak chair that was satisfyingly re-caned to give it a whole new life.
25.And lastly, this dresser that I'm sure Anthropologie is taking notes on.
Which one of these flips was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
