If you were to walk into most furniture stores nowadays, you would notice two things: the price is high, and the quality is low. The dresser feels like plastic. The drawers feel like they are going to fall apart every time you open them. This is because most furniture pieces nowadays are in fact made out of cheaply made materials that were not built to last.

So how do you find furniture that is built to last and also the style you’re looking for? The answer is to flip an old furniture piece! This post will detail the process so that you can start your first project with confidence.

Step #1: Make a Plan

Before you begin the process, you want to make sure that you have a specific vision of what you want. Do you want a dresser that is made of solid wood? A set of two nightstands that you want to paint? By beginning the process with a clear vision of the finished product, you will know what to look for and move with clarity.

Next, write out all of the tools and supplies you will need in order to reach your desired result. A lot of the tools you need depends on what exactly you want to do to your furniture piece. For most projects, you’ll likely need:

• Sander + sandpaper
• Drill (if your installing new hardware)
• Paintbrush
• Wood filler (for minor dents and scratches)
• Bondo wood filler (for larger structural repairs)
• Primer + paint or wood stain (depending on your finish)
• Polyurethane or topcoat sealer
• New hardware (if you’re replacing the old hardware)

If you don’t have any of these tools or materials to begin with, you’ll likely spend more than you initially thought. However, these are very useful tools that you will most likely use in the future, so they are a worthwhile investment.

Secondly, you want to figure out what specific furniture piece you are looking for. Do you want a solid wood dresser? A set of two end tables? The more specific you are, the easier it will be when looking for a piece.

Step #2: Gather Supplies

After knowing what supplies you need, go to your nearest home improvement store such as Home Depot and pick up everything on your list. After getting your materials, begin looking for the furniture piece you’re wanting. Make sure to take your time with this step and look beneath the surface. Even if a dresser looks scuffed up, it may be a solid piece that will turn out well with some help. If a dresser looks good on the surface, make sure to inspect the drawers and frame of the dresser for hidden damage. Some of the best places to look for a dresser include:

• Facebook Marketplace
• Habitat for Humanity Restore
• Stuff Ect.
• Goodwill

Step #3: Prepare Surface

Once you have your supplies and furniture piece, you can now begin the transformation! To begin, use a 80 or 120 grain sandpaper and sand the surface down. If you want to sand the piece down to wood, you can also start with using a paint stripper such as Citristrip to cut down the amount of time spent sanding. If you want to paint the dresser, you don’t need to sand it completely down. Instead, give it a stuff sand so that your primer has a good surface to stick to. Finish sanding with a higher grit such as 220 to get a smoother surface.

Next, use your wood filler or Bondo to repair any damage. Keep in mind that if you’re wanting a wood finish, your wood filler needs to match the wood color so that it blends in. Use Bondo to fill hardware holes if needed. After it dries, sand the filler down so it blends in smoothly.

Step #4: Refinish and Protect

Now it is time for my personal favorite part! This is where things start to really come together. Firstly, if you need to drill new holes, do this now before painting in case you mess up and need to re-patch the hole. Before painting, I highly recommend doing a layer of primer beforehand. Not only will it help the paint stick more to the surface, but it will also help block any stains that may come through when painting. After priming your surface, use a high grit to smooth the surface, then begin painting! Typically you will need to do 2-3 layers of paint to get full coverage, but it depends on the paint. If you are staining the wood, I would recommend doing a layer of pre-stain to help the stain apply evenly.

Finally, you want to protect your piece with a sealer. I typically use a water based polyurethane, and it has worked well for me. I typically do 2-3 layers of polyurethane to fully prevent scratches and marks.

Concluding Thoughts

Congratulations, you just learned the process of how to flip furniture! Now you can begin the process of starting your own project. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that you will learn so much through the process. With each project you do, you will gain confidence, knowledge, all while enjoying the process.

Interested in seeing some of my past projects? Check out my project gallery here!