30 People Share Their Incredible Restoration Stories Of Items Ruined By Pinterest DIY Fails
Antique furniture in good condition is getting harder and harder to come by since the natural wear and tear of time always takes its toll. Imagine the horror of going to a flea market or yard sale, and seeing a fresh, but out-of-place coat of paint over an item made almost 100 years ago.
This online group documents these cases, where enterprising or possibly well-meaning individuals ‘converted’ items to look more like aesthetic trends straight out of Pinterest. Fortunately for viewers and buyers alike, they also document how people restore these items. So scroll down, upvote your favorite ‘rescues,’ and check out our previous article here.
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Restored This Beauty To Its Original Glory. $20 Goodwill Cedar Chest Returned From Crackled Paint Torture
$75 Craigslist Find. Ended Up Getting It For Free After He Saw We Were Expecting. First Time Refinishing Something!! Pleased With How It Came Out
The difference was absolutely mind boggling! Why would anyone want to repaint some thing so beautiful and end up hiding its aesthetic?
Wow, it looks like an entirely different piece of furniture now. For a first time refinishing job I’m thoroughly impressed!
hate me if you want, but I think it looked better painted (though that paint job needed a lot of work)
Lent A Helping Hand To This Poor Cedar Chest (Henderich Furniture Company). Boy, Was I Pleasantly Surprised To Find Such A Gorgeous Grain Beneath That Paint
Many of the pieces here might not be strictly speaking antiques. While the style might be that of a previous century, or even older, Christie’s, the famed London auction house, defines antique furniture as at least 100 years old. But a quality piece doesn’t have to be a century old for an enterprising person to try and ruin it with ‘modern’ features. Aesthetic trends come and go quite rapidly in this day and age, which might benefit fashion designers, who can create items quite quickly.
Furniture, particularly good quality furniture, can take so long to construct that the current trends may have shifted twice by the time the craftsperson is done. Unfortunately, many interior design enthusiasts or simply potential sellers think they can get a better deal or more attention by modifying an existing piece into something that better fits the current fad.
Liked The Shape Of This Vase And Knew It Was Spray Painted, No Guess As To What Was Underneath But Decided To Give It A Go. Pleasantly Surprised
Goodwill Rescue Of The Week
Saw Some Cobalt On The Bottom Of This Bud Vase. Got The Twine And Hot Glue Off Only To Find That It Had Three Layers Of Paint On It (Black, Gold, And Red). Some Soaking In Boiling Water And Some Very Satisfying Paint Peels Gave Me This
$25 Solid Teak Table
I will never understand why people paint over beautiful natural wood… ugh
If you are in the market for used furniture, it’s important to take some precautions so you don’t fork over serious cash for a lemon. As this list shows, people can be pretty good at making excellent pieces look terrible, but they are just as good at upselling terrible items. So first and foremost, make sure you are buying from a trusted seller. Like shopping for real estate, it’s best to see the item in person and maybe avoid online sales if you can.
For $8, I Couldn't Pass Up The Challenge
This Weeks Goodwill Find. Why Would Anyone Have Painted This??
I Was Not Looking For A Project But Walked Past This Table In A Thrift Store And Felt Obligated To Address This Monstrosity
Ture antique and vintage items will often have paperwork verifying the age and craft that went into them. Always make sure to look for potential damage in areas not shown in the pictures, like the back side of a wardrobe or the inside of shelves. Some experts advise that you always avoid old mattresses, if possible. Once a stain or smell has ingrained itself, it can be very difficult to clean out without the help of a professional. And at that point, you might as well just buy a new one.
My Uncle Fixed Up This Desk That You Guys Identified As A Jan Kuypers Piece. I Think It Looks Pretty Neat
My Dad Didn't Have Much Respect For Nice Furniture, So He Painted This Glossy White And Wrote On It With A Sharpie. I Restored It
I Had No Idea How Beautiful It Actually Was!
Holy c**p. That's an insane transformation! Beautiful beautiful deep red color.
More enterprising buyers might find an interesting item of furniture in poor condition and decide to reupholster or refinish it. This can be a great way to get an old, vintage piece of furniture while still having it feel and look like it was made recently. While more expensive than other options, good furniture will last you a long time, and who wants to cheap out on an uncomfortable bed, sofa, or chair?
Refinished A Painted Gem. Harlequin Line For American Of Martinsville Designed By Merton Gershun
Before & After: Mcm Hutch From Fb Marketplace
My First Before/After. Any Id Help Would Be Awesome
Plus, refinishing an item lets you make it fit your home design more precisely. Make sure to take pictures of the room you plan to place the item in. It can be hard to plan for what you’ll find at a flea market or secondhand store. So it’s best to still work out a few guidelines of what style, color, and finish you are looking for. If an item doesn’t fit completely, assess if it can be refinished to work with your intended design.
Saved At $30 Bassett Mid-Century Nightstand
Bye Bye, Yellow "Antiqued" Paint!
Saw This At Goodwill For $30 And Knew Something Amazing Was Underneath. Never Restored Furniture Before So It’s Not Perfect But I Love It
To that end, it’s always a good idea to try before you buy. Some items can look fantastic but might be supremely unergonomic or uncomfortable. You can reupholster a couch, but if the angle of the back is unbearable, there is little someone can do. Also, make sure to get an idea of the weight of the item and its dimensions. Even with delivery specialists, you can easily run into logistical problems, like a giant wardrobe not fitting through any doors or a dining table so heavy you can barely get it off the ground.
Not Sure If This Counts As "Reverse" Or "Slightly Un-Pinterested", But I Like It
Before And After Refinishing A Painted Zenith Mid Century Record Console I Got For $25. Please Please Please Don’t Paint Nice Furniture
Teak Table Restoration
I would love to learn about furniture refinishing. It looks like a freaky fascinating hobby.
First Time Restoring Furniture/Woodworking!!! Found This Mcm Dresser On The Side Of The Road🤩
Also known as a Star Wars dresser. (Because you have to use The Force to open the drawers.)
Finally Finished My First Restoration Project! It’s Not Perfect But I’m Pretty Satisfied! (White Was Before)
I Refinished A Blonde American Of Martinsville Credenza
A Recent Save
Before And After: Green Secretary
Never Would’ve Thought Such Beautiful Grain Was Hiding Under This 70 Year Old Paint Job
Finally Finished Rescuing This 1954 Beauty! (Details In Original Post Comments)
No Idea Who Would Buy This, Paint It, And Throw It To The Curb, But I Love My New Lamp 👍
Got Me An Old, Damaged Bookcase For 5€
Got This Stunning Vanity Off Of Facebook Marketplace. Unfortunately, Someone Mutilated It By Coating It In Three Layers Of Paint Covering It’s Beautiful Real Wood
We took more than 20 hours of scrapping the paint, sanding, and refinishing to restore this beauty.
Restored Painted Blanket Chest. Walnut Veneers With Burl Walnut And Curly Maple Panels
Tried To Bring An Original 60's Bassett Mayan Nightstand Back To Life After A Furniture Flipper Got Their Hands On It
My $10 Garage Sale Find Was Pristinely Preserved Under So Many Layers Of Paint
Before And After On My $70 Marketplace Find. Lane Brutalist Nightstands
So gorgeous after! Why people do this to furniture, I’ll never know…
Crossposting This Here. There Really Is A Sub For Everything!
Why people paint over such beautiful wood is beyond me. They don’t realize what they have, so they don’t respect it. They don’t deserve it either.
My $60 Dinette Set, Leaves Not Pictures. This One Was Really Satisfying For Me
Picked This Cutie Up On The Side Of The Road A Few Years Back!
They Look Better In Person. Found 1950s Heywood Wakefield Chairs $4 Each, Slathered In Thick Green Drip Dried Paint. I Know It’s Not Their ‘Correct’ Color, But I’m Cheap, Don’t Prefer Light Wood, And They Work For Me, Plus The Wood Grain Is Cool. Total Cost Beyond Materials Already In My House: $8
Refinished A Buffet I Got For $25
Flat black paint over that gorgeous wood. I would ask if you bought it from the Addams Family, but dammit, I know Gomez and Morticia would respect it more.
A Small Reversal - From Yellow Spray Paint To All Clean, With Bonus Provenance On The Back
Bassett Rescue: Before And After
Found These Chairs For 12$ Each, Stripped Most Of The Black (The Center Was Veneer And Was Scared I Might End Up Messing It Up) I Think They Are Denmark Mcm
The Salvation Of A Lane Copenhagen Nightstand
With such a lovely color of wood, why tf paint over it? Paint the plywood junk all you want, but leave the solid wood beauties alone.
One Month Of Work And Countless Hours Of Sanding. Nowhere Near Perfect But I’m Really Proud Of How It Turned Out. Details Of The Restoration In The Comments
Our Neighbours Left This On The Street! So Glad I Picked It Up 🙌
The before picture looks like some of the godawful s**t the decorators on an interior decorating reality show would do.
Stanley Furniture “Rosewood Bow Tie” Credenza I Restored
Thank Goodness The Paint Wasn’t Too Thick And The Wood Was Nice. Easy Restoration But Always Satisfying When You Scrape Off The Paint And Get The First Glimpse Of The Wood Underneath
A Mid Century Basset Glow Up! Only Sanded And Teak Oiled, I Loved The Contrast!
Found This At The Thrift Store And Figured I Had To Give It A Chance. I've Never Sanded, Stripped Or Finished Anything But I Figured It Couldn't Possibly Get Any Worse. They Also Ripped The Manufacturer Sticker Off The Inside Of The Top Drawer, So I Have No Clue Who Made It. Not Perfect But Better
My mother was a big fan of blonde wood, and she would’ve absolutely loved this piece.
Free Drawer Set Revealed
Wait. What did you do with the medallion I can see under the paint in the center? That probably was an original part of it.
Just Finished Fixing Up This Desk! First Time Doing A Project Like This
Very Happy With How This Turned Out!
I actual like the wood stain on the left, you can really see the beautiful wood grain vs the right pic.
Most Recent Restoration. Gunni Omann For Axel Christensen Credenza
Still A Work In Progress But I Love It Already!
Beautiful wood, but I would’ve picked another fabric for the cushion. Sorry, but my late teens and early twenties were spent in the land of “earth tones”, so I prefer to stay away from beige and brown.
I Stripped And Sanded A Dresser I Found Earlier This Summer. It Was My Second Project And I’m Really Happy With The Way It Turned Out
How It Started vs. How It’s Going. Now I Just Need To Reattach The Handle And All That Will Be Left Will Be To Find A Spot For It In My House (The Hard Part)
If you can’t find a place in your house, you could sell it or give it as a gift to someone who’s decorating their first house—-as long as they promise to keep it natural and never EVER paint it.
Found A ($100+) West Elm Chair By The Dumpster. Was Covered In A Cheap Pink Paint. Came Right Off With A Sponge, Cleaner, And Some Elbow Grease!
This Little Lady Has Been Reverse Pinterested And Brought Back To A Mid Century Beauty! Normal Wear For Her Age
Fb Flip! Not Perfect But Much Better
I'll never understand why some people feel the need to cover these beautiful pieces of wood furniture with paint. You did a great job of rescuing this piece.
First Reverse Pinterest Project On These Danish Mid Century Candlesticks
Six Asko Chairs From The 1940's Has Gone Through Major Renovation
Stripping! Found This Poor Baby In The Wild
Now that you’ve got it down to the wood, a nice stain and lacquer (you can go glossy or flat, whatever you prefer) will put the finishing touches to it.
Broyhill Pacemaker - Not Perfect, But I’m Pleased With My First Paint Removal Project So Far
Revived A Streaky, Drab Paint Job! Not Perfect (The Wood Color Is Inconsistent, And There’s Some Dings), But I’m Jazzed It’s Finally Done
Natural wood isn’t going to be uniformly colored, so don’t worry about that. You did that piece of furniture a huge favor by getting that s**t paint off of it.
Recent Amateur Refinish I Did. The chairs Are Brasilia But Would Love Help ID-Ing The Table (Maybe Broyhill Forward 70 Line)
I already wrote it in another post: just because a piece of furniture was painted and the color might not have been thought up with the original design, it doesn't destroy the piece of furniture. sometimes a different finish or a different fabric goes better with the furnishings and then it's good if the furniture is redesigned so that it fits instead of being thrown away. and often enough it actually looks better afterwards (which is ultimately in the eye of the beholder) but at least mostly more appropriate in the apartment. I'm an upholsterer and I'm always happy when a boring old pink cover is exchanged for a modern fabric and the whole thing is rejuvenated.
I agree. Some of the pieces didn’t actually look terrible before they were restored. The real problem is a lot of them were painted badly - not even speaking about color choices. Just the work done was not great, and did little to no justice to the overall look of the pieces.
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Years ago, a friend asked me if I would "repaint" a piano for his church's youth room. They were thinking about one of those disgusting "antique" white finishes that used to be in vogue. I looked at it and told him I'd be happy to refinish and restore, it, but I wasn't going to slap paint on the rosewood cabinet. Several coats of varnish later, they were very happy with it.
People get so mad because not everybody is drawn to or enjoys the look of plain wood furniture.
I love wood furniture but some of those were just tacky, before and after.
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We really need to talk as a society about what 'ruin' means. NONE of these pieces of furniture were ruined - they had bad paint jobs. Maybe some of them were someone's first attempt at doing a piece of furniture on their own. I know this attitude that something is RUINED is why I pay people to do anything like this instead of attempting it myself. I'd love to try it but there would definitely be some fails and I would feel awful with someone crying 'aaaahh you've ruined it.'
What people don't understand is most of these pieces were painted to make taking care of them low maintenance. Unpainted wood needs a lot of polishing and oiling to make it look its best and people decided they didn't want to waste their weekend time polishing the wood. And if you live a fast paced life, and don't have time for that, you end up with sad, dull wood furniture pretty quickly.
Plus sometimes furniture is fun painted. Like the child's dresser. I liked the paint better than the wood on that. But to each his own. Someone of the ones with really beautiful grain patterns are amazing. But some are just fine either way.
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The people who did these excellent restorations should not be surprised if they get offers to buy the furniture they restored.
I think in many cases, the huge amount of work involved would exceed the monetary value of the restored piece. It's a labour of love.
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I don't get painting solid wood. That tree took decades or even centuries to make that grain. Wood grain depicts a life. A solid clear coat is not more work than a clean paint job and does not need more maintenance. Paint is for engineered wood.
Because some people don’t like it. I will always paint wood because I like it.
Load More Replies... Difficult as it is, imagine all of the "before" pictures as "afters," and the "afters" as "befores". Yes, there is a "furniture artist" in our local marketplace who consistently ruins these fabulous pieces with paint!! I often see her shudder-inducing cringey "work." This is the best post of the day by far.
In the mid-'70s, I bought a chest of drawers at a garage sale. It was a Queen Anne style made of several kinds of wood. The seller made me raise my right hand and swear I would never paint it. Still have it, and it's finished with lemon oil monthly. When I sold one house, the buyer wanted it in the deal. NOT!
I just recently met someone who “Upcycles” furniture by painting perfectly good furniture. :(
Well whatever makes them happy. I basically painted every wooden thing in my room.
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Perhaps not shot, but forced to wear a ridiculous ugly mask to conceal their own natural beauty.
Load More Replies... Most of that is 1950-1970 style to start with, so doesn't really look any better after being stripped
Really? I think all of them look much better without that ugly paint on them. I guess it's just my preference. Paint on wood just looks like s**t!
Load More Replies... I already wrote it in another post: just because a piece of furniture was painted and the color might not have been thought up with the original design, it doesn't destroy the piece of furniture. sometimes a different finish or a different fabric goes better with the furnishings and then it's good if the furniture is redesigned so that it fits instead of being thrown away. and often enough it actually looks better afterwards (which is ultimately in the eye of the beholder) but at least mostly more appropriate in the apartment. I'm an upholsterer and I'm always happy when a boring old pink cover is exchanged for a modern fabric and the whole thing is rejuvenated.
I agree. Some of the pieces didn’t actually look terrible before they were restored. The real problem is a lot of them were painted badly - not even speaking about color choices. Just the work done was not great, and did little to no justice to the overall look of the pieces.
Load More Replies... Years ago, a friend asked me if I would "repaint" a piano for his church's youth room. They were thinking about one of those disgusting "antique" white finishes that used to be in vogue. I looked at it and told him I'd be happy to refinish and restore, it, but I wasn't going to slap paint on the rosewood cabinet. Several coats of varnish later, they were very happy with it.
People get so mad because not everybody is drawn to or enjoys the look of plain wood furniture.
I love wood furniture but some of those were just tacky, before and after.
Load More Replies... We really need to talk as a society about what 'ruin' means. NONE of these pieces of furniture were ruined - they had bad paint jobs. Maybe some of them were someone's first attempt at doing a piece of furniture on their own. I know this attitude that something is RUINED is why I pay people to do anything like this instead of attempting it myself. I'd love to try it but there would definitely be some fails and I would feel awful with someone crying 'aaaahh you've ruined it.'
What people don't understand is most of these pieces were painted to make taking care of them low maintenance. Unpainted wood needs a lot of polishing and oiling to make it look its best and people decided they didn't want to waste their weekend time polishing the wood. And if you live a fast paced life, and don't have time for that, you end up with sad, dull wood furniture pretty quickly.
Plus sometimes furniture is fun painted. Like the child's dresser. I liked the paint better than the wood on that. But to each his own. Someone of the ones with really beautiful grain patterns are amazing. But some are just fine either way.
Load More Replies... The people who did these excellent restorations should not be surprised if they get offers to buy the furniture they restored.
I think in many cases, the huge amount of work involved would exceed the monetary value of the restored piece. It's a labour of love.
Load More Replies... I don't get painting solid wood. That tree took decades or even centuries to make that grain. Wood grain depicts a life. A solid clear coat is not more work than a clean paint job and does not need more maintenance. Paint is for engineered wood.
Because some people don’t like it. I will always paint wood because I like it.
Load More Replies... Difficult as it is, imagine all of the "before" pictures as "afters," and the "afters" as "befores". Yes, there is a "furniture artist" in our local marketplace who consistently ruins these fabulous pieces with paint!! I often see her shudder-inducing cringey "work." This is the best post of the day by far.
In the mid-'70s, I bought a chest of drawers at a garage sale. It was a Queen Anne style made of several kinds of wood. The seller made me raise my right hand and swear I would never paint it. Still have it, and it's finished with lemon oil monthly. When I sold one house, the buyer wanted it in the deal. NOT!
I just recently met someone who “Upcycles” furniture by painting perfectly good furniture. :(
Well whatever makes them happy. I basically painted every wooden thing in my room.
Load More Replies... Perhaps not shot, but forced to wear a ridiculous ugly mask to conceal their own natural beauty.
Load More Replies... Most of that is 1950-1970 style to start with, so doesn't really look any better after being stripped
Really? I think all of them look much better without that ugly paint on them. I guess it's just my preference. Paint on wood just looks like s**t!
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