Thrifted Buffet Furniture Flip Before and After

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I’m excited to show you a solid wood furniture find. Take a look at this thrifted buffet furniture flip before and after. 

 

You know you’ve been thrifting for a long time when you can’t remember where you got a large piece of furniture. I guess when such a large portion of your furniture has been found in thrift stores or on Facebook marketplace that’s bound to happen.

You may remember this buffet table. It sits at the center of our home and houses all kinds of good stuff. Mostly games, candle stick holders, and lots of old DVDs and even CDs. We homeschool and I was a music major so I tend to hang onto these things. It’s for the kids I tell myself. 

Here are the steps I’ve taken in designing a home filled with quality furniture while spending only a fraction of the cost of new.

thrifted buffet before and after

Find your deal!

If you’re out thrift shopping and find a sturdy, good looking and quality piece of furniture, but it has some wear and tear, please don’t pass it up! This exact scenario happened to me a few months ago.

At the time I didn’t have space in my days to invest into giving it a makeover, but I still snapped it up. I knew eventually I’d have the time to bring it back to life, so I brought it home.

 

living room fireplace

Envision your transformation.

I liked the dark wood, but it had been scratched and worn in several places. At the time I was looking for a piece of furniture with a traditional shape and great storage. This buffet was perfect. After a few months of living with it as is, I decided that instead of staining it I would give it a whitewash.

 

thrifted buffet whitewashed

Experiment and have fun.

In order to get the uneven shade I was looking for I needed to sand it well and remove the varnish so the thinned paint could adhere to the wood. Sanding was the most time consuming part of this project and I had my sons help me out. Thank goodness they actually like sanding.

thrifted buffet furniture flip

Put in the work.

After it was sanded I simply took white paint and watered it down a bit then used a rag to wipe it onto the wood. In a few places I used a sponge brush and in others a bristle brush. I wanted the wood to show through in as many places as possible and the whole piece to have rustic look and feel. After a few layers were allowed to dry I was happy with the result.

thrifted buffet diy

Celebrate your accomplishment!

The buffet was purchased for $40 and I used left over white paint to give it a whole new look! Giving an old, neglected piece of furniture a make over with paint and elbow grease is an affordable way to bring character to your space and add storage. What do you think? Is this something you might try?

xo Maria

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thrifted buffet makeover

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17 Comments

  1. Paige

    Great idea and doesn’t sound too difficult! End result looks good too!

    Reply
  2. Courtney

    I love this! Finding old pieces like this and transforming them is one of my favourite things to do. You have done an absolutely beautiful job!

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Thank you Courtney! It’s one of my favorite things to do as well. They don’t make ’em like they used to.

      Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      I love the look of natural wood as well. My family and I just refinished our hardwood floors. Huge job, but well worth the effort!

      Reply
  3. Francis Garcia

    This looks awesome! Great post !

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Thank you Frances! I appreciate your help. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Jhantteil

    This jut gave me inspiration for a old server I have. For over a year I have been wanting to give it a makeover and have not been inspired, but this gives me a great idea. Thank you

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      I’m so glad! A great weekend project!

      Reply
  5. Natalie

    Great glow up on this piece. Looks much better in your space in a lighter color.

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Thank you Natalie! Glad I tackled it.

      Reply
  6. AnnMarie

    Wow! It turned out great!! I see so many projects, but have never given it a try — you definitely made it seem doable!

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Thank you AnnMarie! I hope you do transform a piece you love. I think you’ll be happy you did.

      Reply
  7. Mary

    It turned out so well! Great to see the before and after. Always inspiring!

    Reply
  8. Mary Anne Russo

    What a great find and what a great makeover! Gorgeous!

    Reply
  9. Donna

    Wow! The before and after are so dramatic! I love the new look of lighter wood! Great job!

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      It was a big job, but I’m really happy with the outcome. 🙂

      Reply

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Welcome to Pure Happy Home! A home design and DIY blog encouraging and helping you to design spaces you love. Here you’ll find budget makeovers, design tips and creative ideas you can apply to your home. Follow along as our family of 7 works to make our home more beautiful and our relationships closer.

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