Antique Buffet Restoration/Furniture Flip/Furniture Repair and Painting

today's video is the ugly duckling challenge on youtube rules are simple find the ugliest piece of furniture and try to turn it into a beautiful swan at this point i'm wondering what have i gotten myself into [Music] this is an antique hand-built buffet that i found off facebook marketplace for twenty dollars in the condition that it's in someone should have paid me 20 dollars to haul it off for them there's giant chips in the veneer it's coming off a whole sheets of it there's stains all over but we're gonna see what we can do to make this look completely different [Music] typically i start my pieces by disassembling and cleaning them but this has just big chunks of veneer so i pulled off by hand what i could first this veneer is old it's missing it's chipping it's just falling right off so i want to remove as much as i can before i paint this ends up being a huge huge task and i get my workshop completely messy so i have to stop and occasionally clean it up throughout the process of this flip alright let's get this piece disassembled taken apart remove the old hardware like i said before this is a hand built old antique buffet so the screws are going every which direction the metal used to make the screws are soft so i have to be very careful removing these flathead screws this piece ends up being a lot and when i say a lot i mean a lot of repairs so buckle up we've got a lot of repairs coming so we can get to making this piece a beautiful swan if you like that kind of stuff you're definitely in for a treat with this video so make sure that you like subscribe and hit the bell [Music] oh i think we've got a spider i gotta check oh no false alarm old pieces like this always give me the heebie jeebies and on edge looking for creepy crawlies everywhere to be honest before i i started on this piece the night before i set it in my workshop and bug bombed it to make sure i didn't have any spiders in there in the morning [Music] as i disassemble the buffet i find more and more damage on this piece and that cabinet area the bottom piece is completely wavy on the right side from some old water damage so i go ahead and remove it i do keep the piece though because i'm going to trace it out and cut a new one it was pretty easy to remove it was just hammered down with nails so i hammered it back up and removed the old rusty nails [Music] on the bottom drawer the guide is broken there in the middle and on the side pieces they're wavy on both sides due to obviously some old water damage or something like that those will have to be removed so the drawer can slide in and out easily this piece is just filthy stains everywhere falling off another spider maybe maybe uh no i think it's just an old cobweb so we're good let's get to removing the remaining veneer so i dampened some towels and laid them on let them sit for about 15 minutes and then grab i have a three inch putty knife and dampening the veneer just makes it easy to pry right up and pull off the thin layer of wood underneath the veneer it came off very easily as well on the cabinet doors and the drawers but on the top of the buffet it is glued down really really well so i ended up having to grab my sander with some 60 grit sandpaper 60 grit is pretty coarse so it eats up wood so i'm like letting it circle there for a second and then pulling it back and as soon as the wood's gone moving on to the next spot ah so much better doesn't that look pretty now on to the drawers and the cabinet doors i use the same process to remove the veneer let a damp closet on it for about 15 minutes and then went to scraping when you're removing veneer make sure to wear gloves i originally didn't start wearing gloves so i had cuts all over my hands kind of got a little wild with that putty knife a few times with how much veneer i had to remove on this piece i ended up developing some pretty mad skills i can get those right into the trash bag winner you guys want to see me do it again oh yeah with all this veneer removal i definitely learned to work my way around the edges first and then towards the center for a much much easier removal this piece just popped right off since i got most of the veneer and the thin layer of wood underneath off the drawers in the cabinet drawers i'm sanding these with some 150 grit sandpaper now that i have all the old stuff removed that isn't staying let's get to cleaning the stuff that is staying on this buffet notice a few spots in the old veneer that might have been mold so i'm cleaning it with my 50 50 mixture of vinegar and water to be extra safe i do this on all the exposed wood areas for the body of the buffet i'm using simple greens all-purpose cleaner in a diluted formula you always want to give your pieces a good cleaning before scuff sanding so you have a better surface for your primer and paint to adhere to this piece is pretty freaking dirty it's been through some stuff that's for sure so i go over the piece actually a couple times just spraying it down with a liberal amount of cleaner and then giving it a good wipe down i do this to the body of the buffet inside the body of the buffet the front of the drawers inside outside the drawers the front and the back of the cabinet doors just every surface got a really good wipe down [Music] so [Music] [Music] typically after that i rinse my pieces with some warm water but i forgot to do that so on to sanding we go don't worry i get the rinse in here in just a little bit all right so i stand there from the drawers the cabinet doors and the top of the buffet with a 180 grit piece of sandpaper i removed the veneer off though so there is the wood grain and don't really want that wood grain visible so i'm trying to sand it as smooth as possible to get that finished look so i'm trying to get unfinished wood to look finished when i paint it [Music] all right chugging right along with some more repairs this piece has a lot that needs to be done i use that three inch putty knife to try to pry up the veneer that is on the drawer slide right there i can't get to come up so i use my box knife cut it a couple times and i was able to break the pieces off to get a flat smooth surface [Music] all right to fix a drawer guide in the middle i just grab my gorilla glue wood glue that is and apply some glue and then grab a new small nail and hammer it down [Music] and then i gotta check my work make sure that both drawers do slide very easily in and out and it worked i have to tell you it is a pretty good feeling whenever you go to fix something and it actually works all right i finally remember that i did not rinse my piece after cleaning so in my bucket i have some warm tap water and i just give the piece a really good wipe down [Music] after the surface was dry i grabbed my dixie bell mud to fill any cracks or holes that are in the wood i also filled the holes for the old handles because i bought new knobs for this piece [Music] all right after i got all the big holes and gashes filled with the mud i grabbed some more of the dixie bell mud and i put it into container and i'm going to water this down so i can brush it on the bare wood surfaces that i have exposed remember again i'm trying to get that finished wood look on unfinished wood you just mix it together the consistency you want kind of runny um light paint because we're going to brush this on with a paint brush a few key points working with dixie bell mud after you open your container you do want to save the remaining in your refrigerator and this stuff you do not want to rinse down your sink drain either so take it outside and hose out your container or your brush if you're going to do this and or you can do like i did this is a brush that was on its way out the door anyways so i'm going to use that and then after i get done applying this watered-down dixie bell mud i just tossed it for my 1970s tupperware container that i use i rinsed that outside with the water hose and then wiped it out with a paper towel and i let all of this sit overnight to dry [Music] so this is the first piece i've come across where the top and the bottom or the front and the back of everything is veneered on both sides so the top of the buffet the bottom veneer piece was falling down so i glued and yes i used office clips to clip around the top to let that set overnight the next morning i came out to my workshop and i started with sanding i have so much sanding to do on this piece so for the body of the buffet i am trying to scuff sanit to get it ready to prime but the old finish is just flaking off like crazy so i go over the piece with some 180 grit sandpaper that on the flat parts and then on the detailed curvy parts i use one of my surf prep abrasive pads and i use the medium grit on that just trying to get knock off any old finish that's flaking off and then i go back over the entire piece the body the top the drawers the cabinet doors with some 220 or fine grit sanding paper [Music] so [Music] after all that sanding i dusted off my piece with my feather duster and then realize that i forgot a spot so i sanded it again and then dusted it off again [Music] all right now we're ready for some more repairs i know stick with me guys i promise it is worth it when you wait until the end to see the final reveal all right some of the nicks were in more like structural areas or places that get hit more often like the legs so i use the bondo to fill those for a little bit stronger repair than the dixie bell mud [Music] i let the bondo dry for 20 minutes and then came back with some 220 grit sandpaper and sanded all the bondo areas smooth [Music] all right i had my husband come out and help me cut a new piece for the bottom right cabinet we just traced out the old piece because it fit perfectly it just was wavy and not flat and i don't do the jigsaw so whenever i have to use that i have my husband help me with those cuts [Music] this piece was also missing the back piece so he measured and cut a piece of wood for that while he did it i got to removing the old nails where the back piece used to be [Music] after my new wood pieces were cut i grabbed some 180 grit sandpaper and just lightly went over the surfaces [Music] i have to say he did an amazing job because that is a perfect fit right there all right to attach it i used the same method that the crafter of this piece did and just used some nails and hammered it into place i guess i should mention to you the wood that we used was 1 4 inch plywood that we bought from home depot [Music] the side panels of the buffet have become detached from the frame so i do this on both sides i'm just using some gorilla wood glue and again some office depot clamps to hold it in place and let it set overnight you know sometimes you just have to use whatever you have on hand all right the last major repair and i've been dreading to fix this split leg oh my gosh so i start with some cleaner to get a good nice clean surface to attach my repair i decided to use a wood epoxy that bonds in hardens stronger than actual wood does so i did my research and there were a few wood epoxies recommended for structural repairs i placed an order for the strongest on amazon it didn't arrive and they couldn't tell me when it was going to come so i had to go with option two all right to repair the surface i cleaned it first let it dry and now i'm sanding it with 80 grit sandpaper i'm using quick wood this is my go-to wood epoxy that you've seen me use multiple times i ended up my backup plan was i bought about 15 of these tubes from lowe's to create and mold this leg this is a two-part epoxy you see the two different colors just mix it together until it's one color and then it works like clay where you can shape it and mold it into the repair that you need and it dries super duper hard this is a pretty big repair and i have to say to date it is the largest repair area that i have ever done with this stuff and i ended up using 12 of those tubes to recreate this leg [Music] ah it's a masterpiece i'm just kidding that looks absolutely terrible clay making was definitely the worst thing i was at in art class for sure but don't worry i end up making it work in the end i let the epoxy sit overnight and then i came with some 180 grit sandpaper and kind of shaved it into more of a square shape like the legs supposed to be [Music] even after staining there were some kind of deep crevices and not clean lines on the edges so i used some bondo to help clean that up a little bit and let this sit all right while the bondo's drying i set my attention on it marking the new holes and drilling them for the new handles i'm definitely relying upon the work of the crafter of this piece and use his previous holes to kind of level out and mark where i want mine after using my guide to see what drill bit i needed i drilled the holes i promise you we are almost done with all these repairs and adjustments if you've stuck with me through all these repairs so far thank you thank you so much i know this is a lot with the bondo's dry so i grabbed some 150 grit sandpaper place it over an old sanding sponge and sanded the bondo smooth by hand [Music] oh my gosh finally the repairs are done let's give this piece a good wipe down and get on to primer this buffet has an old mahogany finish so i'm not even going to mess around i'm going to use my clear shellac as a primer you've seen me use this before on another antique buffet piece that i did for my channel make sure that you wear a mask a respirator mask and have your garage door open or doing this outside because it has a very strong smell it's very easy to use you just apply it on i would buy a disposable brush here i'm using an old brush that also is on its way out the door and just look how this shellac kind of brings this wood to life with the dixie bell mud turning black i kind of made this rustic look and i wasn't even attempting that so now i want to do another piece and repeat that process to get this look that's not the look i want for this buffet though so spoiler alert i am painting this piece i let the sherlock dry for four hours came out with a fine grit sanding sponge lightly went over the surface and then wiped the dust residue away with a lint-free cloth all right before we paint there's a gap between the top of the buffet and the body and it's driving me crazy so i'm using this paintable caulk to fill in in you just apply a bead and i use my finger to wipe it back so it's nice and smooth and then let that dry for about 20 minutes before painting [Music] i'm using wise owl one hour enamel in the color jet black i use this paint on my cabinets in my own house and i really love the self leveling aspect of this one hour enamel it also has a built-in top coat but if you watch my channel you know me i'm still gonna top coat this anyways this piece is a buffet it's gonna be used a lot so i wanna have that extra protection plus she was already damaged a whole lot and i don't want her to ever get back into condition that she came to me in so i apply thin layers of paint i go any direction i need to to get the coverage i work in sections and then once i have all the pain in that section applied i go back over in long brush strokes that way if there were any visible brush strokes remaining after the self leveling part works they will at least be going the same direction i have to admit though this paint is pretty impressive with that self-leveling [Music] [Music] [Music] bye [Music] all right here is the first coat you can see how thin it is when i got done painting i turned around and looked at my dog and he just was not impressed with my painting at all he has so much personality i love it all right i let the first coat of paint dry for two hours came out with a fine grit sanding sponge lightly went over the surface dusted it free with a lint-free cloth and then applied a second coat repeated that process again waited two hours applied a third coat same thing waited two hours and then came out to do a final light sanding and wipe down before protection so i did three coats total of the wise owl paint [Music] [Music] all right for top coat i'm using verithane's ultimate polyurethane it's a water-based formula and i'm using the satin finish i applied a little bit of the jet black into my top coat to help lessen the amount of streaks i'm also using some panty hose over my gator hide sponge to also lessen the appearance of streaks in my top coat you guys saw me do this in my last video and it really worked so i decided to do it in this video and i will continue to use that whenever i'm not able to spray my paint in my top coat like i wanted to on this piece some storms rolled in here in guthrie oklahoma and the unity was just way too high for me to risk trying to spray that i let the first coat of poly dry for two hours came back with that fine grit sanding sponge lightly went over the surface wiped the dust away and then applied a second coat so i did two coats of poly [Music] you can see here that i apply my poly the same way i do my paint i just kind of go in whatever direction i need you to get it on there in the section that i'm working in and then go back with the long swipes going in the same direction this is just the method that works for me to get that professional finish [Music] all right so we're working on turning this ugly duckling into a beautiful swan so we're gonna add some pretties to it i have a bee stencil that i've been wanting to use for a while now and i decided this is the piece that i needed to use it on the drawers are the middle of the buffet so i put the stencil in the very middle of the drawers and worked my way out [Music] after the stencil is taped down i grab dixie bell's gilding wax in gold in a sponge applicator stencils and bleed through from stencils can be a little bit of a challenge um someone told me about this trick and it works great so i use it every time now that gilding wax with the sponge applicator just really works well to get a nice clean crisp stencil with no bleed through [Music] [Music] it works every time like a charm just look at that okay so here i didn't have the pattern lined up right you can see that the top of the beast and the stencil aren't lined up at the top of the beads that are actually done already so i try to grab some paper towel and water to wipe it off i don't know why when things go wrong you just kind of freak out and i know how to fix this i don't know why i was trying to do this but i'm like oh wait i know clear wax always wipes off other colors of wax gold wax or whatever this is vintage paints clear wax that i'm using you can use any clear decorative wax but it wipes off wax that you need to remove very easily [Music] and it's like it never happened all right and then back to stenciling the smart and the right way didn't that stenciling turn out to be so cute and then i kind of went nuts with the stencil i did the cabinet doors and then did this demastence on the sides all right then i put the new handles on they're little bees aren't those cute i went to go put the cabinet doors back on and realize that i hadn't cleaned the hinges so i'm doing a 50 50 mixture of water and vinegar boil them for five minutes and then remove them out with tongs because they're very hot and then grab some fine grade steel wool and then put in some elbow grease and scrub them until all the gunk is removed don't they look better all right now we can use the old hinges to apply the cabinet doors back onto the buffet before i put the drawers in i want to fix this nasty stains on the bottom of the drawers so i have some peel and stick wallpaper that i ordered from amazon in a damask formula i measure the bottom of the drawer and then i make my piece about half an inch bigger than what i measure i cut my square out and then i peel part of it i don't peel the whole backing off just part of it to get it started and then start on one side and work my way down to the other just pulling it back and then pressing it down if you get a wrinkle in your wallpaper you can always pull it back up and then reapply it to the bottom this is fairly simple to do and it's just really great for covering those old nasty stains now after you get the piece in there you'll have a little bit of left over because like i said i cut mine about half an inch larger so i grabbed my box knife i couldn't think of what it was called i grabbed my box knife and cut along the edge to remove and just peel off the excess all right last bit before the final reveal i'm sticking with a theme here and use howard's feed and wax to condition the drawer guide and the slides there on the side i also apply this abom the drawers just to help them slide in and out very smoothly [Music] just a reminder this sad piece is what we started with and oh my gosh what it looks like now this piece was another labor of love i worked hard on this piece for an entire week and i even bled for this piece is this piece perfect absolutely not but she's been given a second chance with character to be admired loved and used for years to come so i bought this piece for 20 dollars i spent 170 in repairs and 30 hours of labor so it's only going to come out to 30 for an hour but this piece is about saving it from a landfill for me if you like this piece i'll have her listed on etsy later today i hope you enjoy this video as always until next time

Channel: Sab's Rehabs

Views: 252,360

Keywords: furniture flip, furniture makeover, painted furniture, trash to treasure, furniture restoration, upcycled furniture, furniture flipping business, diy thrift flip furniture, furniture flipping tips, furniture repair, vintage furniture, buffet makeover, sabs rehabs

Id: gzf-dMkw2lc

Length: 30min 48sec (1848 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 21 2021