Rescuing a Hand-built Vintage Bookcase | Unbelievable Furniture Makeover!

Welcome to this unbelievable furniture makeover. It's unbelieveable to me that I stuck with it so long despite my. frustrations!

Welcome back we're in for a wild ride today! My name is Clara, and today we're making over a 70 year old bookcase that was made by my friend's grandfather. From what I understand, her husband told her that this piece either needs to get fixed soon or it's going straight to the dump! And from the condition I got this piece in, I can understand his reasoning.

But obviously, furniture can be so sentimental, so I really wanted to give this piece of furniture another chance. So if you want to see what I did, what I learned, what mistakes I learned and how it all turned out, watch this unbelieveable furniture makeover!

The challenge for today is taking this hand built bookcase that hasn't seen a lot of love lately and turnign it into something functional and looking good! What a makeover!

You might see something today that will make you mad.... You will be sitting at home thinking "noooo don't turn on the hose, why is she turning on the hose, that's too much water, that's too much soap1" and all I can say is, I know! I was thinking that it's a hot day, this piece is so dirty, what's the worst that could happen? The veeneer will buckle. It will come off completely. That's the worst thing that will happen.

So before you come at me in the comments for putting water all over this, don't think for a second that I don't know that. I was the one who had to deal with all the problems that caused. I know. I shouldn't have done that :) But it's okay because you can buy replacement wood paneling, and that's what I did.

Can you just SEE the look of sheer frustration and anger and disappointment and I don't even KNOW what else in my face?!?! If this piece wasn't a commission I probably would have given up at many different points in this process... but somehow I perservered. I actually took a three month break from working on this project. And I got some new wood paneling for the back. My dad helped me saw it down to size and I put it on.

When I was feeling a little less dramatic, I got back to working on this piece and I used some wood glue and some nails to add the back to this bookshelf.

Because this piece was almost 70 years old, I tried my best to keep all the parts of this furniture intact that I possibly could, but there were definitely structural issues and I had to make repairs. I wanted to keep the spirit of the piece and keep the craftmanship of my client's grandfather in mind whenever I possibly could.

Next I used a TSP cleaner to clean it properly! Now that the piece is clean, I'll add bondo to make any last repairs before I paint it.

I'm planning on spraying this furniture so I am going to put up my spray tent so I don't get any paint on the driveway during this furniture makeover. I'll show you how I set up my Flexio 3000 Spray gun so you can get a good, clean, even spray.

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We hope to empower YOU to learn through doing, while WE learn through doing. You don't know what you can do until you try. We love trying new things and sharing our thoughts and honest feedback about the experiences. Thanks for watching!

#trashtotreasure #furnitureflip #furnituremakeover #paintedfurniture

[thecourtlyalchemist]

Sometimes dirt is the only thing holding old furniture together. You committed a labor of love restoring this bookshelf for your friend. Thanks to your efforts, she proudly can pass that piece of her family history down to the next generation.

[bigkeg]

Those that don't make mistakes never try new things 😊

[judywilliamson]

We learn more from our mistakes than we ever do our successes. Turned out great in the end. I’m sure your friend will be delighted!

[ChicAntiquebyHolly]

"I think you should make mistakes" made my day. Thank you for saying that--I definitely needed to hear it.

[tanyacordes]

I love your attitude! Yes, it is okay to make mistakes! We are not supposed to be perfect! I enjoy your videos! Great work on salvaging this piece!

[ondinadixon]

Ah ! That’s Better !
Hope your customer loves it 👍

[kayhenry]

Wow! Huge difference. I like the simplicity of that piece; black is the right color.

[FurnitureWarriors]

Nice job Clara! The joys of makeover mistakes and we make plenty of them!🤣🤣 You overcame and this piece really turned out great! Always nice to save a sentimental piece!❤❤

[DecFirefly]

It turned out great. I'm sure your friend really appreciated the effort & frustration you put into sacing the piece. Funny how some of the smallest things become our biggest challenges.

[deborahschipper]

Never give up! Lesson learned! Well done!!

[ceciliaviacava]

You did a fantastic job, congrats!! The result is amazing!!

[karenhollingsworth]

Way to persevere! It looks wonderful and will be loved forever.

[lizhoward]

I love how this turned out. Your friend must be so pleased

[FurnitureFlippingRush]

Wowee it turned out beautiful!! I'll remember not to hose down any pieces in a hurry... Well done for your perseverance 🙌🏻✨

[statementdesigns]

Wow, turned out great. You gave it new life❣

[roren_san]

Lol, you're so funny! The moment I said, "Girl just use the back of a hammer!" when using those pliers, and then you realized 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[forthehaulofit]

Nice and nostalgic save! The purple looks gorgeous on you!

[cherylbuscema]

I have had the same issues with my Wagner Double Duty. You really need to thin the paint and make sure your air pressure is adjusted each time. After using mine several times I am still trying to get the hang of it. Don't give up yet. Get yourself some cardboard and test spray!

[debraneria]

Glad you're back and this piece was the perfect piece to start out with(as far as furniture anyways lol) ....came out beautiful and this is definitely a Labor of Love. .Many blessings Claire, 🙏🤩👍

[aleciahansen]

That must have felt so deflating when the veneer came off. Good on you for sticking through it, even if because of a commission. Dashner Designs is a great channel for furniture makeovers if you haven’t already watched!