If you’ve ever seen furniture at the thrift store with a ton of potential but you had second thoughts about bringing it home, this YouTube Short should inspire you. Creator Katie Scott SALVAGED by k. scott found an incredible art deco-style coffin mirror and dresser at her local thrift store and clearly, it was too good to pass up. According to her, it was “calling for her” when she stumbled on it. I am sure we can all relate to that feeling!
Check out this incredible thrift flip right here:
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When she brought the dresser home, she said it was caked in three coats of gloopy paint. She used an eco-friendly, biodegradable paint stripping product called SmartStrip to help cut through most of the paint layers. After the stripper did its job, she took a metal scraper and carefully removed the rest.
She also paid careful attention to the fine lines and details that were previously covered in dirty, white paint using a dental tool to gently scrape it out. Once the paint was stripped, she took an electric sander and gently sanded the maple wood. She also did a little bit of hand sanding to make sure the entire piece was clean and smooth.
Now that the paint was completely gone, she stained the dresser with a stunning eco-friendly wood stain by Saman. The bold black color she chose goes perfectly with the coffin-shaped mirror, and this color is also really on trend right now for everything from furniture and finishes to hardware and light fixtures.
The “ebonized effect” really gives this piece of old furniture a dramatic aesthetic. After the paint dried, she conditioned the wood using a beeswax and hemp oil-based furniture salve using a soft brush. She then buffed off the excess to reveal a sleek, shiny finish.
When the YouTube creator bought the mirror, it was cracked and damaged. So this creative DIYer cut a brand-new mirror in the same shape and size and gently slipped it into the original slot so everything was perfect and fresh. At the end of the video, you get to see the stunning before and after of this amazing transformation.
What viewers said about this project
Some people questioned Katie’s choice to stain the wood a dark color after all the paint was stripped and the original detail was revealed. Viewer Somaya El Gammal said, “That was very beautiful woodwork hidden under the paint. you did a great job but I thought you were going to use a light stain to show the pattern of the woodwork.”
Viewer GoldenSheen Obsidian said, “Very nice. I probably would’ve kept a little bit of the natural material showing to give it a little bit of a rustic look though, but all in black it looks just as beautiful the way you did it gives it that Romanian castle Dracula vibe to it. Love it.”
Clearly, most people were not huge fans of the black color, but I actually love it, and I think it really goes with the theme. Perhaps she could’ve used a lighter stain along the detailed sections to provide more visual contrast.
Overall, this was a fun project to watch and it really inspired me to head out to my local thrift store to see what I can find. You never really know what treasures await you until you look!
