Do you really have to fix every dent, scratch, and imperfection before selling a piece of furniture?

Well, yes. And no.

Helpful, right? 

One of the hardest things to learn as a beginning furniture flipper is the difference between a flaw that adds character and a problem that needs fixing.

And believe me, there IS a difference.

I have an antique dresser in our RV that I absolutely love. It has a history, and I don't want to erase every little reminder of the years it spent in someone else's home.

I want that dresser to still whisper a little about the lives it lived before mine. I don't want it screaming at me because I can't get the drawer open.

That's the difference between preserving character and overlooking a problem.

Excellence Doesn't Mean Perfection

When you're learning furniture refinishing, it's easy to get caught between two extremes. You either worry about every tiny imperfection or convince yourself that something is good enough because you're tired of working on it.

Neither one helps you grow as a furniture artist.

Craftsmanship develops as you learn which details matter, why they matter, and how to make good decisions about your work.

You won't know everything when you begin. None of us did. But you can do your best with what you know today and keep improving.

Perfectionism worries about everything that could possibly be better.

Excellence takes responsibility for what we know should be better.

In Episode 59 of the Flipping Furniture for Profit Podcast, we're talking about developing that judgment, taking pride in our work, and giving ourselves permission to keep learning.

Hit play below to listen.