Furniture Flipping Bad Advice Alert #3: Repaint!

Don’t be a Confidence Killer Recently I came across a post by a flipper asking advice about her finished project. Jade wasn’t sure about her design. We often go through that, second guessing ourselves. It’s a real thing, but usually unfounded. We want to turn out a beautiful piece and sometimes we are too hard on ourselves. If we look at it through the eyes of our customers, we would see it differently. Let’s talk about Jade’s post on FB. This is Jade >>> This piece is an example of a very fine redesign that needed NOTHING else to make it desirable to a future client. Yet, comentors jumped on it and recommended some very bad advice… I say, be careful who you listen to. Here is the original listing. I tried to comment, but once again, the comments were turned off. URGH! I ended up messaging Jade to let … Read more

Stop Watching, Start Flipping: Why the Best Way to Learn Is by Doing

We’ve all done it… Hours (okay, weeks) of watching YouTube videos, scrolling Pinterest boards, and bingeing makeover reels on Instagram. It’s exciting. It’s inspiring. And it feels like progress. But let me ask you something honestly: How many pieces have you actually flipped? And how much closer are you to making money from your skills? If the answer is “none yet” or “not really sure,” don’t worry—you’re not alone. Most new flippers fall into what I call “learning limbo.” Learning Limbo: When Research Turns into Procrastination Watching tutorials is great. In fact, I teach and share them myself. But there comes a point where watching becomes a way to avoid the doing. You start believing: “I’m not ready yet.” “I need to learn just one more thing first.” “What if I mess it up?” Here’s the truth no one talks about: You’ll never feel 100% ready. You will mess up. … Read more

Bad Advice Alert #2: The Oil-based Over Water-based Debate

The Oil Over Water Debate AND…once again I came across some BAD advice given to a new flipper on FB that could derail her – all because the commenter couldn’t admit she needed to reconsider her facts. (I grayed out the names of those speaking or who was being tagged other than my own comment) Honestly, it’s not that hard. Just say, “Oh, OK, that’s news to me. Thanks.”  But no, that’s not possible, ESPECIALLY when the admin closes out comments before I could “bring the receipts.” That’s just a nice way of saying I couldn’t tell her she was wrong. So, here’s a break down about it all – oil-based over water-based products and water-based over oil-based products, focusing on primer. Enjoy. And btw, “I’m a furniture artist” doesn’t cut it. We all need to keep learning and can NEVER say we’ve arrived. We’re just regular people trying to … Read more

Bad Advice Alert #1: What New Flippers Shouldn’t Believe on Facebook

Bad Advice Alert: What New Flippers Shouldn’t Believe on Facebook When you’re new to furniture flipping, it’s easy to get sucked into the advice whirlpool—especially in Facebook groups where everyone seems to have an opinion. Some of it is gold… but a lot of it? Not so much. If you’ve ever been told to skip prep, the brand you are using is why “this or that” is happening, or that “anyone can do it” with zero experience, you’ve probably run into a few of the common myths that make flipping harder—not easier. In this post, I’m breaking down one popular (but very wrong) tip floating around online, so you can avoid frustration and flip with confidence right from the start.   PEELING PAINT I recently read a post in a Facebook group from someone that was very distraught because she bought a buffet from a local flipper for $400 and … Read more

Unique Sixteen Drawer Cabinet Redesign (PART 4)

Today, I’m going to take you behind the scenes for the last set of drawers in my workshop cabinet. It’s been such a fun project! You know, I’ve been using this cabinet to store all those random tools and furniture parts that used to be scattered all over my workshop. And let me tell you, it’s not just super handy, but it’s also super cute! I’m a firm believer in surrounding myself with beautiful things, especially in my workshop. It just sparks that creative fire, you know? What’s really cool about this project is that each drawer front has a unique design. It’s like a mini canvas where I can express my personality and showcase different furniture redesign techniques. It’s creativity on a teeny tiny scale, and I absolutely love it! In case you’ve missed out on my previous posts, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Here are the links: … Read more

[VIDEO] Master the Art of Antiquing – Retique It Glaze Tutorial

The Art of Glazing Yep. Glazing can be intimidating! I remember the first time I used glaze on a couple of pieces. Oh my, I’d thought I’d ruined it. But then a weird thing happened. I waited a day, took another look and LOVED it. So now I always tell my members to wait a day before deciding that the outcome wasn’t good enough. It’s funny what one day will do to your perspective. Yesterday I glazed the doors on my end table and at first I thought that I wasn’t happy with how it turned out. It didn’t look like picture I had in my head. But then it happened again! Today I LOVE it and I can’t wait to list it. What a transformation! Here’s the BEFORE with another piece I picked up at the same time.   It was cleaned, repaired and primed with oil-based paint. My … Read more

[VIDEO] Tool Tip – The Allway Contour Scraper

Sometimes there is a simple solution to a pain in the wazoo situation when it comes to prep. Have you ever had to remove from the bottom of an end table foot those nasty ol’ stick on floor saver thingys? I have and it occurred to me that I had a tool that would make short work of a dirty job – I no longer had to try to pull them off with my fingers. I know, it takes me a while sometimes but I eventually find an easier and painless way to do things…because I hate prep, and it needs to be done. This is a short video showing you how I used a simple tool – the (afflink) Allway Contour Scraper. I use it all the time for so many different things. What’s your fave tool? Let me know in the comments. My workshop is full of great … Read more

[VIDEO] Furniture Flipping Marketing Tips – Reposting Strategy

DON’T LOWER YOUR PRICES! I’ve been asked by my FB group, For His Glory Furniture Flipping, to create some videos on marketing our flipped furniture.   I thought you might like them as well. Do feel free to comment with tips of your own. Let’s get this industry back on track asap so we can all build our businesses and grow our audience to the way they were before all this stuff happened…you know what I mean!   Part 2 – The Reposting Strategy Next up: DEALING WITH LOWBALL OFFERS Talk soon,

[VIDEO] Furniture Flipping Marketing Tips – SAFETY IN MARKETING

SAFETY IN MARKETING I’ve been asked by my FB group, For His Glory Furniture Flipping, to create some videos on Marketing our flipped furniture.   I thought you might like them as well. I’ll post some today, and more in the future as I complete them. Do feel free to comment with tips of your own. Let’s get this industry back on track asap so we can all build our businesses and grow our audience to the way they were before all this stuff happened…you know what I mean!   Part 1 – Safety in Marketing Next up: DON’T LOWER YOUR PRICES! Talk soon,

[VIDEO] Finding the Time to Flip

I’ve gotten many comments like this, “Val, I have no idea how you get so much done!” or, “You amaze me at all the things you do, how do you do it?” Well, some of my ability to accomplish as much as I do is through planning and patterning. I learned it back in the day when we were raising our 15 kids at the same time we were in the ministry doing 111 different things. The days flew by and the list kept getting longer, so I had to do something to keep on task and accomplish the things that mattered to me. Patterning is developing good daily habits, creating a lifestyle that was productive in a way that I didn’t even have to think about what to do next. It’s eeking out time to do at least a little of what needed to be done, giving myself margin, … Read more

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