From Sticker-Covered Dresser to Farmhouse Pantry Cabinet: One of My First Furniture Flips

I never planned on becoming a furniture flipper. In fact, before 2020, I barely knew what “upcycling” even meant. But when the pandemic hit, everything changed — for all of us. I was laid off, stuck at home, and suddenly thrust into homeschooling both a first grader and a fourth grader. Let’s just say, it wasn’t exactly my dream job.

So I escaped — to the garage.

It became my little sanctuary. A place where I could blast emo music from the early 2000s, sing loudly (and wildly off-key), and make a mess without anyone grading me on it. That’s where this whole adventure started.

How My Flipping Journey Began

At first, I just tackled a few battered, unloved pieces from around my own house. It was part boredom, part therapy. But I quickly found myself hooked on the process of transforming something broken into something beautiful.

Eventually, I started flipping pieces to sell. I won’t lie — seeing something I painted and reimagined end up in a stranger’s home? Amazing. Like, a tiny piece of my weird little soul living on in someone else’s living room.

That said — if you’ve ever watched Storage Wars and seen someone slap neon paint and zigzag fabric on an old headboard and confidently call it a “$900 bill all day long!” — yeah, that’s a lie. A funny lie, but still a lie.

The Star of the Story: A Sentimental Little Dresser

This project was one of my first flips. It wasn’t a fancy piece — just a small, sticker-covered chest of drawers that had been refinished years ago by my sons’ great-grandpa. And honestly? He did a pretty good job. The dresser had been painted a pale sage green (which, ironically, is totally on-trend now) and lightly glazed in brown for that aged farmhouse vibe.

But as any parent knows… kids and stickers don’t mix well with furniture. The poor drawers were wrecked.

It was peak lockdown, and like many of us, I was starting to dabble in prepping. Canned goods were piling up, and I needed extra pantry space. That’s when the lightbulb moment hit: this little dresser was about to get a second life as a kitchen cabinet.

The Transformation: From Dresser to Farmhouse Pantry

I wish I had taken step-by-step photos or even kept notes, but back then I had no idea I’d one day be writing about this. I just knew I wanted to preserve some of great-grandpa’s work while making it functional for my family.

🛠 Here’s what I did:

• Left the body of the dresser mostly intact — I kept the green finish just as Grandpa had done it.
• Removed the drawers, but couldn’t bring myself to toss them. (Don’t worry, they got reused in another project later. My inner hoarder was proud.)
• Built shelves by attaching small wooden planks where the drawers used to be.
• Faux wood finish on the top — I painted it a dark brown, then added a soft color wash using lighter shades for dimension.
• Built my first cabinet doors using 1x3s cut to size. This was also my first time using a pocket hole jig — a moment of creative pride and math-induced frustration.
• Added chicken wire to the inside of each door frame for that farmhouse look.
• Finished with basic hinges from the hardware store and a set of vintage-style pulls I had on hand.

Final Cost? Around $10

The best part? This whole makeover probably cost me ten bucks total. I used mostly scrap wood and paint I already had. And even though it wasn’t perfect, it was mine — a messy, emotional, beautifully useful piece of furniture born out of chaos and creativity.

What I Learned

This dresser taught me something really important: flipping furniture doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination, some leftover paint, and a need for quiet time in the garage.

Would I call it fine craftsmanship? Nah. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.