The Process

01

Source

Estate sales, Goodwill, curbside, Facebook Marketplace — anywhere solid wood is being tossed. The best flips almost always start under $75.

02

Strip & sand

Old varnish comes off where it needs to. Real sanding — not a scuff-and-paint. Every top and every drawer front gets prepped to raw where the design calls for stained wood, and lightly scuffed everywhere else so paint bonds for the long haul.

03

Prime

Stain-blocking primer over knots and any tannin-heavy wood. Paint straight onto raw oak is a callback waiting to happen — the primer step is what separates a flip that lasts from a flip that peels in six months.

04

Paint

Premium finishes only — Wise Owl, Beyond ONE, Melange (Solstice, Bay Sands, Morning Fog). Straining the paint before every coat. Rolling for smooth cabinet faces, spraying with the Wagner for large flat surfaces.

05

Top coat

Sealer that actually seals. Bar-top polyurethane on high-touch tops, wax on decorative pieces, matte polycrylic on painted surfaces.

06

Hardware

Original knobs cleaned and polished if they’re worth saving; otherwise antique brass round pulls (the signature look). Rub ‘n Buff for a faux-patina finish that adds depth without a full replacement.

07

Style & shoot

Every finished piece gets a proper photoshoot — real light, real staging, drawer liners in the top drawer. That’s why the pieces sell in days.

08

Sell local

Listed on Facebook Marketplace and cross-posted to Nashville-area buy/sell groups. Delivery within an hour of the workshop — Cheatham, Robertson, Davidson, and surrounding counties.