Stay-at-home mom makes a fortune by flipping old furniture
A crafty mom who transforms old furniture into incredible works-of-art in budget DIYs has revealed she sells the pieces on for four times what she spent on them – raking in hundreds of dollars per sale.
Maggie McGaugh, 25, from Fort Worth, Texas, left her day job and became a stay-at-home mother after having her 10-month-old son, Harrison.
Just a few weeks after giving birth, Maggie found herself with extra time on her hands and decided to get busy with a project.
Flipped! A stay-at-home mother from Texas has revealed how she rakes in hundreds of dollars by transforming old rundown furniture into stunning interior pieces
Before: Maggie McGaugh, 25, began transforming furniture just a few weeks after giving birth, when she discovered she had plenty of spare time on her hands while caring for her baby son Harrison, now ten months old
After: The Fort Worth resident overhauls pieces that she finds abandoned on the street or buys from thrift stores for a tiny amount, like this nine-drawer dresser that she copmletely transformed
Size doesn’t matter: Maggie’s first project was a wooden bread box, however she now works with pieces of all different shapes and sizes, from side tables to dining room sets
Popular: The mother-of-one’s DIY talents have also helped her to earn viral fame on Instagram, where she regularly shares step-by-step posts about each transformation
Green with envy? The transformation process varies from piece to piece, with some – like this dresser – requiring nothing more than a lick of fresh paint, while others need much more work
She purchased a wooden bread box from a thrift store and transformed it, quickly realizing that she had a talent for DIY projects. So, she expanded her work on a much larger scale.
Desperate times! Maggie (pictured) said she was ‘bored out of her mind’ at home without a full-time job, and that pushed her to try out a new hobby
‘I started flipping furniture out of desperation, honestly!’ Maggie told Jam Press. ‘I was a new stay-at-home mom and bored out of my mind.
‘A few weeks after giving birth, I purchased a wood bread box at a thrift store. I took it home and sanded/painted it.
‘It was in love after the first project. While I texted a few friends for tips, I am almost entirely self-taught.
‘You learn from experience, both the good and the bad!
Maggie has since become a social media sensation with 121,000 followers on Instagram, where she documents her step-by-step process of each piece and how she gives it a complete makeover.
‘I was tired of spending money on expensive furniture. We just bought a home last year, so I understand how much costs add up,’ she explained.
‘I wanted to provide affordable furniture locally, teach people how to do this skill worldwide and as my hobby, and it’s so much fun!’
Maggie purchases used furniture from yard sales, estate sales, Facebook Marketplace and other online sellers – and most of the time, she gets them for free – meaning that she only has to spend money on her DIY supplies, which don’t cost much.
Then: This set of drawers was run down and creaking when Maggie got hold of it, however she managed to make it look just like new again in no time
Now: Maggie stripped the wood and repainted the piece to give it a fresher, more modern feel
Voila! This dining room table and chair set looked old and tired when Maggie found it, however she managed to completely transform the pieces to make them look like new once again
Crumbling: Some of the biggest items that Maggie works with are large dressers like this one, which can go for thousands when bought new in store
So fresh and so clean: Without needing to do any over-the-top work to the piece, Maggie still manages to leave it looking worthy of a storefront
Cute! On a few pieces, Maggie will update the hardware, like the gold handles on this small desk, which she gave an update
She then fixes the damage, non-working parts, tears or scratches on the item, and sands down the piece with the option of painting the entire piece using interior latex paint.
Maggie then seals the paint in with a sponge, using polyacrylic and leaving it for a few days so it sets.
It can take anywhere between 15 minutes to six hours to transform a piece depending on the size or the amount of work that needs to be done.
Maggie makes between $50 to $300 per item, and rakes in hundreds per month doing what she loves.
In a few words of advice to others who want to do the same, she added: ‘If you want to give this a try, my biggest tip is to just do it!
‘Find something cheap or free and paint it white. Start simple.
‘Each time you do a new project, make it a little harder by adding a new skill.
‘Learn from trial and error. You will make mistakes but it will make you better.’
Helper: Maggie has only been doing her DIY projects for the last ten months – since giving birth to her son Harrison – however she has already established an enormous fan base on Instagram
Something old: Maggie found these side tables on an estate sale app, and then spruced them up for a client who made a custom request
Something new and blue! Although Maggie said she ‘doesn’t do many navy pieces’, she was thrilled with how these turned out
Hard work: On Instagram, Maggie revealed that this piece was ‘missing a leg’ and was ‘covered in what appeared to be green nail polish’ when she first got her hands on it, however the final result couldn’t look more different
Bargain! This small piece cost Maggie just $10 at a yard sale – however she was able to sell it on for much more money
History: Maggie revealed that this dresser was originally made in 1981, and spent years being moved around by its most recent owner – who even took it to college with him
Overhaul: Instead of revamping the piece with paint, Maggie instead decided to restore the chipped laminate, before sanding down the drawers to reveal a more natural wood
At home: As well as making money from her DIY transformations, Maggie has also been able to fill her own house with stunning pieces of furniture
