Over the past years, more and more tasteless DIY’ers have been ruining perfectly fine coffee tables, dressers, and other pieces with lousy paint jobs.

However, there’s now a counter-movement, dedicated to fighting their crimes. And many of them can be seen on the subreddit ‘Reverse Pinterest.’

According to its ‘About’ page, this online community is dedicated to “showcasing handcrafted wood pieces that have been rescued from Pinterest-paint hell and restored to their original glory.”

Maybe it’s not the biggest subreddit, but its 24K members provide a steady stream of content (much of which is produced by their own effort), so continue scrolling and check out their most popular posts.

#1 Restored This Beauty To Original Glory. $20 Goodwill Cedar Chest Returned From Crackled Paint Torture

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#2 I Don’t Know If I Can Top This One! Fully Restored Brasilia II Petite Buffet

Image credits: midcenturymistress

Second-hand furniture can add a unique edge to a home and is often easier on your wallet. According to interior designer Deirdre O’Connell, there are things you can do to better your chances of coming across a great find.

“Scouring for second-hand furniture isn’t for everyone, but its advantages have never been so great,” she said.

“There is the obvious, generally large, financial saving, all the while doing your major bit for climate change, but with global material shortages and long, changeable, shipping delays, wait time for decent furniture can now regularly be 25, 30, even 40 weeks.”

#3 Behold, The Most Satisfying Reverse Pinterest Of 2021

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#4 Painted Antique Mantle Restoration Transformation

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#5 Heard You Guys Like A Good Before And After

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For this variety of reasons, more and more people are turning to local vintage, antique, and “pre-loved” finds to furnish their homes, and with a little thought, they can achieve a gorgeous look too.

“As a designer, I avoid anything too perfect, or anything too dated and fussy,” O’Connell said. “I like contemporary schemes, of bright rooms with charming furniture and interesting touches. I love the mix of the old and the new.”

#6 Something I Did A Few Weeks Ago. 🙂

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#7 Vintage Console I Stripped A While Ago

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#8 Thinking My Recent Rehab Of This Pre-Pinterest Paint Job Would Be Enjoyed Here

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#9 Lane Acclaim Side Table Hidden Under Pea Green Paint!

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To find old treasures, she has made a list of the places where she can source a range of furniture, collectibles, homewares, and bric-a-brac.

In the country she’s living, Ireland, there are plenty of wonderful, second-hand marketplaces online, like Done Deal, Adverts.ie, and Gumtree, which are free to sell on and easy to navigate.

Find out what alternatives the internet has to offer for your area, and in the search bars, use brand names or shops like Neptune, Bo Concept, Casey’s Furniture, or Ventura to discover any items from valued furniture names.

#10 Thought Y’all Might Appreciate My Efforts

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#11 I Put Two Months Of My Time On Weekends And After Work To Remove The Awful Paint From This Gorgeous Danish Teak Desk With Floating Legs!

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#12 Was Told To Post Here. Before And After De-Pinteresting

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#13 The Abuse Is Finally Over

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1st Dibs, for example, is a world-class platform, full of vintage designer listings and is regularly used by interior designers for antique and modern furniture.

You’ll see its name regularly in the sourcebooks of design magazines. However, remember that even vintage designer furniture often doesn’t come cheap, so it might be a good idea to start your searches from “Price Low To High” if you’re looking to save an extra dollar.

#14 Under 3 Coats Of White Paint And 1 Coat Of Green, Was This Beautiful Rimu Timber

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#15 A Ridiculous Amount Of Love, Patience, And Skill Went Into Reversing These Mid-Century Modern Pieces! I Restore For A Living, And Although I Really Hate Dealing With Painted Stuff, It Makes Me That Much Prouder Of My Craft

Image credits: midcenturymistress

#16 Before And After

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#17 Restauration Process, Finished!

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Then there are charity shops, antique shops, markets, and salvage yards. Again, do your research and find out where they are located around you. Even if you don’t find anything visiting these places, your time won’t be wasted.

“There is a great sub-culture to the second-hand furniture world,” O’Connell said. “In my experience, things tend to be memorable; you’ll have a funny story to tell, you’ll encounter hilarious characters, or you’ll learn the hard way about measuring up!”

#18 Before And After

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#19 Thonet Dining Chairs, Redeemed

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#20 I Saw This Desk On Cl For $50 And Drove From San Antonio To College Station To Pick It Up. Restored It In American Oak And Black Lacquer

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#21 American Of Martinsville Dresser That I Tried My Best To Restore

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However, as you can see from the pics, some things look better if you withhold from painting them. Interior designer Kelli Ellis thinks you should not pick up a brush just for the sake of doing it.

“Slapping any old paint on the furniture can turn into a disaster. Take time to consider what your best paint options are, or leave the furniture as it is,” Ellis said.

#22 Facebook Marketplace Makeover

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#23 Stripping Paint Is The Absolute Worst. Three Weeks After Staring I’ve Finally Made It, Boys. Just Picked Up Another Similar Dresser Painted Brown. Why Do I Do This To Myself

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#24 Final Update On My Mcm Nightstands! Before, Fully Stripped, And After! They Are My Pride And Joy

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#25 Johnson Carper Ronda Saved From Teal Spray Paint

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“Painting furniture is a skill that takes time to master. It is a bad idea to simply attack a piece of wood … with a paintbrush or spray can.”

“Although you can find videos on YouTube, you truly need more than a three-minute explanation of how to do it,” the interior designer highlighted. “People who rely on the Internet to help them paint furniture almost always end up with furniture they do not want to keep.”

#26 The ‘Distressed’ Console That Caused Me Such Distress

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#27 Pair Of Lane Acclaim Round Tables

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#28 My First Furniture Unflip

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#29 I Bought This Coffee Table In 2018 For $15 At A Flea Market Because It Was Cheap And I Needed Something For My Living Room. Finally Got Around To Stripping It This Weekend

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Ellis said that even though it is currently trendy to paint furniture, trends tend to change with the wind.

“Something that seems to look good now can easily seem dated in a few years. At that point, you are either stuck with your ‘handy work’ or in for a huge refinishing job.”

#30 Forgot To Take A Pic Of The Finished Product Without Stuff On It But! My First Reverse Pintrest On This $10 Genuine Mahogany Dresser That Had Been Spray Painted

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#31 60s/70s Wine Bar Restoration

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#32 Beautiful Restoration Job

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#33 Reverse Pinterest That A Friend Did

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#34 Reversed This $10 Fb Marketplace Kroehler Side Table

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#35 Restored This Johnson Carper Fashion Trend Desk. This Paint Did Not Want To Come Off

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#36 It Had To Be Done. I Hope You’ll Enjoy The Result

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#37 First Time Rehabbing A Piece. Broyhill Sculptra Dresser. Few Mistakes With The Finish Due To Impatience. But I’m Happy With It For A $30 Thrift! All Thanks To Dashner Restoration Youtube Channel

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#38 My Refinished Bassett Dresser, It Was Pink!

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#39 Stripped And Sanded This Mission Oak Coffee Table. Happy To See The Tiger Oak Back Out In The Open

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#40 Stripped The Paint And Transformed It Into A Tilt Out Storage Cabinet

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#41 I Found This Painted Broyhill Brasilia On Craigslist And My Husband Fixed It

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#42 Stanley Furniture “Linear Precision” Credenza