“Didn’t Think It Could Be Saved”: 30 Restorations That Exceeded Everyone’s Expectations

Sometimes, it feels like certain things are simply beyond repair. A beloved childhood toy worn down to its last thread, a centuries-old painting faded into obscurity, or a rusted car sitting forgotten in someone’s backyard, many would call them lost causes. But there are people out there who see potential where others see decay, and their dedication to restoration brings life back to what once seemed gone forever.

#1 Finally Finished This Piece. Picked This Up At GW As A Project Piece For Learning Purposes. I Know It’s Nothing Special, Nor Highly Sought After, But It Was A Good Learning Process

Image source: AdJolly5899

#2 Brass Window Latch Before And After. Crockpot Method Is Magic

Image source: -_-xylo

#3 My Wife Has Had This Desk Since She Was A Kid. I Made It My Self-Isolation Project

Image source: Georgiegoodboy

#4 Restored, Re-Worked & Added To This 150+ Year Old Bar Out Of NYC For A Very Special Client

Image source: ssjr10

#5 Front Door Restoration

Image source: IceGoddessLumi

Before – Previous owners painted over and beat our our original (1900) front door to Hell. They even had painted over the frickin’ mail slot!
After – Stripped, repaired and stained. Credit goes to World of Wood for their amazing job. They even shined up the trolley bell.

#6 My Bedside Table Finally Got The Respect It Deserves

Image source: Melodic_Local_4385

#7 When My Nanna Died No One Wanted Her Bedside Table, Now They Are Suddenly Interested

Image source: rodgeramjit

#8 Done

Image source: Tall-Selection-3281

#9 1912 Craftsman Staircase Restoration

Image source: Arousing_Wedgie

#10 1926 Spanish Tudor Cottage Fresco Restoration

Image source: Steffyweffy007

Restoring this piece was quite the journey! After spotting a dainty occipital plume atop the birds’ heads, I suspected they were Great Blue Herons—a hunch confirmed when brilliant blue tones emerged beneath the dirt. I cleaned, replastered with Venetian plaster, and painted with specially ordered clay paint to stay true to traditional fresco techniques. Though I’m no master restorer, I gave it my all, and with a bit of care (and luck), I hope this artwork lasts for many years to come.

#11 My Fiancé And I Rehabbed This Bifl Kroehler Sofa From The Mid 60s

Image source: Vintagesourcekc

We do furniture restoration. I do the woodwork and she does upholstery. In terms of quality, Kroehler was unmatched, and there are still tons of upholstery pieces available by them from the 60s on FB marketplace that just need a skilled craftsperson or two to bring it back to life.

What makes their pieces so high-quality is the internal build material. This sofa uses WHITE OAK for the FRAME, which no one would do now. It’s harder than a walnut and heavy!

This sofa specifically was made in the style of, or sort of a copy of, Adrian Pearsall, whose brand, Craft and Associates, made walnut-framed furniture with very forward designs. Their designs were more aesthetically pleasing, but whenever we get Craft and Associates pieces, (which is actually worth more) the frames are always broken and need repair.
The Kroehler-made furniture is always rock solid. If you ever want a vintage sofa that is worth the investment of new upholstery – go with Kroehler!!!

#12 One Of My Favorite Restorations I’ve Done

Image source: cdev12399

#13 I Restored A 1950s Step-Stool

Image source: Kangar

#14 “Landlord Special” Hardware

Image source: champs

#15 Why For The Love Of God Did Someone Paint Over These Original 150-Year-Old Face Plates

Image source: Sufficient-Serve8174

I restored these using electrolysis and then a tiny bit of electroplating.

#16 Iron-On Patches To Cover Cat-Scratched Couch!

Image source: StormyandPerc

#17 We Did A Thing.. $40 Brasilia Desk Before/After

Image source: amosfargus

#18 Reversing The Landlord Special. One Doorknob At A Time

Image source: No_Lion_1498

I was stunned at the gorgeous details hiding under all that paint (I counted at least 5 layers!) Debating whether to commit myself to stripping the rest of the original door plates from our 1920s rental once the weather perks up – my house still smells like citristrip.

#19 I Restored This 1920s Adding Machine/Cash Register

Image source: viktor72

#20 My First Big Project

Image source: snakes780

It didn’t turn out perfect, but I learned a lot and at least it’s not blue anymore lol

#21 Before And After Of A Medieval Ring Restoration – It’s Approximately 700 Years Old, Amazing To Imagine Wearing These Rings Once Again

Image source: PopularSituation2697

#22 Update!

Image source: dasdakotaman

#23 I’m A Beginner At Working With Leather Materials, But Last Weekend I Bought Everything I Needed And Spent My Day Restoring This Bag To It’s New Glory. It’s Not The Best But I’m Proud Of It

Image source: snatchpanda

#24 Just Finished Restoring This 1973 Harrison M300 Lathe

Image source: EggChaser

#25 Bird Feeder Restoration Project

Image source: mom2one2610

My mother-in-law gave me this old bird feeder she had because she knew I could restore it and make it new again. It definitely needed some TLC, so it got some new paint, and now it’s all ready for the birds to enjoy. Swipe to see the before photos!

#26 Before And After – Flipped A Cheap Table I Got Off Of FB Marketplace

Image source: lettuceown

The table was $360. I stripped and sanded the table and sized it down from 10ft to 8ft long. Took a week.

I also got the chairs off of FB Marketplace – $100 for all of them.

They’re actually great quality, only minor stains and fabric pilling, but after a fabric shaver and steam clean looked brand new.

In addition to $200 in materials to refinish the table, I spent $660 on the entire setting.

#27 Refinished The Slate Floors In My 1964 House’s Foyer

Image source: senor-mango

#28 Paoli Chair After And Before

Image source: _e4rI

I posted a couple of months back this cool Paoli rocker I picked up on the marketplace. It was in desperate need of reupholstery, the rocking mechanism needed to be fixed, and the frame was quite dingy as well. Here’s some After and Before pics of the chair.

#29 1970s Shadowbox Before And After

Image source: Domestic-Archer-230

My mother bought this in New York for her first apartment. As a child i loved imagining i was tiny and this was my house. She found it in her basement last year and gave it to me. I spent some time cleaning and refurbishing and adding some new details to it. It makes me so happy to see it hanging in my kitchen.

#30 70 Year Old Amf Dewalt Radial Arm Saw Restoration

Image source: Dimsdale53

I bought this 1950’s AMF DeWalt 9” radial arm saw for $50, and spent 4 weeks restoring it. I am aware that they are fairly dangerous, but I understand how to use them safely and plan to have this be a dedicated crosscut machine. It took a few hours to fully calibrate everything, but once I did that, it was dead accurate.

#31 Chair Restoration

Image source: sandpapergal

These chairs were salvaged from the owner’s childhood home, which was lost due to a house fire. The wife brought them to me for restoration. She requested a walnut stain to coordinate with existing furniture. Very happy with the results.

#32 Before And After. Rodd Silver Plate Tea Set – Cleaned Up

Image source: kingboo94

#33 My First Restoration – A Dresser For My House

Image source: MERMO

Found this absolute monstrosity and decided try try my hand at restoring it for my house. It’s far from perfect now (don’t look too close), I could have continued working on it, but I was ready to be done so I’m happy with “good enough”.

I think the insets behind the drawer pulls used to have some br hardware sitting in them, and the wood there is really rough. The person who painted it also decided to put dozens of little metallic stickers into each one – removing them then tore up whatever coating was originally there. I will likely end up painting those black to get it closer to the original look.

#34 Wife Put Me In Charge Of Wedding Favors And I Needed A Project

Image source: kbenpho

I found it on the marketplace, lowballed the guy, and he took the offer, so suddenly I was in very deep. It weighed what felt like 300 pounds, so I built an all-wood frame to cut down on the weight significantly, reinforced with metal brackets on the corners. Modded the wheel to spin freely to the left, so nobody had to pay, of course.

Our favorite candy, individual Advil packs, and Keychains I made. I’ve always been obsessed with dinosaurs and own reptiles, my wife loves animals and has worked with them her whole life, so it’s mostly Keychains of dinosaurs or animals, a few secret ones. I make art, so I had several generous artist friends contribute their time or expertise. Shout out to my friend for the signs, specifically.

It went great! People were eating it up, and it was picked clean by the end of the reception.

#35 Refinished A Clawfoot Tub That Was Left In Our Yard. The Wife And I Refinished This Cast Iron Clawfoot Tub That Was Left In Our Yard When We Bought The House

Image source: Informal-Ad8066

#36 I Found This Vintage Copper Ashtray While Bottle Digging And Restored It. It Came Out Better Than I Expected

Image source: VeryCasualPCGamer

There’s no makers mark so I’m unaware of the date but it’s certainly vintage, maybe even antique?

#37 Before And After Of My Latest Restoration

Image source: Austeration

#38 Thrift Store Find, Before & After

Image source: Suede71

Sanded, oiled, and re-upholstered the seat on this 1960-made chair from H. Krug in Kitchener, ON, Canada. Super comfortable. Unfortunately, the label under the seat got tossed when it was re-done.

#39 Gorgeous Opal And Pink Sapphire Set In Sterling Silver Ring I Found At The Flea Market For $20! Before And After Restoration

Image source: galaxyMLP

#40 Come With Me, And You’ll Be, In A World Of All-Clad Restoration. $3, A Whole Can Of BKF And A Little Sweat Equity

Image source: DiskoNuggets