Furniture Flipper Strips 12 Layers of Paint From Her Late Grandma's Hutch–and It Turned Out Gorgeous
You might think that restoring a piece of furniture with 12 layers of paint is an impossible battle... but furniture flipper Emily, aka @girlwithapowerdrill, proves that it's most definitely achievable. You just need a lot of patience.
A wood hutch she inherited from her grandma was in serious need of an upgrade, and Emily managed to bring the piece back to life beautifully. Keep reading to learn all about the transformation!
Related: Never Skip These 5 Steps When Flipping Furniture
A Furniture Flipper Spent Weeks Restoring Her Grandma's Heirloom Hutch
"My grandmother's hutch had 12 different layers of paint, and I was determined to figure out what was hiding underneath it," Emily explained in her TikTok video. "After she passed away, I was given this piece. And what I thought was four layers of paint quickly proved me wrong."
The hutch was white when Emily inherited it, and Emily got started by applying paint stripper and covering it with cling film. Next, she used a paint scraper to shave off as much of the bubbled-up paint as she could. Then, over the course of several weeks, Emily repeated this process over and over again, revealing new colors of paint each time. Beneath the white, she found layers of red, green, orange, yellow and black.
"I had no idea what the shape of the wood was underneath, but I knew there was no turning back and I was determined to save this family heirloom," Emily narrated. "But I would be lying if I said I didn't question my sanity during this entire process."
Once Emily managed to strip the bulk of the paint, she used a carbide scraper and a foam sander to remove the rest of the paint from the hutch's crevices. Then, she used an electric sander to get the piece completely down to wood grain. But she was far from done, as the piece was still in rough shape and pretty badly discolored - so she had to apply multiple rounds of bleach to even out the tone.
Then, she applied a pre-stain conditioner, a gel stain and a wipe-on sealer to bring back the wood's shine. After this final step, the transformation was complete, and the hutch turned out stunning!
Check out the full video below:
@girlwithapowerdrill I wasn't prepared for what was under this… What I thought was a quick strip turned into uncovering 12 layers of paint. Every layer got worse… and for a second, I thought I ruined it. After a LOT of trial and error, grandma's heirloom hutch is finally back. supplies used are linked on my storefront Follow for real furniture flips (the ones that don't go as planned) Would you have saved it? #furnitureflip#furniturerestoration#furnitureflipper#paintstripping
original sound - Emily | Girlwithapowerdrill
This Laborious Transformation Was Well Worth It
"Although it's now earned its title as the most tedious flip I've had to tackle, I know Grandma would have loved to see the wood grain shine again," Emily said, adding that she plans to keep this piece forever.
In the comments, followers applauded Emily for her dedication.
"It was well worth it! It's stunning!! ," one commenter wrote. "Holy moly, it's so beautiful under there! Way to stick with it!" someone else added.
Others admitted that they never would have been as patient as Emily.
"it would still be in garage half stripped when I died lol," joked a commenter. "What's under the paint? Paint. Yes, but under that paint? More paint. Fine, and under THAT? Eventually, wood…but also more paint," added another.
Related: Watch This Thrifted Nightstand Get Flipped Into the Loveliest Dollhouse
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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 11:15 AM.