Easy Flea Market Furniture Flip Duncan Phyfe Style Table
Do you love the look of vintage furniture, but don’t want to pay the high prices? If so, then you’ll love flea market furniture flip makeovers! This is the art of finding old, outdated furniture at flea markets, thrift stores, and other secondhand shops, and then transforming it into a beautiful and stylish piece of furniture that you’ll love for years to come.
fun giveaway!
I’m excited to tell you that this post is part of an amazing giveaway! Friend, you are going to love the offer I have for you! Read all the way through the post so you don’t miss your chance to win!
The following post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and then buy something, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you! Thank you for supporting my blog. full disclosure here.
This post is sponsored by Dixie Belle. All opinions are my own!
source an easy furniture flip
The first step in any flea market flip is to find a good piece of furniture. I like to source from thrift stores, yard sales (and the occasional garage sale in our area), and of course auctions. Our local auction is the best place to find furniture pieces like an old dresser, a coffee table, or an end table in great shape.
In fact, that is exactly where I came across this small table. All auctions are different but ours works like this: bidding starts on one piece of furniture or small box lot and then if it isn’t sold, the auctioneer and staff add to the pile to be bid on.
flea market flip end tables
That’s what happened to this side table. it was the first item to go up for bids and no one raised their hand. The side table wasn’t in good shape at first glance and no one wanted it.
So they added another item to the pile. I think it was a box filled with a mish-mash of kitchen items. No one wanted those either so my hubby held his hand up when the bidding stayed at $2.
We won the bid! The way I see it, we found the perfect piece that needed a good cleaning, a little time and attention, and of course a little work for free! I’m saying we paid $2 for the box of kitchen gadgets and the table was a bonus add on! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Auctions and flea market shopping is a great way to spend the day and it is so much fun! Especially when you get a great deal like this sweet little table!
flea market flip step-by-step
supplies
- English Ivy chalk paint
- Weeping Willow chalk paint
- Cucumber Ice chalk paint
- Cobblestone chalk paint
- Embroidered Lotus Transfer
- synthetic paintbrush
- TSP Alternative cleaner
- Top Coat in Flat
- White Wax
- wax brush
- Scrubby Soap
step one: clean the flea market furniture
Let’s fix up this easy DIY project!
The small piece of furniture needed a good cleaning. I used my shop vac over the whole thing while it was still out in my workshop. I didn’t want any little critters coming into our own home. They like to hide out in the nooks and crannies of old pieces of furniture.
Then I sprayed the small end table down with White Lightning cleaner. It is a TSP alternative cleaner. TSP stands for Trisodium Phosphate and is very toxic. It is a strong cleaner that cuts through all sorts of dirt and grime but at a cost. Dixie Belle offers this version that is just as effective and safe to use.
After spraying the table completely, I went over it with a damp microfiber cloth and removed all of the dirt and grime. Then I used a clean wet cloth and wiped off any of the cleaner residue. It dried completely before the next step.
step two: scuff sand the piece of furniture
This table had a bit of a sheen to it. Initially, I was going to use Slick Stick on the surface so that my paint would adhere to the shiny surface. By the way, I used Slick Stick on a small kitchen appliance and it worked amazingly!
I saw a couple of rough spots so I decided to give it a scuff sanding with a 220-grit sanding sponge. This took all of about five minutes because it did not need a good deal of sanding! I wiped off the sanding dust and grabbed my paintbrush!
Take a look at the gorgeous new line of paint Dixie Belle has! This is the Cottage Collection – aren’t they colors beautiful?
step three: paint the old furniture
This small table is the right size to sit between two chairs in our living room. That helped me to decide the color I would use. Currently, my favorite color is green. And blue. Okay, so that’s two colors! I’m in the process of changing the colors in the large living space in our home. I’ve settled on blues and greens.
prime first paint second
But first, I need to prime this piece. The small round Duncan Phyfe table is very dark and I want to only use a little bit of paint. Furniture flippers know that if you want to save on paint, then you need to prime the piece. Keep that in mind for your next furniture flip!
B.O.S.S. is the best primer for furniture. It covers stains and dark colors so well. Plus it comes in colors! I chose gray. It would create the perfect base for the greens and neutral lighter tones I will be using on this small table.
I applied one coat of the primer and allowed it to dry overnight. The next day I made some final decisions about the colors I would use. I wanted to create a two-tone effect on the pretty shaped legs of this Duncan Phyfe table so I chose English Ivy and Weeping Willow. These are two of the newest colors that Dixie Belle offers in their Cottage Collection. The colors are gorgeous and work together so well!
flipping furniture ideas
paint blending technique
This is my first attempt at blending paint and I must admit, it was a bit of a challenge. Ultimately, I used a little bit of creativity and came up with my own method. Even though I am sure others have done this long before I ever did. In fact, the technique is reminiscent of faux finishes on walls back in the 90s. I may or may not have painted all of the rooms in my house with a similar method!
I applied the darker of the two paints, English Ivy, on the lower third of the table legs. Then I applied the lighter color, Weeping Willow, on the top of the pedestal leg. In the center I painted a combination of the two colors, alternating with two different paint brushes and painting towards a center meeting spot.
It turned out ok but I wasn’t doing backflips over the look. I have to really love the piece if I’m going to work on it!
So I made some adjustments to my technique. I got a little bit of paint on the very tip of each brush and lightly tapped the paint onto the surface, overlapping the colors until they slightly blended. The paint was still damp. I also used my fine mist water bottle to keep the paint wet.
It sounds more complicated than it really is. If you try this, test it out on a scrap of cardboard so that you get the hang of it before trying on the upcycled furniture piece.
This would be a great option for the tabletop. So I painted the top with a dark neutral called Cobblestone using a cross-hatching technique that creates texture. To do this, paint by using short brush strokes in several directions.
Once that coat was dry, I applied the Cucumber Ice using the same technique I did with the shades of green. The two techniques created a nice texture on the top of the table!
It created a faux stone look that gave this small end table a whole new look.
step four: apply a decorative furniture transfer
But I didn’t stop there! I wanted to bring in some of the blue colors I mentioned earlier but I didn’t want to use blue chalk paint. Using a little imagination, I remembered a transfer I had on hand that I thought would look perfect.
The Embroidered Lotus transfer has several designs and sizes so I chose the designs in the size I needed to fit on the apron of this little Duncan Phyfe side table.
Transfers provide an easy way to to give a whole new life to pieces like a flea market dresser especially if you apply them to the drawer fronts. I’ll keep that in mind for the future because I have a vintage dresser out in my workshop now just waiting for some furniture flipping! Stay tuned!
I have a full post about how to apply a furniture transfer. Be sure to read it so you don’t miss any of the details.
step five: seal the repurposed furniture piece
The last step in this simple project is to seal the whole piece. The only sealing that the Duncan Phyfe pedestal base needed was white wax. It’s softened the green tones perfectly. Apply it with a wax brush then lightly buff off the excess with a soft lint-free cloth.
The top of this table needed a little extra protection since it will probably have beverages sitting on top. I applied two coats of Clear Coat in Flat which gives the surface a a waxed appearance. I allowed the first coat to dry completely before applying the second coat.
furniture flips before and after
And here is this beautiful table! Doesn’t it look like a new piece of furniture? Staging the piece in my indoor workspace was fun but ultimately I wanted to get this piece into our living room with the chairs that it will sit between.
You might notice one of those chairs isn’t reupholstered yet! I get a little distracted and sometimes it’s hard to get back to projects I have started! But look how good this table looks next to the chair that is finished!
Speaking of the reupholstered chairs, I have an entire series on reupholstering this style of chair over on my YouTube channel. It’s a step-by-step tutorial that goes into great detail about the process.
flea market furniture flip YouTube tutorial
more furniture flip ideas
It’s Time for a Giveaway!
Dixie Belle is hosting an amazing giveaway for my readers! They are offering a $250 spending spree on their website to five lucky winners! Enter by following the directions below! Good luck!
Some of my blogging friends and I got together to share our flea market finds and our furniture flips. Dixie Belle heard about it and wanted to offer our readers an exciting giveaway! Thanks, Dixie Belle for sponsoring this amazing giveaway!
Here are the details and important information to enter:
- You can enter the giveaway on each blogger’s post to maximize your chance to win.
- There will be one winner with EACH blogger! A total of 5 winners!
- The giveaway runs from September 19-September 26, 2023
- The winner will be randomly picked and announced on Tuesday, September 26th here on the blog. The winner has 48 hours to claim their Dixie Belle Giveaway before another winner is selected so be sure to check back!
- Follow the directions that each blogger gives in her post. It’s easy to do and includes options like visiting their Facebook page, commenting on their blog post, and visiting Dixie Belle on Instagram. How easy is that??? 😉
- Visit their blogs to see their amazing talent and creativity
- Enjoy the posts and be inspired to create something beautiful using the gorgeous Cottage Color Collection from Dixie Belle!
here are the talented bloggers:
Simply tap on their blog name above to go to their posts so you can enter to win!
enter the giveaway here!
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DIY Flea Market Furniture Flip
Instructions
- Clean the old piece of furniture with TSP alternative cleaner. Spray on the cleaner and use a microfiber cloth to thoroughly clean away the dirt and grime. Wipe with a clean wet cloth after cleaning to remove any residue.
- Scuff sand any shiny surfaces with a 220 fine-grit sanding pad. Wipe away the dust with a clean dry microfiber cloth.
- Apply at least one coat of a stain-blocking primer. Allow it to dry at least 2 hours between coats and then overnight before painting.
- Apply the desired colors to the piece. Two shades of the same color can be used and blended together. Paint the darker color on the area then paint the lighter color on the remaining area leaving open space between the two areas. Use two different paintbrushes, one for the dark and one for the light paint. Working in the area between the dark and the light colors, tap in the paint slowly blending as you go. Keep a fine mist spray bottle handy to keep the paint workable.
- Use the same technique for the top surface of the table. Allow the paint to dry completely before going to the next step.
- Choose a transfer that will coordinate with your paint colors and apply using the rubbing stick.
- Apply white wax to the base of the piece if desired. Then apply at least two coats of clear coat to the top. You can also apply the clear coat to the entire piece instead of waxing. Allow to dry completely.
- Use your new furniture flip in whatever room works best for you!
Notes
Thanks for joining our journey!
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Wow, that table turned out amazing! I can’t beleive you only paid $2.00 for it and got kitchen things included! Good job! The table turned out super cute!
Wasn’t that a deal?? It’s the best part of shopping at auctions!
Love the new look!
Thanks Julie!
Great color selection!
Thanks Julie! I am loving all four colors!
I like the blue tone colors
Aaaahhh, blue tones are so soothing!
I love the color blend and the updated “folk art” finish. Great job!
Thanks Karen! The transfers added just the right touch 🙂
So pretty with the transfer! I think the Cobblestone is a great neutral color!
Cobblestone is a great neutral – so many uses!
Cindy,
The table is fabulous. The lotus transfer is a perfect choice for this piece.
BTW, when I clicked on the link to your YouTube channel in the giveaway, it did not work…just went to YouTube.com 😉
So pretty! As always.
Thanks Nathalie! That put a smile on my face!
The table turned out fabulous. I love that color and the transfers!
Thanks Kellie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the makeover!
The table is so cute Cindy! I love it.
This table couldn’t have turned out any sweeter Cindy! The cottage colors blended perfectly and I love that Lotus Transfer! Pinned! XOXO
Cute table!
Thanks Gayle! BTW, my middle name is Gayle!
The transfers were the perfect finishing touch! I love it!
They add just enough detail!
My favorite Dixie Belle color is Barn Red!
Isn’t that a gorgeous color?? I love it too!
Wow! What a beauty. Great Job
Thanks Kathy! We are enjoying the table!
I love all your make overs. I would love to try stenlies in some of my old Pease but i don’t have any I don’t have the money to buy any. As if right now. My husband pass away I have no I come at this time. Thank you for saving our world with make overs
You are so kind Cheryl. Thank you for your words of encouragment. I’m so sorry you are going through a difficult time. Hugs 🙂
I love “In the Navy” color! I have learned so much here, on your blog! Thank you
Well that just made my day Tracey! Let me know if there is a project you would like me to write about!
This is gorgeous, Cindy!! I love how you added the transfer around the apron!! XOXO
Thanks Christy! It’s the little things that can add so much to a piece 🙂
I love how you updated this classic table!
Me too – it’s hard to believe the table was so cheap!
Love the transformation of the little table…especially the blending technique. I have to try it
Yes, you should give this easy technique a try!
So very pretty – what a beauty now! Love how you did the transfer all around the top edge.
It’s the perfect touch! Thanks for your kind words 🙂
Oh, I’ve never been very good at the paint blending. Yours turned out lovely. Thanks for the chance to win some DB product. Cheers!
You are welcome for the chance to win! Give this technique a try – it was so easy!
I like the color Cotton. Nice work on the table.
Cotton is a lovely white and one of my faves too!
Great before and after table…. Turned out fabulous!
Thanks Dotte! I’m so glad you enjoyed the makeover!
What a transformation!
Huge difference, isn’t it?? We are loving it in our living room!
You may set this in my living room! Gorgeous!!!
Hahaha! I’ll send it right over!! 😉
I love working with Dixie Belle, such a wonderful product. And you did a fabulous job reinventing it’s look.
Thanks Cindy! Dixie Belle has an amazing paint line and the new Cottage colors are gorgeous!
The table is lovely! The colors and transfer are delightful.
One suggestion: Instead of having to deal with an unsightly wire stretching across the floor to an outlet and maybe creating a hazard, try using a rechargeable light bulb. They are perfect where you don’t want to see an electric cord!
I appreciate that so much! I will have to look into that kind of lightbulb!
Love this piece, especially the way you did the top!
Me too – the top looks amazing in person!
This table is adorable! love the colors and transfer you chose.
Thanks Wendy – I am loving it too!
Beautiful table!
Thanks Karen!
Happy to have discovered you through the giveaway links on the pages of two other bloggers I regularly follow — networking pays off!
That’s awesome! Thanks for joining me here!
I love drum tables. I love the colors you chose! The transfer was Super cute.
Drum tables are so easy to makeover too! Hope you can makeover one for your home!
Cindy, this table is beautiful. I love the colors your selected with the transfer. That’s my favorite transfer from Dixie Belle’s line.
Such a sweet soft design.
Thanks for sharing your detailed process !!
Beautiful results. 🙂
Thanks – I’m so glad you enjoyed the tutorial!
Such a pretty color choice for the legs 🙂
Green is a winner in my book too!
Love the color combo – especially with the transfer!
They all work together so well! Thanks for stopping by!
Sweet table and goes so well with the chair! Love it!!
Now for the other chair! It seriously needs a makeover 😉
Great project! I love the weeping willow color you used, but any blue/turquoise colors are my favorites!
I love your colors too! There are so many beautiful colors in the Dixie Belle paint line!
I love the colors on this table
Thanks Vicki!
I’m new to your blog,and love the table!
Hi Lori! I’m so glad you found my blog and I hope you stick around for our projects!
Wow! Cindy! What a beautiful color combination. You always such pretty pieces. Great Job!!
That’s a sweet thing to say Cheryl – thanks for your encouragment!
Weeping willow! Such a soft, pretty color. And I love what you did with the table. What a deal it was!
Yes, it was an amazing deal for sure! Auctions are the best 🙂
Hi Cindy. What a great transformation! I just finished watchhing your chat with Melanie on Youtube. Great inspiration for newbies to the VINTAGE/UPCYCLING SCENE! Thank you!
That’s awesome Donna! I’m so glad you hopped over here to tell me! There is so much inspiration on YouTube. Let me know if you have any project suggestions!
Gorgeous! I love these colors together.
Thanks Fiona! The colors are beautiful and work so well together!
the table is cute. the colors look great together. it’s a shame you didn’t finish the back side of the legs. my eyes go right to the dark wood color.
Thanks for your input Deb! I have a thing for the undersides of furniture and like to leave them in the orginal finish. It’s just my thing 🙂
Super-cute!
Thanks Lizzy!
Very pretty makeover! The colors are beautiful!
Thanks Cindy! I’m loving the colors too!
Beautiful table!
Thanks Michelle – I’m so glad you enjoye the makeover!
Your table turned out SO cute Cindy!
And I absolutely love how you styled it!
Thanks Natalie! You can’t go wrong with vintage goodies like a brass lamp and old books!
Hi Cindy! Love the new colors! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Cheryl! So glad you enjoyed the makeover and the new colors!
Hi again! My favorite new. Olor is the willow green. The link doesnt work for your you tube channel for the giveaway. 😭
Agh! Thanks for letting me know – I went in and fixed it!
Such a wonderful makeover Cindy and an amazing giveaway!! I have a little table almost just like this, that needs some TLC.
You would do a great job on a makeover of your table Michele!
Beautiful table
Thanks Joyce!
So cute Cindy!!!! That color blending on the legs is perfection!
Thanks Diane! Blending was more of a challenge than I expected!
I love the colors and the transfer is adorable! I will have to get one!
The transfer is so pretty and there are lots of separate components to use on projects!
My favorite is Weeping Willow. Wow your table turned out great!
Weeping Willow is gorgeous! So glad you enjoyed the table makeover!
Cucumber Ice Colour
That’s a gorgesous soft neutral green! I love it!
Love the colors you chose!
Thanks Heidi!
What a beautiful transformation for this little table…….. it was totally worth saving!
I like the Cobblestone paint color the best!
Cobblestone is the perfect neutral! So glad you enjoyed the makeover!
Beautiful colors!
So glad you enjoyed the makeover Ellen!
Lovely!
Thanks Cheryl!
Your table turned out great. I love the colors. ☺️
I think so too! So glad you enjoyed the project!
Cindy, it is such a cute makeover! The Dixie Belle cottage colors are so pretty – hard to choose just one. Possibly English ivy or weeping willow. Cobblestone is beautiful too – maybe even as a paint wash?
Cobblestone would be a perfect candidate for a paint wash!! Great idea Cindy!
I love the two-toned look! My favorite is the Cobblestone and Cucumber Ice!
Thanks – It was a great way to try out several colors!
I love English ivy the best
It’s a gorgeous green Mary!
Unfortunately, I haven’t used nor do I own any of DB’s paints. Looking forward to changing that in the near future.
Sandra, if you get a chance to try out Dixie Belle, you will love it – highly pigmented and so easy to use! Clean up is a breeze especially if your use Scrubby Soap! Good Luck!
Interesting look. Differently not cookie cutter.
Thanks Sue – it’s definately a custom look!
A delightful little table.
Thanks Robin!
Your drum table makeover is beautiful! It’s great to see these new colors on actual furniture. Thank you for showing how you blended the colors on the legs. The transfer is the icing on the cake! I’m a Mimi too!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the makeover Sherri! And yay for all of us Mimis!!
Awesome giveaway! Would love to win!
Isn’t it?? Good luck Jennifer!
Also favorite Dixie Belle Color is Duck egg! LOVE this one!
That is a gorgeous color!!
Love how you save and rescue furniture and make them beautiful. The paint colors on the table are perfect.
Thanks Denise! I hope you get to make lovely furniture makeovers too!
Sweet rescue! Love the colors.
Yay for rescuing furniture! Thanks so much 🙂
I loved this table. My favorite color was the weeping willow. Oh boy, do I remember the sponge technique for walls from the 90s. I had to paint over a tone of it in one of our homes. But, the more subtle effect on the table is beautiful.
Haha, you and me both about the sponge technique on walls back in the day! I had that technique all of our home!
Cindy! This table came out so cute. Watched the video on YouTube!
Thanks for watching the video Amy! I hope you get to watch more of our projects over there 🙂
I loved watching you create this on YouTube. Thank you for the chance to win Dixie Bell. I LOVE Dixie Bell and I’m so glad they are sponsoring you!
Welcome to the blog and thanks for coming over from YouTube! Dixie Belle has some amazing products!
Oops, I forgot to tell you my color choice…I like the colors you used on the top.
Cobblestone and Cucumber Ice are so pretty together! Thanks for letting me know Sharon!
I particularly love all the whites and creams!
Me too Beverly!
I love DB Cottage Door, but Weeping Willow is a close second!!
Cottage Door is soooo pretty! and of course I love the greens Dixie Belle offers 🙂
My favorite Dixie Belle paint color is Cobblestone, which you used in this project. It is a perfect dark neutral, which can be used almost anywhere.
I enjoy your blog and look forward to it each week. Your “flips” are fantastic and I have learned so much by following you.
Well Pam, those are such sweet words! Thanks so mucha and I am glad you are finding inspriation here 🙂
Lovely soft colors – hard to believe it’s the same table.
I think so too – the colors are so pretty in our living room!
The table transformation combined with the chair in living room works beautifully
Thanks Heather – now to do the other chair!
I love the cottage door color the most since I’m doing my bathroom in navy & coral so this would be the perfect color!
Omgoodness, that is a lovely color! I bet your bathroom will look amazing and I hope you get to use it!
That’s so pretty!
Thanks Lizzy!
What a fresh new look for that old table! Great job!
Thank Nan!
I have several pieces of furniture picked from the curb waiting in my garage for their own Cinderella transformation. I hope they come out as beautiful as your pieces.
I am sure they will turn out amazing Laura! Happy painting!
That’s a tough one, but I really like Weeping Willow. There’s so many beautiful colors to choose from.
Weeping Willow is such a pretty soft green! Great choice!
I just love the Weeping Willow color! I am crushing so hard on greens lately, too!!
I’m loving all of the greens right now too!
Wow, Cindy! What a gorgeous makeover! Love the blending technique, and the applique is perfect! What a fun giveaway, too! I didn’t realize it was $250 for EACH blogger! Bummed I missed it! Going to look to see if you announced the winner yet! 😉
I’m so sorry you missed the giveaway! Dixie Belle really out did themselves!
Hey Cindy. I’ve been trying to claim my giveaway prize but I’m not getting a response to my emails Can you send me the link for the Dixie belle $250 giveaway. Thanks
Email sent Edith! Enjoy your paint and other supplies!