Should We Paint Antiques? A Look at Value, History & Flipping with Purpose

Val Frania (: 00:02

Hey friends. Welcome back to Flipping Furniture for Profit. Episode #7. I'm Val. And today we're diving into a hot topic that always stirs up opinions. Should we be painting antiques? I've had my fair share of comments. Some good, you know, some kind, some not so kind about painting old furniture. So let's talk through it. What history tells us what really makes an antique valuable, and how we can balance flipping for profit with respecting the past, all while remembering what really matters in the light of eternity. Now, I'm gonna make a statement right now that you may not agree with, but it is the absolute truth. Furniture is just a thing. You can love a piece of furniture, but that furniture does not love you back. Now, it might make you smile, it might compliment your decor. It may make you happy, but it doesn't love you back.

Val Frania (: 01:04

It doesn't talk to you, it doesn't give you a hug, it's a thing. And that's kind of where I gather all of my opinion from. Now, I do love furniture there isn't anybody that loves furniture more than I do. Boy, I spend so much time thinking about furniture, you'd think I'm nuts. But really we have to keep a perspective about it. Now, funny thing is it's all opinion. Okay? Now, some of it, obviously based on the construction, the age, the, you know, how good it looks, how rare it is. All of that does add to its value, but that's strictly a financial value and a value to someone's opinion and or value in history. Like if I had Lincoln's Resolute desk, obviously that would be worth a whole lot more because of history, worth a whole lot more because of opinion, worth a whole lot more financially. So that covers all the bases, but honestly, it's still a thing. It's not living and breathing. So we need to keep perspective about it.

Val Frania (: 02:14

And I am referring also to the matter of eternity. Will it matter in a hundred years? You know, you can always use that to help you decide whether something is worth fighting over, maybe, or expressing an extreme opinion or causing issues between people. What really matters is in the light of eternity, sometimes people think painting old furniture is a brand new trend, but really the truth is it goes way back. The colonials painted their furniture to bring color into their homes. Even the earliest paints like milk paint, were used thousands of years ago. In fact, when King Tut's tomb was opened, painted furniture was found inside, believe it or not. So history doesn't prove that wood finish is king. It shows that people have always loved painted pieces. Now, keep that in mind. Now, as far as antiques, a lot of it is opinion. A lot of it is preference.

Val Frania (: 03:16

My mom grew up with the furniture that we now call antiques, and when I mentioned antiques to her one time, she just said, that's just old furniture. And she didn't like it because that's what she grew up with. It wasn't special to her. That's her opinion. And to me, I am never been really crazy about antiques, believe it or not, you know, when I walk into an antique shop that's just full of really, really old stuff, you know, like those dolls with the creepy faces and the worn stuff, and to me just sometimes, it just creeps me out to walk into an antique store, a really antique store, like really old stuff. But to some people, they're just totally delighted to walk through and see all the treasures. So a lot of it is personal opinion, and sometimes we think our opinion is fact – truth.

Val Frania (: 04:10

I've been guilty of that. I'm sure you have. When we were adopting, I couldn't understand why other people didn't adopt. There's such a need out there. But then I was reminded that we're not all called of God to do the same things. We're all different. Now, the world would be awfully boring, wouldn't it? If we were all the same. Now there's a verse that says, now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. So basically we're just all different. And God gives us different gifts, different talents, different desires when it comes to things, okay? And when it comes to jobs, he calls us to do different things. So just as God gives us different talents, passions, and callings, he also made us with different tastes. Some people treasure antiques exactly as they are. Others like me, love giving them new life. I've found a few I love and would never touch.

Val Frania (: 05:03

Like I bought this, China cabinet, on one of our trips to another part of our state that's got a really great consignment shop. And we bought this China cabinet, and I had every intention of painting it, got it for a really great price. But when I got it home, thought, Ooh, that's gonna look really good in my guest room. And I put it up in my guest room and put my mom's, China in it. At first, I started out with all my antique books that I put in there, and then eventually when I redid the room, I put my mom's China in it. There's no way I would touch it. It just looks beautiful in that room. So it does depend on the piece and on your opinion, I know. I keep saying that, but really we need to remember, it's opinion.

Val Frania (: 05:49

I do like giving them new life though, if they need it. But we've gotta remember that there are some pieces really we shouldn't touch. If we are the true entrepreneur that's trying to make money on our purchases, we need to know our stuff because there are some I would never touch. That means that I see greater value in that piece untouched, that it might sell better if it's as-is. And I have sold some of those that also pertains to other types of furniture as well. Those pieces are usually a pristine condition, and they say something that you can hear with your heart. Well, these pieces, these pieces speak to you. . Can furniture speak to you? Yes, it can. The more you get into this, you'll understand it. You've never heard it. Well just wait. The longer you do this, it, it'll happen for you and you'll know it when it happens.

Val Frania (: 06:51

But both can bring joy painted or unpainted touched or untouched. It just depends on the piece and what you like and what your customer likes. So does painting antiques ruin them? Well, the answer is, it depends. An antique only truly holds great value when four things are present, quality, condition, rarity, and demand. Most of the pieces we find at auctions or estate sales, don't check all those boxes. There's a reason they're in that mass sale of an antique sale. Now, that's not always the case, so you need to be discerning, but in reality, many are headed for the dumpster. There just is not a huge demand for antiques. It's just part of life. And they're gonna get tossed, which is really unfortunate. I did recently find one that was in such good condition, it was in such good shape, it was fairly rare. So I'm gonna keep it and look for just the right buyer.

Val Frania (: 07:55

I'm not gonna rush it, uh, to sell it because it is a really nice piece. And I know somebody out there is just gonna love it because I, you know, I scoured the internet trying to find one like it, and I couldn't find one. So that means it's fairly rare. So I'm gonna hang on to it till I can get my price to find just the right buyer. Someone that's willing to pay my price when we rescue them and, you know, and then repair them and update them with paint. We're really, we're extending their life. We're giving them another a hundred years rather than sitting in someone's basement gathering dust. We're making them fit someone's decor and to give them a beautiful piece that will compliment their home. That's a good thing. It gives a chance to make new memories in new homes. That's not ruining them, that's redeeming them.

Val Frania (: 08:47

Now, isn't that a picture of what God does with us personally? He takes scarred and sometimes broken vessels and makes them new again, ready to serve with whatever talents and ability he gives us. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new." I'm not really into old things, obviously, based on the way I just described how I feel about old things. Well, unless you're talking about DH, oops, did I say that out loud? I love the challenge of taking something outdated that's unwanted and then making it beautiful again. Okay? I have a personal example for you. You know, BTDT, shorthand for texting? Been there, done that. Back when I first got started in the business, I picked up a couple of antique side tables at as estate auction that were in terrible shape.

Val Frania (: 09:45

If I hadn't taken 'em, they would've been tossed into a dumpster. We watched, oh, it was so hard to watch, as they threw piece after piece into the dumpster when no one showed any interest at all. I brought 'em home and after cleaning, repairing, painting, I sold the two of them for $300. They found a new family that just loved them. And I even named one of those pieces after my mom, who had recently passed away because I painted it in the plum color that she loved. We always told her it was purple, but she insisted it was plum. That's what flipping can be. Taking something unwanted and helping it live another hundred years, how can that be a bad thing? And in a way, it kind of reminds me that God cares about redemption, whether it's a soul or a side table.

Val Frania (: 10:35

Now a message to the purists. I know you're out there and you might be having a problem with what I'm saying. Just remember, everyone has a different opinion. You need to respect it and treat people like you'd want to be treated. You may not agree, but we both have our reasons. So to the purists, if you're worried about antiques being destroyed, here's my challenge to you - buy them before we do, or if we list them as-is, untouched, buy 'em, preserve it, preserve the museum quality pieces, let flippers rescue the rest. There's room for both approaches. Now, it doesn't mean you cannot explain to somebody when you see a piece about its value, you know, let 'em know how much you think that they could get for it. Tell 'em where to sell it. Give them information about appraisers. Tell them about the wood, tell them about the makeup. Give your experience to that person so they can make a wise decision. Sometimes people just don't know. Maybe that can be your thing, that you can help people see that they might be able to sell it as-is and get the better price.

Val Frania (: 11:58

If you find a rare piece, then you need to do your homework, I guess is what I'm saying to all of you flippers. You need to know what a rare high quality piece is, which means you need to do some research before you touch any of it. And if it's an excellent condition, try to sell it as-is first. But if the demand isn't there, then paint it or you could hold onto it until you do find the perfect buyer, it's totally up to you because you own it and it's yours to decide what to do with it. We all need to remember that the person that is owning the piece gets to decide. Someone out there will love it either way. Okay? At the end of the day, furniture is just stuff. Yes, some people, I'm sorry, some pieces, are treasures, but most are simply waiting for someone to bring it back to life.

Val Frania (: 12:54

So let's keep priorities, right? Relationships matter more kindness matters more. Romans 12:18, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably peaceably with all men." That includes furniture purists, and flippers alike. We need to respect their opinion, and they need to respect ours. Remember, people, not, not stuff is what matters in the end. It's the people. Different is good, different is okay. And at the end of the day, we're all just trying to be good stewards of the blessing that God has given us. You purists, you may be responsible for getting the word out to educating people, and we as flippers are responsible to check things out, to know the value we have. Find out if there's history with a piece. Don't just slap paint on something before you find out. If there's someone out there that would like it as is, to me, it's a, it's a big responsibility on both sides of the coin. Now, if you're just getting started with furniture flipping, I've put together a free guide called The Beginner's Guide to Flipping for Profit. And you can grab it at ValFrania.com/flipforprofit. And if you're enjoying the podcast, hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. So blessings, friend. Until next time, keep flipping with eternity in mind. Have a blessed day.