Ryan Fightmaster, MD

The Furniture Was Good, The People Were Better

I never planned to keep doing this. Furniture was a stop-gap, a bridge to my next…
How to Sell Furniture (Successfully) on Facebook Marketplace

Yes, staging is important, as the furniture influencers will tell you. Golden lighting is paramount, they…
What is the Best (and Safest) Furniture Polish?

Furniture refinishing complete and their piece delivered, I turn to leave the customer’s home. “Before you…
How to Refinish Teak Danish Modern Furniture

When a piece of teak furniture walks into your shop, you pause, you appreciate, you stare.…
How to Refinish (and Modernize) a 1950s Mahogany Dresser

Mahogany finishes have faded from glory. Hard. Not once in my furniture refinishing career has a…
The Top 10 Furniture Tools for Furniture Refinishing

There’s something to be said for getting the job done with whatever tools you have. It’s…
The Simplest Way to Get a Professional Finish on Furniture

Occasionally, I’ll stumble into an older piece of furniture—a desk, dining room table, side table, coffee…
How I Brought a 1940s Lane Cedar Chest Back From the Dead

It’s not every day a piece of Lane Furniture walks into my shop. When that day…
How to Replace a Veneer Panel

At times, the best solution for damaged and chipped veneer is complete replacement. Veneer panels can…
How to Replace Veneer with Paint

If at first glance, this seems impossible, or absurd, I felt the same way. But when…
Why I Refinish Furniture

Many days, I wonder if it’s worth it. To invest all this effort and energy, just…
Our Recent Feature on ApartmentGuide.com

When offered the chance to collaborate with ApartmentGuide on how best to mix and match furniture,…
How to Get a Professional Finish on Your Furniture (With Lacquer, Poly, or Paint)

When I first began working with furniture, I’d complete a project and feel relatively satisfied with…
The Hardest Painted Furniture to Strip… But the Best Way to Heal After Hurricane Helene

Two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit Asheville, I needed normalcy. I needed to get back to…
How to Clean Wood Furniture Like a Professional

“So, how do I clean my furniture?” After I deliver a piece of furniture back to…
How to Remove Paint from Furniture

In my early work on furniture, I’ll be honest: I didn’t know chemical stripper existed. If…
How to Replace Old and Worn-Out Drawer Runners

Drawer runners are an essential part of your dresser’s functionality, helping the drawers glide in and…
How to Find Used Furniture in Asheville

We love furniture. We love high-quality furniture. And we love it cheap. Here’s where we’ve found…
How to Use a Paint Sprayer on Furniture

On Facebook Marketplace, I found this classic midcentury dresser: I loved its original brass drawer pulls…
A Guide to Professional Furniture Painting

The key to professional furniture painting is diligent preparation. This step is also the longest step…
If You Make an Ugly Nightstand Even Uglier, Will It Be Pretty?

Jerry Seinfeld told George Costanza, “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would…
2 Refinishing Tips That Elevate Quality

You don’t know what you need to know until you know it… unless you learn from…
How to Whitewash Furniture (A Dresser Transformation)

I love refinishing furniture. That’s what I do. Mostly, my refinishing keeps me to stain, toner,…
How to Sausalito Finish (Pottery Barn Inspired) of a Dresser

Adding the two-toned element of wood to a piece doesn’t always require wood. The Sausalito finish,…
Atomic Mid-Century Dresser and Nightstand Refurbishment

My goal is to feasibly restore every piece of furniture I work on to its original…
New Life to a Bench and Nightstand (Restoration and Refurbishment)

The best pieces in flipping are free. Through the delivery of a different piece of furniture,…
Retro Red Dresser Refurbishment and Restoration

I was so enthused by this project that I forgot to take the before photos… but…
Rattan Coffee Table and Side Table Refurbishment with Paint

Of all our projects, this was one of the most rewarding. When we found this set,…
Colonial Chest of Drawers Makeover and Restoration

Sensibly, we strive to maintain a wooden element to any refurbishment. Paint pops best when complimented…
Boling Furniture Co. “Banker’s Chair” Refinish and Restoration

I was making my rounds through the local donation stores, scanning for furniture opportunities, when this…