It always gets worse before it gets better.
I'm Maggie McGaugh. I'm 27.
I live near Dallas, Texas,
and I love turning trash into treasure.
Whether I'm keeping it for my own home,
or trying to make a profit off of it,
it's really a family event alongside my husband and toddler.
I had my son in 2020 in January,
and I was bored and home alone,
and I wanted to find a way to be creative,
and meet other people, and make money.
And I, on a whim,
went to a thrift store and found a $3 wooden bread box
that was painted blue.
And I decided, how hard can it be?
So I brought it home, and I was gonna flip it for profit.
So it actually took a solid probably 24 hours
to strip it down and make it look the way
I wanted it to look.
And in the end, I ended up selling it
for I think, 30 or $45, and I was hooked.
I realized, hey, all these people
were throwing away furniture that has so much potential.
So why not tap into that and find it?
So now I have an actual schedule, a map if you will,
around my local area
so I can drive around and find these pieces,
and I take them home and give them a new life.
So this is great for the environment.
And it's great for my wallet.
Here is another piece that I decided to keep.
It did not sell after being listed for several months,
and instead of flipping it again and giving it a new look,
I fell in love with it and decided to keep it
in my own home.
I actually repurposed it.
We didn't need extra clothing storage.
So we decided to turn it into storage
for my husband's guitars.
So you can repurpose things.
If they're trash as they are,
find a new purpose for it,
and then it might become a treasure.
Now I have over 1.5 million followers
following along as I find furniture on the side of the road,
and turn it into something for my own home
or something to sell.
All right, I see something.
I'm gonna check it out and see if it is worth getting.
It's a really cute planter
with a fake eucalyptus plant in it,
and it's in perfect condition.
So I'm definitely taking this home for me.
Here is what I see, two chairs.
Unfortunately, they have a lot of damage,
and I am not great at reupholstering.
So I'm gonna keep looking for my next treasure.
I'm gonna be leaving this one on the side of the road.
I've tried to flip these before and haven't had much luck,
but I have no doubt someone else
is gonna grab it for themselves.
Oh my gosh. I just found something amazing.
I'm gonna pull over and see if it's worth getting,
but it really looks like a treasure to me.
Oh my gosh. Okay.
This is a mid-century modern dresser.
It's absolutely stunning.
And see, it has a missing leg right here, easy to repair.
This came off of something, a slider on a drawer.
All of these are so easy to fix.
It is honestly in really great shape.
It just needs some minor touch ups.
This is an amazing find.
I can't wait to see how I can transform it
and give it a new life.
Welcome to my office.
This is where I flip all of my pieces,
in and in front of my garage.
As you can see behind me,
I've got the dresser that I'm going to be working on.
I'm gonna check it out and see what all needs fixing.
It really is in great shape,
far better shape than most of my curbside finds.
Some of the wood needs to be touched up.
It's got a little bit of damage,
and the paint itself has quite a few scuffs
that I'm gonna have to fix on the base of the piece.
And then over here, it's got a broken leg.
All that requires is a little bit of wood glue and patience,
which I'm not known for, but I'm gonna make it work.
I cannot wait to see how much I end up getting
for this dresser when I'm done.
I'm now gonna be securing the leg
to the bottom of the dresser using wood glue
and some wood clamps.
(sander whirring)
I truly figure this out as I go,
because I sanded, and I found this gorgeous wood underneath.
I can't bring myself to paint that,
so I am gonna actually be restoring this piece
to the original look, the original wood
instead of painting it.
Now that I restored this natural wood on top,
I am going to be staining it
so it will match the color of the drawers
that I'm gonna be putting back in the front.
(upbeat country music)
I am using Quick Wood on these edges,
just to cover up this beam of wood.
Then I can sand it and paint it,
and you won't even know that it's there.
I'm just using this polish to shine up the piece
and bring that wood back to its pretty color.
(cheerful alternative music)
I know I can get about $500 for this dresser,
but as you can see, it belonged underneath my TV,
so this one's here to stay.
(chimes tinkling)