10 Inspiring Thrift Store Makeovers – Before and After

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10 Thrift Store Makeover Ideas with before and after photos. Shown are four before photo snippets of old wood shutters, a small vintage spice rack, a dated wood shelf with a drawer and a scalloped wood piece getting a coat of stain.

Unique thrift store makeovers that turn trash into treasure!

I love transforming old items into something new and amazing for my home and sell in my antique store booth.

Some of the thrift store transformations featured below involve drilling and cutting with a miter saw, while others simply needed a fresh coat of paint and a bit of glue.

See the before-and-after photos of these budget-friendly projects below!

1. Gun Rack Repurposed

I found this old gun rack at Goodwill. At the time, I had no idea what to do with it, but I’m glad I picked it up because I made two projects from it, a reindeer basket and a DIY sign for Halloween! Check them out below.

Get more details on the reindeer basket here –> Upcycled Reindeer Basket Made With Thrift Store Finds.

Before photo of an old wood gun wall rack. This dated piece was destined for the trash but was upcycled to make a chic wall hook bar and a reindeer basket!
Before
Feature image of a square tapered wicker basket turned into a rustic reindeer basket with the addition of plaid red and green nose and ears and antlers made from an old vintage wall hanging gun rack. The basket is show here filled with a branch with small pine cones and branches of pussy willows.
After: Reindeer Basket with Repurposed Gun Rack Antlers
Ye Olde Broom Shoppe - this is a closeup of a handmade wooden sign for Halloween. The type is old English style with curved wood top and bottom pieces to add to the look!
After: Halloween Sign made with Repurposed Gun Rack pieces – top and bottom.

2. Thrifty Card Rack

Turn a louvered shutter into a cardholder! This simple display rack would be great in a home office or entryway, or use it as a retail display like I did. Get all the details on this easy DIY here –> DIY Card Holder Made From Old Shutters.

Three wood louvered shutters shown in a before picture. These will be used to make a card display rack.
Before
Closeup at a 3/4 angle of a DIY card holder made from old shutters. Here I filled it with vintage postcards and colorful, handmade 2x3 screen prints of vintage items like a coin purse that says ice cream money, a lava lamp and wrapped candy.
After: Upcycled Shutters Turned into a Card and Photo Holder
Square feature image of a hare leaping through ferns and over whimsical mushrooms. This boho linocut block illustration is one color- one cut file layer for Cricut, sublimation, digital stencil, and paper crafts.

Plant Mom

A one-color illustration and digital craft file for paper crafts, sublimation, and cut vinyl projects.

Shop: Plant Mom Ivy League

3. Spice Rack Propagation Station

I came across this charming vintage wooden spice rack that was missing its knobs, but I was drawn to those adorable little drawers. I knew it would make a great wall propagation station, so I gave it a fresh, new look with new pulls and a decorative appliqué. Get more creative plant station ideas here –> 6 Creative Vases & Plant Propagation Station Ideas.

Small wall mounting wood spice rack with two drawers at the bottom. This is the before picture. This vintage spice rack is missing the knobs and holds about six glass spice jars.
Before
Thrift store makeover of a vintage wood spice rack that hangs on the wall and holds six spice bottle and has two pull out drawers at the bottom. This dated thrift store find was a dingy wooden piece missing the knobs to the drawers. Shown here upcycled into a beautiful and useful propagation station and given a fresh coat of aqua paint and new pull knobs that are rings in brass. Also added was a decorative applique painted aqua and has ornate edges and a faux key cut out in the center. The spice rack propagation station is hanging on a white wall with four of the six bottle with pothos plant cuttings for propagation. Below are plants and a stack of books.
After: Spice Rack Propagation Station

4. Cutting Board Flag Holder

I was surprised to see this old, worn cutting board on the shelf at Goodwill! When I stumbled upon a grab bag of utensils with a metal flag holder, I knew they were meant to be together!

To add patriotic charm to this old wooden board, I cut stencil film on my Cricut to stencil the stars and used painter’s tape to tape off the rest of the color block areas. Once the paint was dry, I lightly sanded away some of the paint to let the weathered wood show through.

Supplies used in a thrift store makeover of a flag holder made from an old wood cutting board. Shown is an American flag, painters tape, paint and brushes along with a very weathered and worn wood cutting board with a crack in it.
Before
Wood handle cutting board shown hanging by a leather cord on a white wood wall. The cutting board has been painted white at the top with a red, white and blue star below. At the bottom is a red stripe across horizontally and below that the bottom portion is painted blue. At the bottom center is a metal flag holder with a tall United States flag in the holder.
After: Rustic Cutting Board Flag Holder

5. Mosaic Frame Serving Tray

Old wooden picture frames are everywhere at thrift stores and garage sales. Check out how I transformed this one into a beautiful little tray –> DIY Mosaic Picture Frame Tray.

DIY Mosaic Picture Frame Tray - supplies shown: handles, board, old picture frame and colorful blue and white dishes.
Before
Photo taken overhead of finished blue and white Mosaic Picture Frame Tray shown on a glass table with a succulent and two candles on the left-hand corner of the tray.
After: Mosaic Picture Frame Tray

6. Upcycled Wall Hook Sign

I was given this old dresser drawer on one of my flea market trips and thought I would turn it into an under-bed storage drawer with wheels. Unfortunately, the drawer had water damage, but I was able to salvage the curved front to make this fun wall hook sign to sell in my antique store booth.

We added a French cleat to the back for sturdy hanging, which is a great way to mount something to a wall that can bear heavy weight. You can buy premade ones here on Amazon or make your own from scrap wood. Learn how in this video from Popular Woodworking.

Horizontal photo of an old drawer before being repurposed into a wall hook sign.
Before
Horizontal photo of a finished wall sign with the working 'Mercantile' made from an old dresser drawer front with hooks for coats on a peg wall for sale in my booth.
After: Drawer Front Wall Hook Sign

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5 vintage cameras graphic printed large and framed in a thin black metal frame on a white background. This retro one color graphic is red with a swan graphic and large reverberating heart design in red. The bottom of the graphic says '2 Tickets' in vintage style type. The framed image is large, 16"x20" on a cherry red industrial metal table with a glass next to it with paint brushes and a to the other side is a brown leather bound journal.

When Pigs Fly

A one-color design for paper crafts, sublimation, and cut vinyl projects.

Shop: Flying Pig With Heart Pattern

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7. Thrift Store Picture Frame Refresh

I couldn’t pass up this ornate square frame! Check out how I turned this dated frame into a beautiful mirror –> 5 DIY Mirrors to Beautify Your Home.

Before photo of a gold ornate square picture frame. This dated, gaudy frame will be upcycle to make a beautiful diy mirror!
Before
After photo of a square ornate picture frame painted white, antiqued with brown wax a mirror effect spray paint applied to the glass. Finished mirror hanging on a green wall with books and succulents on a table in front.
After: Vintage-Inspired Mirror

8. Wood Hanger Turned Jewelry Organizer

I had an old wooden hanger in my closet, but you can find vintage hangers at garage sales, antique stores, or here on Etsy, or new ones on Amazon.

To make the jewelry organizer, I added small hooks to the bottom, a decorative appliqué to the top (here’s a link to the one I bought on Amazon), and gave the hanger a fresh coat of white paint!

Horizontal photo of an old wood hanger with hooks added to the bottom and an decorative applique to be applied.
Before
Horizontal feature photo of a finished jewelry organizer made from a wood hanger.
After: Wood Hanger Jewelry Organizer

9. Old Drawer Turned Tall Table Riser

I was able to get two uses from this one shelf. A storage wall shelf for my paint supplies, and this beautiful table riser! For more details on this project, click here –> Repurposed Drawer Upcycled into a Vintage-Style Table Riser.

Before photo of an old outdated wall shelf that has a shelf at the top and a drawer in the middle the wood is an orange shellac.
Before
Photo of a finished repurposed drawer made into a long table riser painted an antique blue with vintage knobs and black feet. Shown here in an overhead side view filled with holiday florals, pots of white flocked greenery, a white candle and a vintage ceramic white sled with horse and carolers inside.
After: Footed Drawer Table Riser

10. Old Window Turned Into A Table

There are so many things you can do with old windows! I had two in my garage, and I bought a couple more at the flea market for specific projects. Check out more upcycled window ideas here –> 6 Creative DIY Projects to Repurpose Old Windows.

Photo of three old windows.
Before
Photo of a window upcycled into a side table, painted a light blue with glass gems glued underneath the panes for a colorful flower design.
After: Window Coffee Table

11. Frying Pan Planter

These two items may look like they don’t go together, but I found a way to give them a cohesive new look! Check out all the details on this trash-to-treasure transformation here –> Frying Pan Planter – An Easy Upcycle Project.

Old flying man and a brass lamp shown.
Before
Vertical image of my finished Frying Pan Planter Upcycle on a cement step, filled with flowers.
After: Raised Planter

I hope these thrift store makeovers inspire you to repurpose and reuse! Check back from time to time. I will be updating this page with more thrifty project ideas in the future.

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RELATED IDEAS AND FREE PRINTABLES:

Horizontal closeup photo of four finished vintage clipboard frames with skeleton clips in dark brown with black and white urban architectural elements like stairs and building exterior clipped to them.

Learn how to make vintage-style clipboards!

Read More: How to Make Vintage-Style Clipboards

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This Post Has One Comment

  1. SavePlus September 13, 2025 Reply

    Loved how creatively you transformed thrift store finds into stylish pieces! Such inspiring makeovers. https://saveplus.ae/

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