I like buying things off CL and experimenting with them. If it comes out good, then great! If not, well I'm not too upset about it especially if it wasn't that expensive.

I like the befores better in all three! But especially the first picture, I gasped when I saw what a cool piece the original was. It looks fine after - at least they didn't paint it bright green or something - but the patina was just so cool, it reminded me of something in an old Barnum & Bailey's dressing room...

yeah ... i definitely preferred the before on that first piece. what a find that was. wish i could see more pictures of it unpainted.

ooooh, what a litle painting can doo...

I have to ask, what is the bedbug risk of buying secondhand furniture...which things should you definitely stay away from (upholstery, I'd imagine) and what things are risk-free? Is there any kind of treatment that you can do to Craigslist furniture to eliminate any possible bedbugs?

I've been hearing more and more stories about bedbugs that I'm becoming afraid of everything!

I really like this chair and this print.

myshkin - there isn't a way to easily get rid of bedbugs. couches, pillows, blankets and upholstered items are more risky.

i don't know why anyone would willingly sell an item infested with bed bugs but even still it's best to try buying from people you trust. also .. if you have a keen eye and know what to look for you could probably spot them in the cracks under the cushions.

http://bedbugregistry.com/

this can't possibly list every place with an infestation, but if you find the address on here i would just avoid it!

in the second photo which is the before? i like them both!

This is SUCH an eco-friendly thing to do! I am also a big fan of buying on Craigslist, or the local pawn shop for that matter, and refurbing.

In fact, have you heard of Chairlooms? I bet they buy from junk yards and sell to Park Avenue princesses.

http://chairlooms.com/

Myshkin, I had bedbugs, so I have been there. They are nasty little guys, and I tried everything to get rid of them. Just when I thought I'd have to move and get rid of everything I owned, I found a product that got rid of them completely, and it is entirely eco-friendly, non-toxic, etc.: Orange Guard. I sprayed with it daily for several weeks. I now spray occasionally just to make sure they don't come back. Very effective, very inexpensive, and it's even safe to use around food! It's a good all around pest deterrent, too: www.orangeguard.com. So, if you want something upholstered from CL and aren't sure about it, get a bottle of that stuff and spray your new find for a couple weeks just to be safe.

Oh, and by the way, it's probably more likely to pick them up at a hotel (and even four & five star hotels have them), a friend's house, etc. They are not something that you need to be messy or unhygienic to get, and they turn up in the oddest places.

Thanks, everyone, for the input. And thanks, livc, for the tip about OrangeGuard...I might get some to just to keep around. And if it's safe for food, it's got to be safe around pets.

Heads up - I just looked up Orange Guard. Its main ingredient, d-limonene, "has recently been implicated in toxicity cases in cats" (from the Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook). So, no good for me - I have two cats.

I hear San Francisco has the worst bedbug problem so I would never buy anything with upholstery. I bought a side chair but tossed the seat and just kept the frame after really looking it over and kept it outside for a week. They say you can pick them up at movie theaters too.

Anyway, the chest in the before appears to have wood damage and so I do like the after, well done.

Bedbugs:

My cousin in Chicago had to deal with this recently - She informed me that they didn't use chemicals and they didn't have to throw a thing away:

The company simply heat-treated the apartment and it's contents by cooking the place to 130 degrees which kills the bugs and the eggs.

That said - I like what was done w/ the dresser, but the chair and candlesticks would have been better off with just a simple cleaning.

I like the dresser but I don't know if I would spend $100 in knobs and paint.

I think ALL of the before pics looked better :( that dresser had so much character...

That "patina" on the dresser is where portions of its veneer had come off, revealing the glue-stained cheaper wood underneath. I guess if you like the decayed look a lot it could work that way...

Wondering why they removed the lovely backpiece on the dresser...

Myshkin, sorry to hear it doesn't work for cats! It does say it is safe for pets, and I used it around my dog. On the bottle it says the only risk is to aquatic invertebrates. In any case, it was much better than all the other horribly toxic products I didn't want to use, but I will have to investigate.

When in doubt, reupholster!

I consider the buyer of that dresser on par with people who buy beautiful old, but dilapidated, houses, and then completely gut them and refit and refurbish them to make them look brand new. Sure, you might be able to smugly tell yourself that you did something "green", but why destroy a beautiful piece of craftsmanship when clearly what you want is a reproduction piece?

Usually toxicity occurs when the spray has been ingested. Fabreeze is safe for use around pets, but it turns out that if you spray it on your pet and they try to lick it off, it will make them sick. That came out when a woman was spraying her dogs and cats daily. However it is safe to spray it on their beds while they are elsewhere.

It is likely that the spray is safe to use in the apartment, but keep it away from your cats body, food and water bowls.

I think the painted version of the first one looks gorgeous and infinitely better! Old and worn doesn't always equal attractive.