I can dictate my own hours, I can earn some cash for my family and I can engage my brain with tasks that fulfill me. Home to Heather has allowed me all of those things. One of my most favorite subjects to write about is how I find an old piece of furniture and give it new life. I love that pre-owned furniture is inexpensive and that I can add value to it by giving it a re-do. Refurbishing furniture is also an ideal way to earn some cash.

Check your local thrift shops, garage sales and classifieds. You can even ask your friends and family if they have anything they might part with. The key to your success is to pay very little money for your finds. Moving sales are fantastic places to score a great deal because people really do need to unload their stuff and fast.

If the piece has any structural issues, fix them.

Your clients are paying you money in exchange for something useful. When redoing furniture, there can be a tendency to overdo it. Sometimes a chair only needs the seat recovered, or maybe a good cleaning and a new coat of wax is enough to bring a piece back to life.

Paint if you need to and only if you need to.

A second hand piece of furniture is always going to be a second hand piece of furniture. There will be a ceiling to the amount of money you can sell it for.

If you blow your budget on materials your profits can fizzle away quickly. When fixing items up that you intend you sell, keep the finishes simple. Start a profile on VarageSale.

You want to show your handiwork off in the very best way. Take a great photo in good lighting and make sure it highlights the important details of the piece. When you write your listing include dimensions and any other pertinent info. Buyers can be fickle and they might not bother to message you to find out how large something is.

Give them what they need to make a purchasing decision. Answer your messages promptly and keep appointments on time. Put the word out that you are looking for used furniture. People will start begging you to take their old stuff away. Remember that not every piece is going to need a massive makeover. If you can score good items at below market value and sell them at market value you will earn a profit without even picking up a paintbrush.

Values listed are for illustrative purposes. What you can earn will depend on the market in your area. January 12, Heather 30 Comments Filed Under: DIY , The Workbench. Heather lives, works and parents in Canada's North West town of Fort St John.

January 12, at I love painted furniture. I love the beachy theme, but I have NO time to do it myself. But, I will open my wallet! January 12, at 1: January 12, at 2: Now if I was only good at this kind of thing.

January 12, at 5: January 13, at 9: April 27, at 2: I make a decent side income flipping furniture. I notice a big mistake many people do is charge too much for the pieces. I think knowing your price points can make or break it. And every market is different too. May 8, at 6: May 29, at 8: Just finished painting my first piece of furniture. An old antique cedar chest that belonged to my great grandmother. A little goes a long wAy. Been looking for a side business.

As soon as I fix up a couple of pieces I have at home. Going to start searching, painting and selling.

Thanks for the idea. June 14, at 3: August 1, at 8: Out of necessity my family has always refinished old pieces, and after working for 22 years in the corporate world, I left to return to what I loved, refinishing furniture. You are dirty, all day you are dirty…. And sometimes covered in paint!

Good luck and go get dirty! Thank you so much for your comment Emma! December 21, at 1: Been doing this for 5 years and it is hard laborous work. First, you have to find the pieces, then you have to lift and haul the pieces, then you have a place to store it while you find time to paint it. Once you spend hours painting, distressing and finishing the pieces with a topcoat, you then have to either store it or haul it again only to have the customer ask you if you can come down on the price at all.

All this for EVERY piece only to find out you broke even at the end of the year when you add up the price of all your paint, brushes, sandpaper, gas, rent, etc….

December 28, at 5: It is definitely something you need to love doing and keeping your costs down is key! January 20, at 9: You really have to understand your target market because the bottom line is THEY are the ones who will determine what your pieces are worth, regardless of how much sweat you put into them. I am fortunate enough to live in an area where vintage and antique furniture is abundant. Thanks for your comment Daisy!

Yes, this post is more of a thought starter than anything else. Knowing your market is paramount! I live in a fairly young, affluent city and people are often just wanting to buy something and be done — flippers do well here but I can see how it might be tough or impossible in other areas.

January 22, at 9: I do this on my own now I never pay for pieces find discarded things an re do them people give me stuff all the time love doing it and make money never heard of this site do you have to pay to post?

If not, you can convert a facebook group to a VarageSale community.

Twice Lovely: How to start furniture upcycling – Part 1

February 3, at 6: I have been refurbishing old pieces for sometime as a hobby but also a money maker. Some things I take into consideration are: Original price for the item, cost of the materials and time. I have posted the finished items on Craigslist, as well as looking for cost effective ways at flea markets or co-ops to sell the items.

So far I have been lucky turning a nice profit on the items. You have to know the value of your item and be willing to ask for it when selling it. It is hard work but it always so fun and rewarding to see the finished product. My husband is always amazed with the transformation. February 18, at 5: February 18, at 6: February 21, at Post an add on you hometown Facebook funiture for sale or craigslist.

For wanted free items like dressers tables beds. I did I it for a week and have projects for a few months. I also asked for free pianos to repurpose. But they will get over it. July 27, at 2: Hi Heather love your blog on flipping furniture. I have chalked painted a few pieces of my own myself, and absolutely love it! I think starting a side business flipping furniture is a excellent idea. Thinking about branching out now thanks to you!

Wanna start a blog too. July 31, at Join some facebook groups for blogging and furniture makeovers. I know there are lots…you might want to search for one in your local area. September 16, at 9: March 13, at 7: Everyone please answer me with this Hubby and U are having some dissagreements. Example What is the maximum amount of money you have would spent in the beginning of the learning to flip furniture do the chalk Painting and shabby and knobs etc..

He is looking at armoires that are in good condition Cost and Then put in our work and sell for more around , Which no one around here can afford.

And I put in my work add some knobs and sell that for Where is the best way to profit? He does not believe the furniture is out there… Email the price you originally paid , What you put into it and how much it sold for To Nicoledavis yahoo.

March 13, at 8: Check out similar businesses in your area, or areas that are like yours. Search on Facebook for people who sell on their pages. If they have high priced items for sale, how long have they been listed? Are they selling or sitting at those prices?

Upcycled furniture | Etsy

What are their prices like? Once you know what your market will bear you can sort of work backwards factoring in material costs etc to get a good idea of how much you can spend. Your email address will not be published. Yes, I want new content delivered via email. Home To Heather a blog about life in Canada's North West. Email Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter. DIY Gallery Recipe Index. Start a Side Business Flipping Used Furniture Share About Heather Heather lives, works and parents in Canada's North West town of Fort St John.

View all posts by Heather. Whole Home Organizer Planning Printable. Comments Kyla Mommy's Weird says January 12, at I love this idea!! So cool and a great way to make cashola doing fab DIYs. I need to do this.

Thanks so much for breaking it down into manageable tasks for me. Thats a good idea. Just curious, but how does shipping work on a site like VarageSale? I totally agree with Emma and Ashley. I like everything u talked about. Thanks a lot for your tips.

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ARE YOU READY TO SET UP YOUR OWN UPCYCLING BUSINESS? » TEACH CRAFT REVOLUTION

What about a Roomba? A Spring Pillow Free Motion Embroidery Applique Vintage Bench — from Boring to Mauve-lous! She lives and works out of her home in North West Canada in Fort St John BC with her husband and two small children Hannah, Age 9 and Nate, Age 5. Response takes too long or there is JS error.