Refurbishing furniture is the best way to get the furniture you want without having to pay the prices you don’t want. By choosing the right pieces and putting in a little elbow grease, you can easily turn a $10 piece of furniture into a $100 one.
Furniture flipping is the ultimate side hustle with the best margins. Thrift stores, craigslist ads, and local forums are choc-full of listings for free and cheap furniture. Follow this step by step to turn trash into treasure.
Step 1: Finding the Furniture
You might be wondering where you should start looking for furniture, but it’s a lot easier than you might think. There are numerous websites like Facebook, Craigslist, or OfferUp that post hundreds of furniture listings every day.
Many people give away furniture for free because they don’t want to bother selling it or throwing it away. It’s a win-win. They can easily get rid of furniture, and you can find something to flip for free.
It would be best if you also kept an eye out at your local thrift stores. Furniture is a commonly donated item, and the stores that receive them usually have standards in place to ensure they are selling good quality pieces.
Step 2: Choosing the Furniture
The challenge of flipping furniture is never about finding the furniture. It’s about finding the right pieces to flip. You should generally find furniture made from strong and durable materials like metal or wood to ensure it’s worth it when you decide to sell it later.
When checking the furniture condition, make sure not to buy something with unrepairable damage or something that requires expensive treatment. It won’t be worth the time, and you can find something that requires less of a time investment.
Finally, when inspecting wooden furniture, make sure it’s real wood. You can easily identify if the furniture is made from real wood by checking its weight, making sure the grain matches on both sides, and looking at where the piece is from.
Step 3: Making Repairs
If you were careful in choosing your furniture, you will likely not need to make extensive repairs. But, making repairs is something you can’t avoid in the furniture flipping side hustle. On the bright side, you won’t need expensive tools to do it.
The best tools to have on hand is either a screwdriver or drill, wood filler, and wood glue. These three things will be enough to fix most issues you’ll run into related to wear, age, or slight damage. You don’t a complete set of tools to do any of this.
To be extra prepared for furniture repair, you might consider buying a finish nailer and some clamps. This will give you the freedom to quickly repair the damage with little to no work on some items.
Step 4: Sand
Now that you have a perfectly functional piece of furniture, it’s time to give it a fresh look. Whether you are refurbishing metal or wood, the process is relatively the same. All you need to get started is a few sheets of sandpaper.
When sanding your furniture, start with low grain and work towards a higher one. You don’t need to completely sand off all the paint, just enough to make sure the old color doesn’t show through.
If you are sanding wood, you must follow the grain. Otherwise, you will create ugly scratches that can’t be covered by paint. You can also avoid scratches and make the job a lot easier by wrapping your sandpaper around a larger flat object.
Step 5: Paint
The hardest part about painting is choosing the color. You can find inspiration by looking at furniture that is selling online or by sticking to a theme. Either way, a fresh paint job will increase the furniture’s value no matter what color you choose.
Before applying paint, you should use a primer. A primer allows for the color of your paint to shine, and it helps make the coating more durable. You can also use paint with a primer already inside it, saving you the time of having to paint your piece twice.
The next thing you have to consider when choosing your paint is how the product will be used. There is a huge difference between paint that is meant to last outside compared to indoor paints. Choose the paint that best fits your furniture’s purpose and how you expect it to be used.
Step 6: Marketing
By marketing, I don’t mean creating an ad or a brand. Marketing your furniture is about the pictures you take, where you decide to list it, and how you describe it. It’s what makes the difference between selling and not selling.
Take flattering pictures of your furniture that shows off its colors and newly pristine condition. You need to make sure you have good lighting along with a high-quality camera. Most smartphones should have a camera that can do the job.
Where you take your pictures also makes a big difference. Make it easier for your potential customer to picture how it will look in their home by staging your furniture. For example, if you are selling a table, it might be good to add some flowers or set it up with plates and silverware.
Step 7: Make a Sale
Once you have a refurbished piece of furniture and have your marketing together, it’s time to list it and make a sale. It’s a good idea to post your listing in as many places as possible to ensure that the highest number of people will see it.
Be prepared for haggling. Many people online are used to negotiating prices, so depending on where you decided to post your listing, you should set your price with this in mind. Don’t be discouraged if the first people you hear from want a lower price.
Once you finalize a sale, all you have to do is either deliver or wait for your customer to pick it up. If you offer delivery, make sure to list that in your title because it can incentivize more customers to make a purchase.
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