Most people can appreciate a beautifully crafted piece of furniture. It could be a vintage antique, or something a little more modern. Regardless of the style, some people are willing to pay top dollar for a piece that they believe will serve them and their home.
What you make off of each furniture piece you flip and sell will depend on multiple factors. You will need to consider how much you pay for the piece (although you should try not to pay anything if possible), for the supplies to refinish the furniture, and where you sell the item and if fees are applicable.
Depending on the furniture that you want to flip, you will need various supplies. Some of the most basic furniture flipping supplies will be cleaner, a sander, primer, paint and paintbrushes, a drill and screwdriver.
Step one: Find a piece of furniture that you want to refinish. When you are first starting out, you want to start with projects that are easier for beginner’s. The last thing you want to do is make your first project overly complicated and give up. Here is a great example for a first project:
As you can see, there are plenty of blemishes and areas that need tending to. But it is also solid wood! This means that you can easily put in hard work to have it looking brand new. You can sand it down, prime it, and paint it. Or stain the wood if you prefer! You can also go online and find new knobs for cheap to give it a polished and updated look.
Ideally, you want to find all of the furniture you flip for free. That being said, you may find a piece for a low cost that you know you can transform into something breathtaking. The decision is up to you as it will ultimately affect your bottom dollar!
Step two: Now that you found your furniture, it’s time to buy your supplies. Let’s say you chose the wooden dresser in the picture above and you got it for free. Now what? There are plenty of options when it comes to restoring old furniture. You can sand it down, apply a coat or two of primer, and then a couple layers of paint. Or you could sand it, and then add a few coats of wood stain. The wood stain will give the dresser a more natural look as opposed to a vibrant color.
You can find the supplies you need at most home improvement stores including Lowe’s, Home Depot, and ACE Hardware.
Step three: Time to get to work. Once you have your supplies, you will start doing the hard (and fun) part. You will want to work in an area with plenty of ventilation if you will be using any paint, stain or primer. Feel free to take your time, especially if it is your first time working on this kind of project.
Step four: Your first piece of furniture is completed and it looks great- hooray! This means it’s time to calculate your costs so you can determine how much to sell your item for. Since you got your item for free, you don’t need to include this in your cost of supplies.
You decide to paint the dresser. You will need a couple coats of primer, and then a few coats of paint. In the miscellaneous column is the amount that it cost to buy new dresser drawer handles. After buying all the supplies, it cost you a total of $50. Let’s say it takes you six hours to sand, prime, paint, and replace the knobs. This means you will be getting paid over $30 an hour if you sell the dresser at $250 dollars!
If you were to repeat this once a week for a month, it would be a profit of $800 a month, making this a profitable side gig and fun hobby.
Step five: The furniture is completed and ready to find a new home, meaning it’s time to start listing it online. A popular place to list furniture is on Facebook Marketplace. Here is an example of a listing on marketplace:
Another place you can list your items is on Craigslist. Other options for selling are pop-up markets, farmer’s markets, and apps such as OfferUp and VarageSale. Keep in mind that especially when first starting out, you may not sell your items right away. As long as you put quality work into the furniture, buyers will come!
Tips: The most important tip for flipping furniture is to take good care of your tools. This could be your paint brush, rollers, and sanding tools. If you take good care of them, you can enjoy repeated use of them, meaning less repeat buying of tools.
Another great way to get furniture is by reaching out to family and friends. Most people have pieces that they want to part with but don’t know what to do with. It’s a win win- they get rid of their old furniture for free and you can flip it to make a profit!
Finally, take furniture that you are confident you can flip. Even if you find a broken piece of furniture that you LOVE but have no idea how to fix, pass on it. You don’t want to collect a bunch of furniture that you can’t fix and sell.