A Complete Guide to Flipping Furniture

Flipping furniture has become extremely popular recently. People have started turning to repurposed goods instead of buying new ones. This is great for the environment and it is super satisfying being able to find a new-to-you piece of furniture that has so much history. If you are new to refurbishing things, or even just new to the DIY scene, you’re going to have to hunker down and start small because although flipping furniture may seem easy enough, it actually requires a good amount of skill that may take a few trials to acquire. Do not be discouraged. The skills may take some time, but we are going to help you set yourself up for success.

Where to Shop for Furniture to Flipping:

It is important to familiarize yourself with the thrift and second-hand stores within your surrounding area. Depending on where you are, you may need to travel further to better spots. You can also check out the antique stores in your area, but antique stores will be much pricier. Some thrift and second-hand stores only sell clothing, so make sure you do the research beforehand so you are not wasting time going to a store that does not even have what you are looking for. Other great places to check out are garage and estate sales. You can usually get some great finds for pretty cheap, and people hosting them usually only put out things that they know are not too beat up to actually sell to people. You can also check out the online scene by using Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and eBay. Sometimes on those sites people are just trying to get rid of their things and you can get it for free if you pick it up yourself, so watch out for that.

What to Look For When Finding Furniture to Flip:

You can choose the type of furniture you want to refurbish if you are just starting out in order to harden your skills working on certain things before you expand. Look for bigger pieces of furniture like dressers, or kitchen tables and chairs, or couches. It’s better to find pieces that are high-quality, which will hold up for longer and will make it easier for you to refurbish and sell again for a good price. Look for pieces that have superficial blemishes that you will be able to fix easily. If you’re newer to these types of projects, try to avoid pieces that have severe issues like major cracks, or water damage. These issues take more money and more skill to fix for reselling. Depending on the piece and the shape it is in, we would suggest never paying more than $100 for one piece, unless it is a unique or rare piece that you know you will make a profit from. Do some research and crunch some numbers beforehand to make sure you know what you can, and what you should, be willing to pay for certain pieces. If you’re buying from a thrift or second-hand shop, you may not be able to negotiate, but dealing with an individual selling their own piece, negotiating is possible. Start with a low price when negotiating.

What You Need To Flip Furniture:

Before you even start searching for the furniture you are going to refurbish, you need to make sure you have all the necessary tools to do what you need to do. The most important thing you are going to need is means of transportation for the piece of furniture you buy. Depending on how big the piece is, you’ll need a larger car or truck. Some stores may deliver for you, but be prepared for that not to be the case. You are also going to need all the basic things for the actual refurbishing. This may include paint brushes, painters tape, stain or paint, sanding materials, staple gun, wood glue, fabric, and possibly many more things depending on what work the piece needs.

What to do to flip your furniture:

Working with wood will first require you to strip all paint or stain from it. You can use a paint stripper, and then neutralize it with a spirit or polish remover. After it is free from all paint or stain, wipe it down and let it dry for at least 24 hours. Once it is dry, you need to smooth the wood by sanding it down. Once it is smooth, you can apply whatever stain or paint you desire. Make sure you put finishing wax or oil on it once you’ve finished staining or painting to give it a nice shine. The more wax or oil layers you apply, the shinier the piece will be. Working with upholstery is a whole other process. Reupholstering requires you to take off the fabric on the piece and then replace or repair it. In order to reupholster, you will need the staple gun, fabric, and/or wood glue that you were told to get earlier. Sometimes just taking a skirt off a couch or chair will be all the refurbishing you will need to do. Showing the legs of a piece can give it a new look entirely. But other times you will need to change the fabric to something nicer, or newer looking. If you bought something that has some serious flaws, you will need to be able to build some new parts, or just find them somewhere. This is for more vetted refurbishers, so if you’re still new to this, stray from that.

Pricing and Where to Sell Your Refurbished Furniture:

When pricing your refurbished furniture, you have to take into account all expenses, as well as the time and energy it took to refurbish it. The more time you put into the project does not always translate to charging more for it. Do research to see what other people are selling pieces similar to yours for. It really is a guessing game, taking into account how much you are willing and comfortable with selling it at. The places to sell your refurbished pieces are the same you got it from originally! Utilize social media for reselling, as well, it is a great marketplace.

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