It is an interesting time when getting a hold of furniture that has seen better days and then transforming them into stylish, fresh and fully functional pieces of furniture. It can be a good hobby to get into and you can even resell the item to earn yourself some extra cash. If you are a handy person and have plenty of space to store furniture, tools and equipment then you can start your own furniture refurbishing business which can help you to get your fingertips into entrepreneurship. With many different ways to source out the cheap and even free items and then have plenty of ways to refurbish them and sell them there is not much of an upfront investment needed. This is why furniture refurbishment is an underrated hobby.
Where Do I Find The Furniture?
The point here is to find cheap furniture and resell it at a profit. You are buying low and reselling high. There are a few cheap ways to source out furniture that you can refurbish.
- Curbs: This is not as daunting as the other places to source items. you will find many people have old furniture they don’t want anymore and leave it on the curb for someone like you to come and collect it. Ensure that you check for any structural damage first before taking the item home with you.
- Dumpsters: This definitely is not for the faint of heart or the sick stomached, but you will be surprised to find what people throw out. Look for dumpsters near upscale apartments and homes or near furniture-dealers and resale shops.
- Friends: Let all your friends know that you are working with furniture and you will be first on their list to hand over their old furniture to you. Sometimes people have stuff to get rid of but forget about it so most likely when you mention it to a few people they will jump onto a chance to get rid of their old furniture. You may have a friend who has spent a bucket-load of cash on a specially designed pool table, only for the table to go to waste and fade away in the garage. Instead of them continuing the neglect and furthering the dust on the table, let them know that you will be happy to help with the pool table restoration (at a fee of course).
- Garage sales: If you are happy to get up early and go out on weekends you can visit all the garage sales in your area where people often sell furniture cheap. This is especially the case if it is a deceased estate and the family just want to move on and get rid of the old furniture. Sometimes garage sales can be the window to a whole new world of furniture. You may have seen someone’s failed invention and taken a chance on it. Unique forms may present themselves to you like wire furniture. This type of furniture offers you the chance to dabble into wire work and open up a whole new world of revenue and creation for yourself or your business.
What Are The Tricks of The Trade?
It will depend on the plans that you have for an individual piece of furniture, which can either be a simple task or more of a complicated endeavor. Especially if you have a custom order. Sometimes, especially within this industry, your clientele may have very specific requirements or expectations they have on you, so, it is important to set up your guidelines and expectations early on in the process.
The Following Tasks Are What You Will Come Across In Your Furniture Refurbishing:
- Repairing the furniture: this will require a few carpentry skills that will end up taking you a long way when it comes to fixing up furniture that does have a lot of wear and tear. You will need to patch up the nicks and dings, replace stripped screws, trouble shoot sticking drawers and fixing loose joins.
- Refinishing: to refurnish furniture you need to strip away the old finish first then sand the piece down and either paint or stain it. When it comes to refinishing you will find you end up with a signature technique and style that works for you.
- Reupholstering: finding the wholesale and discount suppliers of fabric can be the key to help keep costs down. Simple reupholstering things like cushions can be done by just tearing off the old fabric and stapling new fabric on. You may need professional help if you have a custom job you are not experienced in. Ensure that your final price will justify the expenses.
As you can see, there are quite a few steps to take for furniture restoration to become a huge part of your income and your life. Setting yourself up and developing this skill as a hobby is very important because you need to have passion for something to be considered as a hobby. Furniture restoration opens the door for more money and more creativity, it is up to you to capitalize on it and make something out of this opportunity.
