When I was just starting out, I wish someone would have come along side me and said “let’s learn how to flip furniture,” so allow me to do that for you!
TIPS ON FINDING FREE FURNITURE
I’ve flipped desks, dressers, end tables and coffee tables, chairs, and a couple shelves. It’s a simple cleaning, sanding, painting, and finishing process. The hardest part is waiting for all the layers to dry!
Sometimes it’s not learning how to flip the furniture as much as learning where to find furniture to flip.
If you do not have your own pieces of furniture you want to flip, first head to Facebook Marketplace. You can either ask for free, sturdy furniture on your local Buy Nothing page, or you can simply search “free” on Marketplace and see what comes up. You’d be surprised how many people have old, unwanted dressers and desks taking up space in the basement.
Next, consider if you’d like to invest in a piece of furniture. In the past, I’ve paid $10 – $25 for a piece of quality furniture that I know could be flipped for HUNDREDS of dollars. That’s certainly worth it. Again, you can search on Facebook Marketplace, or browse around the thrift store. If you live near a ReStor (by Habitat for Humanity) that’s a great resource for finding old furniture in need of some TLC.
Also, look for some knobs or handle hardware sets at the thrift store. It’s usually much cheaper than paying full price or ordering online.
Just make it known in your family and community that you’d love to give old furniture a new home and you might find more pieces to flip than you expected!
YOU HAVE THE FURNITURE, NOW WHAT?
Find a spacious work space – typically the garage or basement. I don’t recommend a ton of products because I believe that cleaning, sanding, painting and finishing are really all you need to revive an old piece of furniture.
Start by cleaning the ENTIRE piece of furniture with a warm water washcloth (no soap necessary).
Then, if you’re looking to sand down the piece of furniture to the original wood, choose to sand manually or with palm sander. (Hint: the palm sander is WAY easier.)
Next, clean the ENTIRE piece of furniture again. First use a dry cloth to dust off the piece, then use a warm water washcloth again to strip off any dust from the sander. Make sure the piece of furniture is fully clean!
Now it’s time to paint! Choose any paint from the store (or maybe even some leftover paint from the basement) and create a whole new design for your piece of furniture. I’ve loved the contrast of wood with paint. This style seems to be timeless if you’re worried about what will go well together.
Plan for about three coats of paint. Unless you have a seriously high quality paint, you’ll likely want multiple coats to ensure it’ll hold up. And be sure to allow the paint to fully dry between each coat of paint.
Let your pieces of furniture sit for an entire 24 hours, then begin the finishing process.
Purchase a polyurethane and finish your piece of furniture with a couple coats. Again, I recommend three coats, allowing them to fully dry in between each finish.
Need a polyurethane recommendation? I like water-based Varathane and you can really buy it anywhere!
Once polyurethane coats are complete, add hardware and line drawers if you desire. There are basic white or gray liners, but there are also so many fun patters you can line the drawers with if you search “drawer liner paper” on Amazon.
And you’re finished! Keep it for yourself or sell it on Facebook Marketplace. Either way, kudos to you for a job well done.
I’m no professional, but I’ve flipped enough of my own furniture to know the basics of refinishing a table or making an old desk brand new. For more information (including courses and guides) from a true professional on how to flip furniture, learn from the furniture flipping teacher – Lauren Hull – on her website.
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