Why Furniture Flipping Can Help You Get Started Doing DIY Home Projects | Why You’ll love it and keep going
When you have no experience doing DIY projects a great place to start getting that experience is to do a low risk furniture flip.
What is furniture flipping?
It is when you take a piece of furniture (old, preassembled, new, thrifted, etc..) and you change it up. You can also sell furniture flips and make a profit. Or you can keep it in your home and show off your amazing skills.
For example:
- You can flip chairs by painting and upholstering them.
- Turn a book shelf into a side table
- Turn a side table into a coffee bar cart
- Turn old desks into new desk
The possibilities are endless because their is so many different types of furnitre and so many ideas that you can turn them into.
Flipping furniture can also mean just giving an item a new paint job. It doesn’t have to be big.
It just has to be what you want.
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| Material Used | Tools Used |
|---|---|
| Paint | Drill Gun  |
Contact Paper | Sander  |
| Spray Paint | Paint Roller / Brush  |
How To Choose The Piece To Flip
1. Look For Wood Or Metal Pieces
This will help you in the beginning of your flipping because it’s easier to work with than say other material.
Also extra points if you can find solid wood material (if you decide to sell) this can give you a big return on investment.
For this example I am flipping an old wooden (not solid wood) computer desk
2. Do A Mood Board
When you are choosing your piece of furniture to flip you should also keep in mind what you want it to be at the end.
By choosing what you want the finished product to look like – you are giving yourself permission to go after that look and style.
You’re also allowing your ideas to flow and finish the furniture flip when you know what you are working towards.
In the image below – it is the mood board for the computer desk above
From my mood board I realized that I really wanted a green color for the base, I also wanted some marble like features and yellow and blueish tones mixed in.
This gave me the base and the motivation to do my desk and really it felt like I was looking at the finished product before even starting.
3. Flip Something Inexpensive
For your first flip you don’t want to touch that $1.2K desk that you purchased but now hate (save that for later)
First you want to start with something like maybe an old side table, a broken dresser you were going to throw out – your kids book shelf that now houses toys.
This way you are doing it low risk and if you mess it up – it’s ok.
What To Do After You Choose The Furniture To Flip
The first thing you want to do is clean up the item, just give it a good washing and scrub before you begin to do any work on it.
Ways To Restore Your Furniture Flip
Now that you’ve cleaned it up – it’s time to get to work
Take the ideas you formed when choosing what you want it to look like and start doing it.
Here are a few ways you can restore your furniture
1. Remove the hardware (if it has any)
This can mean so many things depending on the item you are flipping.
For example if you are doing a side table, you can change out the legs.
If its a dresser the handles can be changed.
2. Sand Down Your Piece
Sanding is perfect if you are going to paint or stain your piece. If it has weird stains, marker paint or anything you want to remove.
Need to learn how to use a sander – go to this post here.
3. Paint it
Just a simple paint job can totally transform a piece you were starting to dislike and give it new life.
4. Reupholster Repair
If you are updating items with fabric changing out the upholstery can give it new life. And you just need a few simple tools to make it happen.
5. Adding Contact Paper
Depending on what you are flipping. Adding contact paper can make a huge difference. This is the one that I used for my desk.
Make sure you get a plastic piece to push out any air bubbles. I loved this contact paper because it had that marble texture I was going for as well as some yellowish undertones that were in my mood board. #winwin
Restoring Wood Items
If you are restoring or repairing a wood item here is how to furniture flip it.
- Strip the paint – using this paint stripper can go a long way
- Clean up any excess paint or stain
- Sand down the piece
- Add primer – if you decide to paint it
- Paint it (or no primer and go with a stain instead)
- Seal your paint with a clear coat
Putting it all together
Now that you’ve done the dirty work and have made the piece your favorite thing in the world.
It’s time to put the hardware back on, make sure everything is just how you want it.
There is so much to learn and do when you’re starting a furniture flip.
You can do it for profit, to uplevel a piece in your home or even to gift to someone.
Not matter the reason – doing this for your first time is exciting especially if you are just starting down the road of DIY home projects.
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How To Furniture Flip For DIY Beginners
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