Some of the simplest endeavors can be used to start a small business. With little more than a few simple tools, a can of paint and some old furniture, you can start making money from selling upcycled furniture. In fact, with a few dollars, a quick trip to a local flea market or garage sale and a little bit of elbow grease, you can turn a fun hobby into a successful small business.
What is Upcycled Furniture?
What is upcycled furniture? Also known as repurposed furniture, upcycled furniture is created when a person conducts a makeover on used furniture, either giving it a new look or an entirely new purpose in life. Some people upcycle furniture pieces as a personal hobby, and they use and gift the repurposed items themselves. Others transform their love for furniture upcycling into thriving small businesses, selling the treasure for a profit.
How do You Upcycle Furniture?
How do you upcycle furniture? Any old furniture can be repurposed with a creative eye and a little bit of effort. If you don’t have old furniture already sitting around the house, you can find inexpensive items for sale at flea markets and thrift stores, at garage sales, on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, as well as other online platforms, and even sitting on the curb on trash day!
Once you have your used furniture, you can repair it, give it a fresh coat of paint or even reconstruct it into an entirely new and unique piece furniture. You even can combine parts of multiple pieces into repurposed furniture ideas. Popular upcycled furniture ideas include updating and repurposing dressers, cribs, coffee tables, bookcases and even individual drawers.
23 Upcycled Furniture Ideas
Are you ready to turn your DIY projects into a successful small business? Do you need some inspiration to get started on your repurposed furniture ideas? Check out the following upcycled furniture ideas and add a touch of your own DIY deco style.
1. Upcycled Dresser Ideas
2. Upcycled Drawer Ideas
3. Upcycled Coffee Table Ideas
4. Upcycled Bookcase Ideas
5. Upcycled Chair Ideas and DIY Projects
6. Upcycled Filing Cabinet Ideas
7. Upcycled Mirror Ideas
8. Upcycled Mirror Frame Ideas
9. Upcycled Old Door Ideas
10. Upcycled Crib Ideas
How to Sell Your Repurposed Furniture
Ready to sell your upcycled and repurposed furniture? Regardless what you choose as your first project, you must be prepared with the right supplies and understand the market to be successful. And the following best practices will help you sell your repurposed furniture:
- Save money by upcycling furniture from thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales. Scour Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for opportunities to save money on someone else’s unwanted items.
- Be sure you have basic supplies you might need, including items like paint, a foam roller, chalk paint, tools, sand paper, hardware, a tape measure and scraps of wood. You also should ensure you have a space to craft and store your upcycled furniture.
- To market your upcyced furniture, be sure and have a quality camera to photograph the items. The images will be what attracts potential customers to your online sales posts, and the photos should be clear and well-lit.
- Whether your target customer is an eclectic antique dealer or an average soccer mom, you need a way to connect them with your products. Find out where to sell handmade items locally at places like flea markets and consignment shops, or you can reach a broader audience by selling furniture online in a post at places like Ebay and Facebook Marketplace. You should also look into learning how to sell on Amazon Handmade as well as Etsy. Some DIY upcyclers even create their own blog to promote their crafts.
- Start small and expand your small business. Upcycling furniture is an awesome small business idea that easily can generate a profit. Start with a small investment and purchase just a few items and a small set of supplies, perhaps selling them to family and friends. Once you’ve sold your initial upcycled inventory, use the profits to scale your business, purchasing more used furniture and expanding your collection of supplies. This includes selling online and learning how to start a small business on Etsy.
What’s the Best Furniture to Upcycle?
What furniture creates the most awesome upcycling projects? The best furniture to upcycle is whatever furniture you have available and are comfortable working with. Upcycyclers are truly only limited by their imaginations.
You can start with an old table from a yard sale or save extra money by giving a makeover to old furniture already in your home. You can update furniture in its original state with a brilliant color of paint, or you can repurpose it, transforming a coffee table into a dog bed or a crib into a dining room table.
Image: Depositphotos
This article, "10 Upcycled Furniture Projects to Make and Sell" was first published on Small Business Trends
via https://www.aiupnow.com
Samantha Lile, Khareem Sudlow