furniture renovation?

danielle-adams

Hi, I'm not sure I'm posting in the right place so please feel free to re-direct me!!

I'm in the process of setting up a vintage/shabby chic style furniture renovation company. It's more of an idea at the moment. I've been trying to find out what kind of profits I can hope to acheive but I can't find any information anywhere about what people have paid for certain items before and after renovation (painted/new handles etc).....is this even worth doing?

I was thinking of maybe specialising in children's funiture in order to have a 'niche'?

Any advice, information or direction would be very helpful!! Thank you

COOLTRIKERCHICK

dont think it is a 'niche' as i have seen loads of kiddies furniture painted up..

It is like saying how long is a piece of string to be honest..

all depends if you can get the furniture cheaply, and how much you could sell it for....

If you are going to sell via ebay... the prices are very eractic, and if you are going to sell from a bricks and mortar shop, then it will depend on what area it is in etc...

also factor in this is the'trend' at the moment, what will you do when this trrnd starts fading out, as it has been around for quite a while,

I would say when you see a bit of furniture that you think would look good painted up, only you can do a rough costing on that project to see if it would end up potentially making you money..

dont forget not all things sell, and the 'in paint' at the mo is Farrow and Ball, Laura Ashley and that paint aint cheap... as i use it for re-vamp furniture

danielle-adams

Hi COOLTRIKER CHICK

Thank you for your advice, you gave me a lot consider. Sorry, maybe 'niche' was the wrong word, I just meant specialising in as I have decorated my own child's furnishings before as I struggled to find what I wanted on the internet when I was choosing furniture for him.

I will be selling via ebay to start with to see how well received my peices are and then if all goes well will set up my own website to display and offer my services too.

Are there no cheaper alternatives to Farrow and Ball, Laura Ashley? I didn't think paint brands could be 'in'?....only colours and effects?

Thanks, your advice and help is much appreciated
Today 2:01 PMCOOLTRIKERCHICK

COOLTRIKERCHICK

If you do a shabby chic search of furniture in your area, you will see what type of prices things go for, also search for F&B or farrow and ball, this will give you an idea on what is selling and how much for with using this paint...

F&B is very in at the mo, and in my local homebase its taken months for me to actually manage to get the colour i use, as it allways sells out quickly ( dimity)

start off with a small bit of furniture, something you can pick up for a few quid at a bootsale etc...and something that if it doesnt sell, you would be happy to have in the house...

edit..... cath kidston fabric is also very now, if you need to make any soft furnishings/ or re-cover small chairs etc ideal for the bedroom

lincroft1710

Plenty of cheaper paints available, just visit the "sheds". If you use F and B, you'll probably price yourself out of the market (£45 for a 2.5l tin of gloss), their colour chart seems little different from anyone else's.

paulwf

Don't forget the logistics side of things if you wish to sell on Ebay. You'll need a workshop for renovation, storage space for the furniture, a courier who can handle bulky items and lots of packing materials. As shipping bulky items is costly a lot of customers may wish to collect, are you happy for them to do this?

Time is money so you may want some power tools to help prepare the items and you'll need to be able to work at a fast pace to knock out the items, unlike a hobby you'll have to work at speed. Have you got a supplier lined up items or do you have to go round the antique markets and car boot? Be careful that a couple of hours at market, a couple of hours painting, some time to list on Ebay and yet more time to pack and your hourly rate can go right down.

Savvy_Sue

I am no expert in the renovations business, but would this be the reason F&B are so 'in' these days?

All our paints are water based, eco friendly and comply with the latest EU environmental legislation regarding the VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) content of paints. Our finishes are all low in odour and classified as either low or minimal VOC. These water based paints can be applied to surfaces previously painted in an oil based finish. However, surfaces painted in oil based paint require a minimum of two weeks drying time before water based paint is applied on top.

In other words, if you don't go for F&B, you may want to consider paints making similar claims.

danielle-adams

Thank you!! I think I am going to find alternative brands to use but with similar colours...there are places that do colour matching which is certainly an option....I'm quite good with colour matching and am quite creative so I am confident that I can create pieces that will sell.

Plus my dad has given me some furniture to do up and sell to get me started so I can test the waters I really can't wait!!

danielle-adams

Just seen the last two comments. Really appreciate the advice and I will certainly be researching what is in the cheaper alternative paints (and testing out).

My dad has an outhouse attached to his garage which I will be converting into a workshop so I will have storage and somewhere to work and he already has power tools I can use. He has also given me a way where I can post the courier job and suppliers can bid for the business to keep costs down. I haven't given any thought to the packing side of things, but I will now! My only problem really is I don't have a van to pick up additional pieces of furniture so I need to start asking around! I need one as I am planning to go out myself and pick out furniture as I want a good mix of items...as unique as possible and this will need to be done once a week (maybe less if I find a few items in 1 visit)....A lot of this will be a bit of trial and error at first.

To be honest though....I am currently working part time 20 hours a week on a low wage so my initial aim is to make at least £180 per week working 3 days a week....at least then I will be working for myself and have that flexibility I need.

Do you think this is viable? :cool:

jexygirl

danielle-adams wrote: »

To be honest though....I am currently working part time 20 hours a week on a low wage so my initial aim is to make at least £180 per week working 3 days a week....at least then I will be working for myself and have that flexibility I need.

Do you think this is viable? :cool:

"make" £180 or sell £180 worth of goods? There is a big difference.

I have no idea how long this stuff takes to do, but I am thinking that making £60 per day probably entails selling an awful lot of furniture.
I have no idea of mark up, but I am assuming for arguements sake £15 - £20 per item.
If a piece costs you £15, takes you 8 hours of prepping, sanding back, base coating, repainting, mending or whatever, and say £10 in materials, can you REALLY sell it for £95? Plus post?
Thats allowing for £48 at min wage, and £20 profit on top.

Can you realistically paint and sell 9 items a week (if indeed you want to make £180), to a good standard, and find time to source paints, collect and pick furniture, accurately list things on ebay, organise couriers and be there when something sells, to pack and wait for collection,in 3 days? seems an awful lot to me. If you want to sell £180 worth of items, its still 3 a week, and at small margins, it will take a fair bit of reinvestment till you get on your feet.

How long did it take to paint the items for your little one? Yes you will get faster, but be realistic on how much you can turn out to a good standard, how much you can sell an item for, and work out if in fact there is a decent profit in it, after costs and labour.

Jex

danielle-adams

I need to make £180 in profit to make it worth it really.

After doing a bit of research, if you look in the right places you can pick up decent furniture for next to nothing...people throw out things all the time. As for the mark up I have been monitoring items on ebay and I have seen some items which have been restored have sold for up to £100 more than similar unrestored items have been up for. I doubt very much I would have to restore 9 items a week to get £180 in profit...I am willing to find out though! I think it's about doing more research and knowing what styles to go for and keeping costs down.

I am not bothered so much about time initially as it's a first step into self employment and with me still learning i am not expecting to slip straight into a routine. It will be a labour of love too as this is something I will enjoy so it's not all about the money but I do need to be earning!! (or my partner would be having a word!!