I’m a furniture flipper – I’ve made £100k from upcycling strangers’ junk that was headed for the skip, I only invest £10

A FULL-TIME furnishings flipper has told however spends arsenic small arsenic £10 upcycling strangers' unwanted junk - and has made implicit £100K by re-selling them.

Lottie Naylor, 24, learned her commercialized astatine property 13 erstwhile she "started coating furnishings for herself" and making money.

And implicit the past six months, radical person sought her retired connected societal media, asking for "tips and tricks" connected however she nabs deals online - and different freebies connected Facebook Marketplace.

By repairing and polishing the items, she past sells them arsenic decorative vintage homeware pieces, pricing them from £100 to £350 each.

She is ever connected the hunt, travelling astir looking for "the adjacent champion bargain" - and seldom spends much than £15 making implicit each piece.

Lottie, from Cornwall, said "It's the astir fulfilling occupation I've ever had.

"I utilized to enactment for a foundation and immoderate clip arsenic an electrician.

"But thing made maine happier than coating furniture.

"It's sustainable and higher quality.

"It was each I ever thought about."

Lottie was conscionable 13 erstwhile she started flipping furniture, by coating what she could find.

It was during this clip successful 2014, that alongside her mum, she started a concern successful Cornwall called Vintage Living Home to showcase and merchantability her upcycled creations.

"The store opened each play erstwhile coating furnishings was the craze," Lottie said.

"I would merchantability astir 5 oregon six upcycled tables oregon chairs a week that I would find from auctions - and they would spell instantly.

"At the start, the items sold connected my Facebook leafage for astir £80 to £100, but I yet managed to bump them up to good implicit £200 aft a fewer years."

"But, too the money, the concern was besides a large outlet for my household to beryllium together.

"My Grandpa was a carpenter, and my Grandma would assistance bash up the cushions for our chairs - truthful we were a originative household who loved the business."

Realising its potential, erstwhile Lottie moved to West Sussex 7 months ago, she "took connected the concern afloat time".

When she arrived, Lottie noticed that "people weren't arsenic funny successful tables and chairs arsenic they were successful Cornwall" and decided to "take connected much utmost upcycling projects".

"I walk astir of my clip surfing the net looking for the adjacent champion happening to upcycle," Lottie said.

"Local auctions, car footwear income and Facebook Marketplace are my go-to places to visit.

"I wouldn't wage a batch for furnishings - possibly astir £20 for a thorax of drawers," she added.

"But £40 is my limit.

Lottie focussed connected buying furnishings made from conifer wood arsenic it was "the astir fashionable and would travel up airy erstwhile sanded, which was what radical wanted".

She besides tended to "avoid furnishings with large breaks and opt for ones that request insignificant repairs".

When upcycling, Lottie said however she leaned towards "French chic benignant paint" - a furnishings overgarment that "can beryllium utilized extracurricular and gives a bully cleanable finish".

She has besides tried doing stencil designs known arsenic bony and lace.

"Over the years, I perfected the overgarment benignant which has allowed maine to complaint a premium for my pieces," Lottie said.

"My astir fashionable plan is bony successful lace stencil which reflects akin patterns recovered successful Morocco.

"The archetypal clip I attempted my archetypal bony and lace was connected a thorax of drawers - and that took maine 3 and a fractional days.

"When coating a mean thorax of drawers tin instrumentality maine a time oregon adjacent conscionable fractional a day."

"However, my biggest merchantability was 2 years agone erstwhile I recovered an antique oak seat connected Facebook Marketplace for £20.

"All I did was screen the seat successful acheronian wax whilst filling successful the repairs which lone outgo maine £10.

"I aboriginal sold the portion connected Facebook Marketplace for £350."

From then, Lottie has been "constantly searching for amended bargains" - and has adjacent admitted to travelling from West Sussex to the Midlands successful a three-and-a-half hr thrust for a azygous portion of furniture.

In this case, it was a thorax of drawers made from coagulated oak.

"If it's a vintage homeware oregon antique portion - I volition question further for that arsenic I cognize I tin merchantability it for more," Lottie added.

"I absorption connected antiques and conifer wood arsenic I cognize they are going to last.

"And a batch of radical are present liking the much aged and distressed look of furnishings again.

"When I archetypal started flipping furniture, I would spell to the Antique and Vintage Waybridge Showground, hosted successful Cornwall each year.

"You find immoderate large stuff, but radical knowing that I was a tradesman helped maine retired a lot, truthful I utilized these events chiefly for networking.

"But for those who are looking to start, particularly successful auctions, look astatine the cost, arsenic immoderate complaint 20 per cent connected apical of what you buy.

"I've been doing this for implicit 10 years and I inactive larn thing each day.

"If anyone is looking astatine flipping furnishings arsenic a hobby, prime up a brushwood and commencement painting.

"I promised myself I would lone bash this job.

"And I don't deliberation that volition ever alteration arsenic radical volition ever beryllium into antiques."