I started flipping furniture in 2020, with 2 less hours of commute time each day and no where to go, I figured a great outlet for me was something artistic and maybe that I could make a little bit of money at.

What started out as my little hobby, turned into owning an entire store selling flipped furniture and artisan goods. But, more on that later.

I hope this blog posts helps you get started on flipping your own piece, and maybe even starting your own little side hustle helping your family.

The Basic Tools Needed to Start Flipping Furniture

You’re going to see a lot of flippers pushing certain brands and tools, and while a lot of them are really great quality and can be useful, when you’re just starting out, you really just need the basics to get started.

Especially if you are tight on funds and trying to make a profit quickly, you’ll want to keep your start up costs as low as possible.

Here are the basics I recommend to start flipping furniture for a profit. I’ll go more into depth on all of them below.

A Paint Brush
Chalk Paint or High Quality Furniture Paint
Good quality primer
Top Coat
Sand Paper

A Paint Brush for Flipping Furniture

Let’s talk paint brushes. I am old fashioned, and I’ve tried sprayers, but honestly to me, unless you are pumping out 10 white nightstands at a time, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze to me. There’s a steep learning curve and a lot of set up, take down and clean up. As a mom of toddlers, and even before I had kids, it just wasn’t for me.

What do you want to look for in a paint brush? Basically, you want something that is going to stay together well over time, and not shed bristles into your work. I find that most paint brushes in the $10 to $20 range should be sufficient. You want to avoid chip brushes as they shed like crazy (and that’s why they start at 99 cents).

Zinser paint brushes are pretty trusted and reliable. You can find them in a lot of different places.

I prefer a 2 inch brush, I find you can do most painting pretty well with it. You may decide to also get a 1 inch or 1/2 inch in you have a piece with a lot of detailed work, but if you have a stead hand, you can usually make do with just one brush.

Make sure to clean it well after you use it, or wrap it up tightly in a plastic bag if you plan to come back to it in the next 24 hours. In my experience, the best thing to do is to clean it. We usually have the best intentions of finishing up a piece quickly, but then life has a way of getting in between. Next thing you know you have a dried out paint brush and need to go buy new supplies.

If you take good care of your paintbrushes, they will last you multiple projects and you won’t need to replace them too often.

Paint for Flipping Furniture

The hottest debated topic in the furniture flipping community is probably what paint to use.

Honestly, there are a lot of really great options, and I’ll talk about my favorites and what others recommend as well.

For years, I was a Dixie Belle retailer. I love their paint, and I think they are a great brand, especially if you want to differentiate yourself and add a more artistic spin to your pieces. They also have a quality formula that sticks well and have 60+ colors to choose from.

You can also find really great paint at most of your local home improvement stores. I really like Rustoleum chalk paint, and it’s available online too.

Over time, you’ll experiment with different paints and figure out what you like the best and what your style is. If you love the farmhouse look, a paint like milk paint might be a good option.

You can also try all-in-one paints, which can be great, but if you are a beginner painter can be a little harder to work with. I like that chalk paint tends to be more self leveling and forgiving, buy all in one paints are still great options if you understand the material you are painting.

You can also make your own chalk paint using “oops” paint at your home improvement store, which is usually a fraction of the regular cost and mixing plaster of paris. You’ll want to use the ratio of 1 cup of latex paint to solution of 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup plaster of paris. You will combine the two until you get a pancake batter like consistency. This is likely the most economical way to get a large amount of paint for cheap, however you are limited on color selection based on what “oops” paints are out at the time.

Primer for Flipping Furniture

Many brands will claim that you do not need primer to use their paint — and that can be true.

Let’s talk about when you do and don’t need to use primer, and the different types you can by.

There are two main reasons to need primer — for adhesion and for stain blocking. Some can do both, and it’s important to know what kind you need and what type you are buying.

The “big daddy” primer that is spendy but worth its punch, is Zinnser Bin Shellac.

Why you’d want it — it can do it all. It blocks stains, odors, and helps paint adhesion. It’s oil based and packs a huge punch in efficiency and effectiveness. If you have a wood piece of furniture that has a lot of knots or a tendency to “bleed through” (aka wood sap coming through the paint by being activated from the water in it), it is a very good idea to use this. Additionally, if you are painting something white or light colored, I highly recommend it regardless because any sort of stains (think smokers, oil and drink stains, etc) could still come through without a primer like this because the white will show all imperfections. But white often sells, so it can be worth it. Lastly, if you do not have a wood piece of furniture, and it is laminate, you will absolutely need an adhesion primer (but may not need the heavy duty that zinnser provides).

Why you might not want Bin Shellac — if you’re painting something a dark color and it is wood, you may not really need a stain blocking primer. If it has no odors either, you may be fine with a water based primer, or possibly none at all. I have done my fair share of no primer pieces if the piece has real wood. Most chalk paints are formulated to stick right to wood surfaces, which is part of the appeal to the product. It can save both time and money if you have the right piece. If you are working in a small space or indoors, Bin Shellac might be tough to use because it definitely has a strong odor due to the chemicals it uses to be such a heavy duty tool for painting.

What are your other options? If you just need adhesion and minimal odor protection, you might be fine with a simple water based primer. In my experience, you will need at least 2 coats using a water based primer. You will also want to give it at least 2 hours to dry (or more if directions advise) so that it has time to truly dry. Overnight is best. With Zinnser Bin Shellac, you can usually start working with it pretty soon after it dries, so it can save you time.

Top Coat for Flipping Furniture

Some will say you don’t need top coats — and if you were painting furniture for yourself, I would say that could be true. Some paints self cure, and can go a lifetime without chips or dings.

HOWEVER, if you want to keep a good reputation, I would always add a top coat. People are not always gentle with their furniture (and there are kids, pets etc to factor in). I always advise adding a top coat to your pieces.

You have two options here as well, water based polyacrylic and oil based polyurethane (the one linked here is a hybrid, you may have trouble buying a fully oil based online to be shipped due to flame risks). In most cases, a water based polyurethane will be what you want, especially with a water based chalk paint. If you are staining with an oil based stain, you will want an oil based polurethane.

Additionally, if you use an oil based clear coat on a white or light piece of furniture, it will be much more likely to yellow over time.

Other Miscellaneous Supplies for Flipping Furniture

There are a few other supplies you will want to start flipping furniture for a profit.

You’re going to want a variety of sandpaper for prepping your furniture piece, a rougher grain to help adhesion and a lighter grain for buffing and in between paint coats. You can get a variety pack like this, or blocks if you want to save your hands a bit.

You will likely need a screwdriver, likely both flat head and phillips to remove hardware while painting (and cleaning up). A rag and good cleaner is necessary too to prep the piece for painting.

You’ll learn as you go that good prep is worth a million dollars and will save you a lot of heartache.

What Furniture to Flip

Okay, so you’ve got you supplies and you’re ready to flip furniture — but what pieces are worth it?

It’s a tough question sometimes, and it changes over time. In my experience, dressers and nightstands are always worth the time and effort, but the styles that you choose to paint may differ depending where you are and what’s on trend.

I think we are on the tail end of MCM being in, however it’s still a good bet on someone being interested in that style.

I always suggest investing in solid wood pieces, or high quality veneer. You don’t really want to flip a particle board piece that came from walmart 5 years ago. You want a piece that will stand up against the abuse people put their furniture through and ensure your flipped piece won’t come back to haunt you with problems later.

Take a look at what is being sold in your area on marketplace. Find the established flippers and see what is working for them. Don’t copy them completely, you want to make yourself stand out among others, but you can still get a good idea of what is moving for them and what isn’t.

Find some YouTubers you love too, typically what they are flipping is what is selling too.

Where to Find Furniture to Flip

Where can you find furniture to flip?

My favorite places are Facebook Marketplace, Habitat for Humanity and online estate auctions like CTbids or HiBids.

Of course if you’re lucky, you can find awesome free roadside finds, too!

If you’re absolutely new to painting anything, or if you want to get the best bang for your buck in profit on your first piece, let you family and friends know your new side hustle and ask if they have any furniture they no longer want or need. Many people are happy to not have to deal with getting rid of old furniture themselves.

How Much Should I pay for a Piece of Furniture to Flip?

This is going to depend on your area, but ultimately you need to keep your end goal price in mind. As a general rule of thumb, you want to come out to a price where you can be at least 3X your costs. If you’re able to get things cheaper or free, that’s a perk, but you shouldn’t discount your sale price because of it.

I typically don’t like to go over $50 for a piece, and that’s only for something I think I can get a really good return on. I’m in the midwest though, and in places like California, you might not have the ability to be so picky (but you might be able to demand higher prices, too).

I like to be patient in acquiring pieces, because once you start looking and flipping, you realize that good pieces can be easy to come by if you know where to look in your area.

Don’t be afraid to say no to a piece if when you see it in person, it’s not in as good of condition as you thought when you saw it online (online auctions being an exception, that is usually a final purchase).

Buying a piece that needs repairs is fine, but just make sure you have the skills and that the time it will take to repair it is worth the lower cost. 9 times out of 10, I regret getting a piece that needs work because sometimes it needs a lot more than I initially think.

How Much Should I Sell My Furniture For?

Again, this may be dependent where you live, but make sure you don’t short sell yourself.

You need to figure out if you want to flip a high volume and simple pieces for a lower price and cycle through them quickly, or if you want a “higher end” feel and charge a little more, but be willing to sit on the piece a bit (possibly a few weeks + to find the right buyer).

Remember, some people need more time to think about purchasing a piece as for some, it can be an investment.

Like I mentioned earlier, you should aim to be at least 3X your costs, but your price will also depend on how much you want to make per hour as well.

Look at your market and what people are charging for similar refinished pieces. This will give you an idea of what people are getting (and also what is selling and worth refinishing).

Make Money Flipping Furniture in 2025