A Little Secret

I usually don't share the original price of furniture when I plan to upcycle it. I feel like it's okay for me to share the price if it is something I bought for myself.   I don't want to devalue my beautiful product by showing it's original price.

Today, and today only, I will share some of the "business" side of my furniture refinishing. I do all of my buying from thrift stores or raigslist. Yards sales are an awesome way to find great furniture, but I struggle to get out the door early Saturday morning. Who doesn't have breakfast, chores, and a dog walk to fit in in those early hours?

My general rule of thumb is to stay around the $50 range for larger items like armoires and dressers. If I can find something decent  for lower, I'm all about that! My cheapest dresser purchase to this day was $20. I will occasionally spend $100 on something if it is huge and going to be amazing. Side tables and smaller items I expect to pay $10-$15.

Here's  a dresser I just finished.  I'll walk you through the cost breakdown and how I determine my
pricing. This is a smaller dresser a purchased at a thrift store for $35. I was drawn to it because of it's vintage hardware with original patina. I'm a sucker for this hardware, I purchase anything with it. Similar vintage hardware costs about $11 a piece so I figured I got my money's worth just out of hardware.

This particular dresser is not real solid wood, except for the drawer fronts. It's also small, right there I know it will need to be priced on the lower end.

I wanted to use this ballet slipper pink "oops" paint I purchased on a whim for $5.00. That means I'm not using my usual chalk paint that requires no priming or sanding. Because this dresser isn't wood, I know I'll need a primer that sticks to any glossy surfaces and doesn't require sanding. Yes, they make that, make sure to read your label. I use the "bulls eye" primer, approx $7- 9, it can be found at Lowes in the paint section.

Since I was working with latex paint I have the advantage of using  my air compressor spray gun. It saves me a lot of time and gives a smooth finish with latex paint. I primed and then, true to it's label, the paint stuck right on my no-wood glossy surface.

I applied painters tape and added stripes with some A.S.C.P Old Ochre that I already had on hand for my own project. I used my dark wax to give it an aged look, I already had dark wax so those count as free.

I lined each drawer with some shabby chic angel self adhesive drawer liner that I purchased at the dollar store. $1.

This adorable dresser will be for sale on my shop page, Etsy, and Las Vegas Craigslist for $150. I like to price reasonable, I don't like to hold on to pieces very long. I also think everyone should be able to afford a unique piece in their home.

Total cost= $50

My profit= $100

Hours to finish dresser: 3-4ish counting paint drying time

As you can see, I'm not going to be a millionaire anytime soon. I enjoy what I do. I love to see the changes I can make in something.