Tips for second hand furniture and painting it

[Homebirdmama]

Hey guys!

We're buying a new house and basically we are going to have to start from scratch.

We're moving from a small flat into a good sized 3 bed. Our current furniture is basic and is going to look very higgeldy piggeldy in our new home. The current owners have decked it out beautifully. Very cottagey with a hint of shabby chic.

So, I wondered if anyone can point me in the right direction of the best way to source cheap second hand furniture to paint (this is what the current owners have evidently son and we love it).

Secondly, tips for painting furniture? We don't necessarily want everything to be shabby chic (maybe the odd one or Two pieces).

Most of it will be that lovely cottagey green/grey/taupe colours.

Thank you very much in advance!
X

Charities often have furniture shops. I'd Google your local area as they can be on industrial sites, not in the high st. Sale cards in places like the Co-op / newsagents are good as they will be a local pick up and of course Gumtree.
I don't use fancy chalk paint, just satin wood paint. Very dark wood will need a first coat of cheap undercoat/ primer. Lightly sand the furniture first and make sure it's clean and dry. Wilkos satin wood paint is very good and comes in a variety of shades.

Keep an eye out for all sorts of second hand shops and furniture clearance places. As JT05 said, google the area, check gumtree, freecycle, etc. I'm always looking out for new sources.
Figure out what you need and what you want early, then just keep looking. If you're after something in particular, ask the people working there. We've ended up buying a new piece as a few people told us that what we were looking for doesn't come up that often. If you know what you're looking for you're more likely to wait and buy the right item than several 'almost right' items. (Says she, three bookcases later) Patience is a virtue.
You can paint laminate furniture but it's not entirely worth it, ime.
I'd also try and find someone who does upholstery. I can't and need to either find someone who does it cheaply or learn myself.

Find a local auction house- they'll often sell furniture from house clearances. Furniture from the 20s/30s/40s that isn't Art Deco, and Edwardian furniture is often very cheap as they're not very fashionable ATM.

Auctions are bloody great fun too. Just make sure to go round to view everything BEFORE the sale and ask them to pull out thinks like wardrobes/dressers so you can check the back for woodworm.

I'm in the process of doing this....from a one bed flat to a 5 bed house that used most of our savings....

I agree with you about the shabby chic, too much of it is a bit bleurgh...

I have found that charity shops/auction shops don't work so well for me as I have to trawl around them on the off chance they have a good piece, and then have to mentally see how it would look in my house, which I'm not very good at and if you aren't, you end up with a sort of second hand furniture shop vibe which isn't a good look.

What has worked is going on pinterest a lot and pinning ideas or looks that I like, and breaking it down into the bits I need to recreate it, like 'ok I need a 3 drawer dresser I can paint grey and a plain circular mirror with a frame that will take the same colour paint over it that is the same diameter as the length of the dresser' and then plugging away at ebay for an hour or so in the evening twice a week, using the advanced search, putting in what I'm looking for eg 'round mirror' ticking 'used' in the condition and setting it so it doesn't show anything beyond 15 miles, which is the limit I'm willing to travel.

Doing it this way I have now picked up two tan leather sofas, one laura ashley, one m&s, two chests, two mirrors, two bedside tables, one console table, a dining table and chairs, two wingback chairs, three bookcases, some dismantled fitted wardrobes (yet to be assembled in our bedroom) and a couple of double bed frames. In total i've spend under £500.

I cover everything in zissner b-i-n shellac primer first, gives a good finish

Make a list for each room of what you need and try and focus on one item or room at a time. Once you have purchased a couple of items and transformed them your confidence will grow.
Using chalk paint is really easy and gives good results within a couple of hours. I purchased mine from Boyes for a approx £12 it's gives brilliant coverage on old brown furniture. I always rub down lightly with sand paper and then wipe with a damp cloth and dry before starting.
Spray paint and small tester pots are another option.
Using the same colours keeps costs down with paint and gives a coordinated look even when putting together different styles.
Car boots are worth a look and charity shops along with flea markets.
It's not just furniture, I have picked up lamps pictures and some fab mirrors as well for very little money.
In fact writing this just makes me realise how many items I have that are actually other people's junk!