A FURNITURE REFINISHING BUSINESS IN YOUR HOME
If you have a garage or work building and are willing to learn a craft, upholstering, re-upholstering
and/or furniture refinishing would make an excellent home business. The investment is comparatively
small and there is always a market for these skills and the products they yield.
if you do not already know how to upholster or refinish wood, the first priority is to learn how. If you
are experienced, you can begin with small projects and work your way up to the more complex and
better paying jobs.
In the case of a husband and wife, one could specialize in each to provide a complete service!
Learning these crafts starts with reading, then practicing. If possible, get a job working in the field to
learn direct from the professionals. Otherwise, there are schools, courses and hundreds of books
covering every possible aspect of furniture upholstery and refinishing.
During your preparation, you may decide to specialize --modern, antiques or just chairs and sofas for
example. When you are ready for customers, have a sign made and place an ad that announces your
services (be specific). Put signs on your car or truck too, so people can see them when you pick up or
deliver furniture.
When you bring in jobs that are badly in need of repair, take "before" pictures of them -- to compare
with "after" pictures when they are finished.
Post the best of these in a photo album to show prospective customers and for possible future use in
ads or brochures (you may need well contrasting black and white photos for these.) Arrange your
album with good examples of each major type of work that you do and include a short (no more than 3
line) title and explanation for each. This way, if you are busy, customers can browse through them
while waiting.
These pictures will not only show what fine work you do-- they will also suggest other jobs to the
customer. Use a good camera for these pictures (hire a photographer if necessary), so the pictures will
accomplish their mission.
Plan your shop according to the work you are going to do in it. You will need more room to refinish
tables, stands to do smaller items and a dust free section for the application of wood finishes.
Upholstering takes less room, but the area must be safe from mice and moths -- especially your
storage areas.
When operating a business like this, you will be asked to recommend finishes, fabrics and methods. As
a professional, you are often in a better position to answer these questions than your customers, but be
careful not to routinely recommend those things that bring you the most profit. remember that they may
also ask someone else! It is OK, however, to point out things that are easier (therefore, cheaper) to
work with.
You will find that in the long run, honestly really is the best policy!
Pricing in a business like this is very difficult, and you have to give estimates on most of our work. If
you see the cost is going well over your estimate, give the customer a call before proceeding.
The rule here is "never surprise a customer with bad news." If the cost is slightly more, and your "estimate" was pretty firm just absorb the cost as the price of a "lesson" in how to estimate. Your
pricing of course, will be based on the cost of materials,labor and utilities plus your profit.
Note that labor and profit are two entirely different categories.
Labor is the amount you would have to pay someone to do the job;
profit is your "override" on the labor plus your profit on the materials (usually 25-40%).
A fully qualified upholster or furniture refinisher should not earn less than $10 (gross) per hour -- and in
some areas, $25 per hour may not be out of line for top quality work. When making your estimates, add
a little "padding" (perhaps 5%) to cover unforseen costs. Always figure your estimates and prices with
good quality materials -- when you use lower quality materials, usually to save money, let it be your
customer's decision.
The fastest way to learn if you want to get into the furniture refinishing or upholstery business to redo
some of your own.
Take a chair or table, set up a practice area and try your skill. Use BIX finish remover (available at
most hardware stores) to remove paint ( a second coat will also remove the stain), clean thoroughly,
sand and apply the new finish.
The secret is not to get in a hurry! Let the wood dry between operations; take the extra few minutes
for a first class sanding job; wait another day for the finish to dry enough for the next cost, and go over
the surface with fine steel wool (if recommended) and wipe thoroughly between coats.
In a business, you will have several pieces in different stages of completion, so the temptation to rush
will not be so great. Another way to help expedite your "education" is to hire an experienced helper --
for both the assistance and "lessons."
In addition to your signs, have a good quality 3 or 4 line rubber stamp made to custom print your own
invoices and even business cards.
If funds are scare, get some duplicate ticket books at the local stationery store and stamp your name
on each original ticket to get "custom printed" invoices.
As long as your business is not too professional, you can place 3 x 5 cards with your name and
services on supermarket bulletin boards. Keep an ad in the local paper, but change it a little every so
often (like a new special every month), to help stimulate interest. When you are ready for more
business, put an ad in the yellow pages.
Whenever business lags, you can always contact rental agencies (both real estate and furniture) to
either buy used (but good quality only) furniture that needs repair, or to do their repair work. The
profits will be lower, but low profits are better than NO profits.
Also, bear in mind that refinishing and re-upholstering other people's furniture is not your only option.
You can also buy things to restore -- from auctions, garage sales, foreclosures (business furniture is a
whole new market!) and from individuals who answer your "will buy" ads. The item you buy to refinish
must bring at least double its cost PLUS a fair return for your labor and materials to restore it.
For this reason, buy only high quality or antique furniture, so you will "have something" when it is
completed.
One possible pitfall in the refinishing and upholstery business is unpaid bills. People sometimes really
want to have a couch recovered and visualize how nice it would look with a nice, quality
(expensive)fabric.
Trouble is, while the couch is being covered they spot a new item at half what they owe on the old
couch -- and buy it!
This leaves the upholsterer with $100 worth of material cut and sewn onto a $50 couch. The message
here is to protect yourself; get enough down to ensure the recovered couch will be worth your
investment should the customer "disappear."
BUSINESS SOURCES
MINUTEMAN, INC., 115 N. Monroe, Waterloo, IA 19101. Sells furniture refinishing supplies, plus a "business kit".
BEDFORD LUMBAR CO.,Box 65, Shelbyville, TN 36710. sells unassembled cedar hardwood
furniture.
DATHO MANUFACTURING, INC.,Box 12110, Lubbock, TX 79452. Manufactures of upholstery
sewing machines.
MODERN UPHOLSTERY INSTITUTE, Field Building, Kansas City, MO 64111. Offers a course in
upholstering; free booklet.
UPHOLSTERY TODAY, Box 2754, High Point, NC 27261. Trade journal for furniture upholsterers.
Note: this is the journal of the Upholsterers International Union of North America, 25 N 4th
St.,Philadelphia, PA 19106.
JIM DANDY SALES, Box 30377, Cincinnati, OH 42530. Upholstering instructions and supplies.
FREESTYLE, 17835 E Skypark, Irvine, CA 92714. sells "Sundura" furniture kits wholesale. Free info.
LEISURE PRODUCTS BY BB, Box 3171, Apollo Beach, FL 33570, 813/677/8280. Instructions and
fittings for PVC furniture; kit $15 with samples, catalog and manual.
HOME FURNISHING, Box 581207, Dallas, TX 75258, 214/741-7632. Biannual magazine for home
furnishings dealers and manufacturers.
VISTA COMMUNICATIONS, INC., 180 Allen Rd.,NE, Ste 300, Atlanta, GA 30328.. Monthly
magazine for furniture retailers.
DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.,31 East 2nd St.,Mineola, NY 11051. Discount books, clip art,
stencils, etc.
QUILL CORPORATION, 100 Schelter Rd.,Lincolnshire, IL 60917-4700. 312/634-4800. Office
supplies.
NEBS, 500 Main St.,Groton, MA 04171, 800/225-6380. Office supplies.
SWEDCO, Box 29, Mooresville, NC 28115. 3 line rubber stamps - $3; Business cards - $13 per
thousand.
ZPS, Box 581, Libertyville, IL 60048-2556. Business cards (raised print - $11.50 per K) and letterhead
stationery. Will print your copy ready logo or design, even whole card. |
