If you are a fan of DIY shabby chic, you need a good supply of old furniture to work with. There are many ways for you to pick up what you need and do so for a low price.
Below are some of my favourite sources for old furniture that you can easily transform into vintage or shabby style pieces you can use around your home.
Recycling organisations
Across the world, recycling is growing in popularity. In many areas, you will now find websites that help people to recycle. They encourage people to recycle their old furniture rather than put it in landfill.
These are fantastic sources for raw materials. This is because most of the furniture is free or extremely cheap. Often, you will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the pieces you pick up from this source.
Usually, delivery is not a big problem. Increasingly these sites offer the contact details of low-cost delivery firms as a way to encourage more people to recycle in this way.
Boot and garage sales
Another good source of old furniture is boot or yard sales. These days many local councils levy a charge to dispose of large items.
As a result, many people are now choosing to sell those items rather than pay to have them picked up and dispose of. This means that you can often pick up items like small tables and chest of drawers at yard sales. Again, the prices are quite low. If you get there early, it is easy to pick up a bargain.
The tip or dump
Sometimes you can also pick up good pieces at your local garbage disposal facility. People often bring furniture down to these facilities to dispose of them.
If you ask, most people will give it to you rather than put it in the skip. Sometimes the people who run the facility will also give you some furniture items if you ask. However, whether they will or not depends on what the rules say. Safety regulations mean that certain items like white goods, mattresses and sofas cannot be given to you, but often they are allowed to give you items like tables and wardrobes.
Home staging firms
Emblem, a home staging company regularly sells off their old stock. They need a constant supply of the very latest furniture. If you have a similar firm in your area, it is well worth asking them about buying some of their old stock.
Sometimes it is nice to work on modern furniture instead of old pieces. The shapes and materials used are very different, so you can create some unusual pieces that complement the shabby chic look perfectly.
Charity shops
Many charities receive a lot of furniture. Most of it is sold. However, inevitably, some of it does not sell, which leaves the charity with the headache of what to do with it all. As a result, they will often accept a small donation from you as a way of getting rid of it without having to pay any disposal fees.