A woman turns "trash into treasure" by collecting dumped or unwanted furniture and "flipping" it - and has made $28k in two years. <br /><br />Emily Marlett, 26, started upcycling cabinets, dressers and chairs in May 2020 after becoming unemployed.<br /><br />She learned how to use power tolls to create DIY pieces for her new home but started to sell the items after family encouragement a few months later.<br /><br />Emily picks up rubbish for free on ‘bulk trash removal’ day, when people leave unwanted items outside their home twice a year.<br /><br />She also finds broken furniture in second hand shops, and spends between four and 24 hours cleaning, fixing and revamping it.<br /><br />Emily was able to go part-time with her dental hygienist job in May 2022 after making $1,000 a month selling the upcycled furniture on Facebook Marketplace.<br /><br />Emily from Louisville, Kentucky, US, said: “I take trash and turn it into something beautiful.<br /><br />“It’s crazy what people were throwing out.<br /><br />“All it takes is a little bit of paint and sanding.<br /><br />“You don’t have to be super creative to flip furniture.<br /><br />“Everybody can do it.<br /><br />“It’s so rewarding.”<br /><br />Emily taught herself how to use power tools when she was doing up her first home in 2020.<br /><br />She said: “I was unemployed and looking for a way to supplement my income.<br /><br />“I flipped furniture for myself for my home.<br /><br />“My family wanted to buy it off me.”<br /><br />After realising she could make money off her new hobby Emily started finding abandoned furniture to do up.<br /><br />Her neighbourhood leaves out their items to throw away twice a year – so Emily is able to get lots of her finds for free.<br /><br />She said: “It’s stuff that goes to landfill if it’s not collected.<br /><br />“People like me come and get it.<br /><br />“Most things are damaged or broken.<br /><br />“It’s pieces that no one wants that require you to fix it.<br /><br />“It’s rare you find something already beautiful.<br /><br />“I give it a new life.”<br /><br />Emily spends up to $50 on old furniture in resale stores and flips it for around $15 to $20.<br /><br />She said: “Usually I will use a sander and a chemical to strip it to the natural colour. I clean it really well.”<br /><br />She will then get creative painting or adding textures such as bamboo or wallpaper to the furniture.<br /><br />Emily sells outdoor patio sets on for around $900, upcycled leather chairs for $250 each and dressers for $350.<br /><br />Now she makes around $1,000 a month flipping furniture and is supported by her husband Zac, 26, an electrician.<br /><br />Emily said: “A power drill was the first tool I bought.<br /><br />“People don’t expect a woman to be working with power tools.<br /><br />“People say ‘do you need help with that?'.<br /><br />“You don’t often see a woman with a power tool.”
