Episode 9 Money for Nothing

-Can I have a little rummage around in your rubbish?

-Yeah.

How do you make money for nothing?

I love that!

The answer could be hiding in the 30 million tonnes of household waste

we throw out every year.

So heavy. They don't make them like this any more. Look at that.

That's why entrepreneur Sarah Moore

wants to get her hands on things before they hit the skip.

I'm a passionate maker, buyer and user of old stuff,

and I've turned that passion into a money-making business.

I make new stuff out of old stuff, and I sell it for a profit.

And with some of the country's elite designers and makers...

-Say something nice about it.

-My juices are flowing in this one.

They are going to be "wow".

..she can transform her finds into desirable...

Isn't that stunning?

-..valuable...

-Oh, wow!

-..and, hopefully, saleable items.

-That is bonkers!

If Sarah is successful, then she can hand the profits back

to the very people who had no idea

there was cash to be made from their trash.

Oh, my God! That is amazing!

Today, Sarah is at the Whitley Recycling Centre in Surrey

for our first rummage on our tour of the nation's tips.

Today, I'm after those little gems that, once transformed,

can make some cold, hard cash.

The goal is to find four items

that can go from unwanted and unloved

to polished and profitable.

Now, while I'm doing this,

you look up there and make sure I'm not missing anything, all right?

Not just anyone can hang about the dump.

Sarah needed special permission from the dump owners

before she could start poking about.

Any minute now, it's going to be complete...

Oh, no, it's even worse.

Thankfully, she doesn't have to rely on her puzzle-solving skills

to spot Keith and his car full of rubbish.

-Hi, there. I'm sorry to bother you.

-Go on.

I was just looking at the contents of your boot. What are you doing?

-Are you clearing out?

-Yes.

-What are the sacks?

-What are all these for?

-It's hessian.

Would it be possible to have a closer look at some of them?

If they're whole, I might be able to do something with them.

-All right.

-If you don't mind?

-Yeah.

-So, you do things with things, then?

-Yeah.

-If you know what I mean.

-That's a very good description of it.

I try and make stuff out of things that are going to be thrown away.

But can Sarah make anything out of Keith's old hessian sacks?

Hessian is a coarse material made from the hemp or jute plant,

popular in the past for making rope, as well as storing vegetables,

-such as potatoes and onions.

-I love these.

It reminds me of the sack race when I was little.

I'll have to think of something inventive to do with them, though.

-She's going back a few years.

-Hey, that's rude!

Ooh, it's just a little bit cheeky, Sarah.

I'm going to take your sack full of sacks,

and have a little play-around with those.

But what does Keith think will become of his hessian sacks?

I've got no idea, to be honest.

If somebody can find a use for things like that,

which you don't see any more, it's brilliant.

I know they look really rustic,

but they'd make some really simple tote bags, wouldn't they?

Something like that?

Well, they can't get much simpler than they are just now,

but Sarah knows one designer who can turn them from rags to riches.

When you think bags, think Neil Wragg.

From salvaged and unwanted materials,

Neil creates everything from handbags to haversacks,

and prides himself on the fact his bespoke bags will last a lifetime.

I love being able to create something

from what would be rubbish, I suppose, to other people.

You could have, for example, a tent that was at Glastonbury,

and saw the Rolling Stones, and then now it becomes a bag,

and it's seen quite a life already.

Everything here has got a personality.

All the bags have lived a life,

and they're now about to live a second life.

So, let's hope Neil can breathe NEW life

into that pile of unpromising hessian.

These old sacks have got bags of potential.

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I'm hoping Neil doesn't mind working with something

that really smells.

Oh, not you again!

I've got sacks!

-They are sacks.

-Here, take these.

-Thank you.

-Bags of sacks. What could be better?

-There's how many?

-I think there are about 18.

-OK.

-That was brave.

-Rustic.

They smell, don't they?

-They do, but all my bags have a smell.

-That's reassuring.

Have you ever used sacks before to make bags?

No, it doesn't tend to be the material

that I make the top-end boutique-style bags from.

They're agricultural, they're rugged.

There's no disguising that feel, that theme,

so we possibly don't try to hide that.

We stick with the agricultural, erm, that kind of feel.

We don't disguise what they were.

Do you think we should make something really agricultural,

like something for the garden out of them?

We add some fabric and turn it into a trug-style bag.

So you're in the garden,

and you're chucking your weeds and everything in.

Possibly add some leather, um, we make some nice handles.

Neil plans to make them into useful trug-style bags,

used for carrying tools, flowers, or veg when gardening.

A traditional garden trug was a boat-shaped basket

carved from a piece of timber,

but these ones are going to be made from smelly old sacks.

How much do you want for that, Neil?

If we've got at least ten of these bags that you would take,

-then we can do them for £12 a bag.

-That sounds great.

£12 a bag is really reasonable. Brilliant. Well, enjoy the sacks.

The deal is in the bag.

Well, that totally exceeds my expectations

of what we might have been able to do with those old garden sacks.

It looks like I just commissioned my first range

of saleable, desirable garden trugs.

It's nice and agricultural.

I haven't seen anything that we're going to make

out there on the streets, so I think this will be something very unique.

A unique agricultural order it is, then,

but at a budget of only £12 each,

can he really turn these unwanted sacks

into attractive trug-style bags?

One item found, three to go.

Sarah's travelled to the Merchants Way recycling centre

in Walsall, where the cars come in all shapes and sizes - big ones,

little ones, very little ones,

and very, very little ones.

Love a Porsche. I like the Porsche. It's classy.

Things like this are only going up in value,

and they're going down in the skip, all day long.

Can Sarah turn Don's jumble of junk into a tidy sum?

Oh, I like the look of your chair. Are you chucking the chair out?

-Pardon?

-Are you chucking your chair out?

-Yes.

So heavy. They don't make them like this any more. Look at that.

Think it's the same sort of era as the classic Ercol,

but it's just a bit too clunky.

This chair is similar in style to Ercol furniture,

famed for the sleek lines and smooth curves of their classic designs.

It's really heavy, isn't it?

Yeah, it's, er...

-It's a great pity, but...

-When you're done, you're done.

I don't think you have to feel guilty about it.

-We've got more up-to-date stuff, you see, so...

-Yeah.

And do you know who made it,

-or do you remember where you bought it from?

-No idea.

-Yeah. Cos it looks a bit like Ercol furniture.

-Late '60s, '70s.

-Yeah.

-It's got a good look.

-I do feel guilty about throwing this away.

OK, I understand, but sometimes you know when

-you've just had enough of something, don't you?

-Yeah.

Yeah, I don't think you have to worry about that,

especially as I'm here to take it away,

and hopefully do something exciting with it.

Yeah, sure.

Sarah's got her hands on her second item,

and Don's happy it's been rescued from the rubbish tip.

If it can be repainted and reused, far better.

Far better than throwing it away.

I think this is the poor relative of the Ercols,

but it does mean I'm not destroying a classic British design.

I think I'm updating something that was just going to go in the tip.

So, in one way, I'm sad that it's not an established maker that

I recognise, but then, in another, I can do what I like with it.

Sarah knows exactly who to take this chair to for a modern makeover.

Jay Blades is a builder turned philosophy graduate

turned furniture designer.

What I love about furniture is the playfulness.

It reminds me of my childhood, where I used to make Meccano sets,

and just making stuff.

Now, with furniture, I'm allowed to take things apart...

add some paint, add some fabric,

and just basically add a bit of me.

Jay has his finger on the pulse of contemporary interior design,

reworking the very best of British craftsmanship

and bringing it bang up to date.

Personally speaking, I think adding colour is very important.

Give me the most ridiculous piece of furniture,

and I will turn it into something beautiful -

that's my claim to fame. I know I can do it.

He's confident,

but will he be able to give this chair a style of its own?

I've brought Jay a real ugly duckling here,

and I'm hoping he can turn it into a peacock.

There's potential to make a little bit of money here

cos, at the moment, this is three quid at a car boot, any day.

She knows my kind of style of working with timber,

and anything kind of mid-century modern,

but she's brought me some interesting stuff before -

stuff made out of metal and stuff like that,

which I don't normally work with so, hopefully, erm...

Yeah, I can't wait to see what she's bringing through the door.

-Hiya.

-How are we doing? Are you all right? What have you got?

It's all kissy-kissy, lovey-dovey now...

Wait till they start haggling over the price.

OK, it's not stylishly punching, you know, really hard, is it?

But I'm sure you can do something with it.

You say it's not stylish. I think it...

I think it's quite cool,

and not every chair in every household

has to be stylish, and this is quite...

I think it's quite nice in itself.

It's not the finest of detailing on it...

-Yeah.

-..but I know, in your hands, you're going to make it look...

A wee bit of a refresh.

So, am I allowed to just go wild with this one?

-Can I do...?

-Oh, yeah.

-OK.

-You can...

-You can really go for it on this one.

-I can go for it.

I don't feel, you know... It was going to the tip.

You can do what you like with it, as long as you make me some money.

OK. Cool. So we're talking money, then. How much, how much...?

I thought I'll leave you with a fiver.

HE LAUGHS

A fiver? To work on that?

Wow. All right...

I'm starting, you know...

Yeah, you're starting super low. That is...

In its current state,

if I saw this at a car boot, I'd pay three quid for it,

-and I'd be haggling, you know?

-Yeah. Yeah.

So we have got to elevate this.

Top whack, in my wildest dreams, one chair on its own -

am I going to get 75 quid for it?

Yeah. So that's going to be very, very tight on the creativity.

Come on, now, Jay -

where's that positive can-do attitude we know and love?

But it is a beautiful chair in itself,

and it could be made even better.

That's why I come to you, you see, cos I know that

when I come back, I'm going to go, "Oh, Jay, I love it,"

because, at the moment, I'm not terribly keen.

Give it your special Jay magic, and we have a chance.

Sarah's leaving Jay a budget of £45,

but has given him free rein to unleash his makeover magic.

I feel a bit guilty about driving such a hard bargain there,

but I'm hoping Jay can really strut his stuff with that chair,

and create something that is really beautiful, and has some value to it.

I'm hoping to do something really creative with this,

so Sarah will be able to sell it on for at least £70,

and it should be...

Someone should buy this for £70 after I've finished with it,

cos it's a really solid chair, really sturdy,

and I know she said she'll probably spend about...

I'd say about four quid at a car-boot sale,

but, after it's been jazzed up, it should be able to reach 70.

A little bit more, probably. Probably even £80.

Jay will need to come up with a quick and simple idea to

stay within the £45 budget, without scrimping on the style.

Back in Marlow, Buckinghamshire,

Neil's just about to get to work on his heap of hessian.

Here are all the sacks.

We've got about 18 sacks.

We're thinking of keeping an outside feel to them

and turning into something like a...

hessian canvas version of a trug.

So, first thing to do with these is to start the design process,

and work out what we can do with them.

Before that, though...

Time to put these in the washing machine, I think.

Quite right. That stinky sack smell's got to go.

And once they're all freshly laundered,

he starts to design the garden trugs he hopes to rustle up.

I think we need to establish a shape.

Neil sketches out his first ideas.

It looks, er, intriguing.

If his design is going to work,

he'll need to combine the hessian sacks with some other materials.

So, if we maybe can do something with these...

That's some reclaimed curtain wire from an old camper van.

Put a tube across around the top, holds it open.

Those will be put to good use, giving the trugs a bit of structure.

And Neil's not done there -

he's spotted another salvaged item to add to the mix.

Some tent material.

It's good stuff. Canvas strip along the bottom of the base.

Another canvas strip around the top, because the hessian sack,

although it is strong, it's a very loose weave,

so we can't have people putting in their plums

and then seeing them roll across the floor.

With plum security the very highest priority,

Neil applies a mix of paraffin wax and beeswax to the canvas

to make the fabric more durable.

So, the wax will strengthen it and make it sturdy,

so compared to some unwaxed canvas here,

we've got a much stiffer wax, and it will be waterproof as well.

To create that stiff waterproof texture he's after,

Neil then irons the material so that the wax impregnates the fabric.

With all the elements in place, Neil stitches it all together.

Well, bag number one, I think the concept is right,

the design is right, the look is right.

It's, er, yeah, it's about there, so that's good.

It's great, but that was just a prototype.

He's still got a pile of sacks to start work on.

Well, the challenge is to make something along the lines

of what I normally make, which is nice-looking bags.

Um, the challenge, at the moment,

is doing it at a price within the budget,

so trying to get something

that's quick and straightforward to make.

However, it obviously can't fall apart.

Neil's got a budget of only £12 per bag,

and these trugs seem to need a lot of intricate work.

In Wolverhampton, Jay is pondering his creative options.

I'm thinking probably two, maybe three colours, with this one.

He has to keep time and materials to a minimum to make sure

he doesn't go over his £45 budget.

Sometimes what tends to happen is you start to paint,

and then the design comes to you,

so what I'm going to do is just play it by ear.

You guys are going to, erm, see as this...

creatively unfolds.

This is a free-form design odyssey into the unknown.

It's upcycling jazz.

So I'm going to do black all over,

but I'm going to pick out some highlights with some colour.

To me, anyway, those two work really, really well together,

looking at it from a bird's-eye view...

So really, really thin layers is what this one requires,

and most paint, anyway, when I'm using it,

I always do it very thinly,

simply because I want the colour to build up,

rather than dab on a load of paint.

Jay is using chalk paint.

It requires no surface preparation,

and it comes premixed with the wax finish,

which protects the paint against wear and tear -

both big time-savers.

Hmm...

So, sometimes what I tend to do is just try to imagine the chair,

erm, finished, and seeing if that looks all right.

To me, now, that looks a little bit lopsided,

so I would need something else added in there

or, I'm thinking, the pink doesn't work.

It might end up just being two colours.

Changing the design will take time,

and that could have a knock-on effect to the cost.

What I'm going to do

is add the black, because at the moment, the pink and the blue

are not working as well together,

and it's probably because I can see a lot of the brown,

so I need to have the black, really, on there.

We could be witnessing creative genius at work...

..or a project spiralling out of time and over budget.

Back in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Neil's finishing the unenviable task

of turning hessian rags into what Sarah's hoping will be riches.

Sarah's about to arrive

and see the transformation of these hessian sacks.

They were a real challenge. The mess was incredible.

I've had a workshop full of hessian.

I became Hessian Man by the end of the day.

So they've been a challenge, definitely.

Now, this could be a little bit embarrassing,

because all of the sacks that I left Neil with were in terrible shape.

They had moths flying out of them.

If he's managed to make something saleable out of them,

I'll be really surprised.

The sacks started off as smelly, dusty and moth-bitten,

with little or no sacks appeal.

They are now multifunctional trug-style bags,

complete with a canvas base and handles,

and curtain wiring round the tops

to make them practical as well as stylish.

-I can't wait to see them. Is it a "them"?

-There's plenty of them.

-I think they're amazing!

-Good.

They look so clean and nice and fresh and...

-Fantastic!

-Good.

-There's loads of them. How many have you managed to make?

-Ten.

-Ten.

Oh, they're really impressive.

It's something that was going to be thrown away,

and it will just last another lifetime.

It's a massive achievement.

You've turned something that was, frankly, nearly useless,

short of keeping your tools in in a shed,

into something that's highly saleable and really attractive.

It took Neil long enough to make one trug.

How on Earth has he managed to knock up ten?

Once I got the production roll going,

then I was making strips of canvas all in one go, so it's fine, yeah.

They've come within budget.

They're bang on, they really are.

Sarah's delighted, and Neil's just glad

he doesn't have to don his cape and become Hessian Man any more.

Not sad to see these ones go. Quite happy to see the hessian sacks go.

I am so pleased with this lot.

They look absolutely fantastic and they've got bags of style.

Get it?

At the tip, Sarah spotted Keith

and his large collection of hessian sacks.

I love these. It reminds me of the sack race when I was little.

With Keith's blessing, Sarah made off with a bin full of sacks.

If somebody can find a use for things like that,

which you don't see any more, it's brilliant.

And that somebody was bag-maker extraordinaire Neil,

who turned them into multipurpose marvels.

And, thanks to his handiwork,

they were bought by husband-and-wife team, Nick and Kim,

to sell in their online retro furnishing and lighting shop.

Beautiful.

-Functional.

-Mmm.

-Very functional.

With the bags rehomed,

it's time for Sarah to visit Keith at his home in Surrey.

-Hi, there.

-Hello.

-Hi, Keith, how you doing?

-Hi, not too bad.

-Very nice to see you again.

-Yes, and you.

I'm here to catch up about the hessian sacks

-that you were dropping off at the tip.

-Yeah.

I didn't get the pleasure of working on them myself,

but they went to a lovely chap called Neil,

-who uses lots of old materials to make new bags.

-Mm-hm.

He took them and we had a discussion together about what to do with them.

Well, let me show you. So, here you go.

-That might be the way you remember them.

-Right, OK, yeah.

-And this is how they ended up.

-Wow. They're good, aren't they?

Are they gardening bags or shopping bags or...?

They were whatever anybody wanted to be with them.

Lovely Neil made ten of them for us.

-After his money, we actually managed to sell them at a profit.

-Right, OK.

-So, we have £50 here to hand over.

-Oh.

-All for you.

-Oh, grand.

Oh, thank you. That's most unexpected.

Any ideas what you might do with it?

Yeah, several things

but I think it would be nice to take mother-in-law out for a bite to eat,

or a glass of wine or two glasses of wine, something like that.

Fantastic. Thank you very much for dropping them off

-and thank you for letting me have them.

-Thanks.

-Absolute pleasure.

-Thanks very much.

-Nice to see you.

-OK, thank you.

-Bye.

-OK, Bye.

I was really impressed with what Neil managed to do

with those old hessian sacks,

and I think Keith was quite impressed too.

And he's taking his mother-in-law out with the 50 quid.

There are Brownie points to be had there.

Neil stuck to his budget of £12 per bag,

and produced ten, at a total cost of £120.

The job lot of bags sold for £170,

giving Sarah £50 to hand back to Keith.

With the first item making a profit, Sarah's now in Altrincham,

just outside Manchester, to find another lucky so-and-so,

transform their junk, and produce a pay-out.

Diamond rings? £50 notes?

Wishful thinking, Sarah.

Perhaps mother and daughter,

Carol and Tamara, will be able to provide a hidden gem.

Where's all this stuff coming from, then?

I've had it donated off friends and a charity,

because I had a house fire, and I ended up with nothing.

Everybody has just been so great and donated everything.

How traumatic.

Furniture, curtains, bedding, the lot. Clothes for the kids.

-Everybody was safe, though?

-Everybody's safe.

Thank goodness for that.

People were so generous that Tamara has brought the surplus items

that were damaged or in bad condition.

-Plus, she needs the space.

-So how many kids have you got?

-I've got ten altogether. Six of them are at home.

-Ten?!

-Yeah.

How old's your oldest and how old's your youngest?

26, and the youngest is one.

Blimey! Well, with ten kids,

I bet a bit of extra pocket money could come in handy.

So, if Sarah can make a profit to give back to Tamara, all the better.

-That's fantastic.

-And this old chest of drawers might be just the thing.

-So what do you reckon, 1950s?

-I'd say so.

It's nice and chunky, isn't it?

Here, let's just pop it down there.

Brilliant, thank you.

Sarah definitely thinks that's a solid find.

I will keep in touch, show you what I've done,

and try my best to make you a bit of money. Really nice to meet you.

-And you.

-Good luck with getting your house together again.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Brilliant. Thank you.

We'll need to find a home for this lot.

While Sarah figures out how to attach that mirror,

let's find out what Tamara thinks will become of her chest of drawers.

Probably decoupage, whatever it is.

Get it painted, or stripped back to how it originally was,

which would be nice.

So, that dresser's gone from derelict to decoupage

in a matter of moments.

It's well made, it's got great proportions, there is lots of money

to be made here, and I know just the person who's going to make it.

Daniel Heath has a passion for all things sustainable.

An award-winning wallpaper and textile designer,

Daniel loves adding an artistic flair to reclaimed materials,

creating made-to-order furniture, and contemporary design pieces.

I've always been interested in drawing.

I've always drawn things from a very young age. I used to watch

wildlife programmes and come away and draw the animals.

I guess I always wanted to be able to apply those drawings

to something, so the routes were graphic design or textiles,

and it's actually meant that I've been able to take my imagery

and put it on all sorts of different things,

and it's been really good fun doing that.

Let's just hope Daniel thinks he can have some more fun with that

chunky chest of drawers.

That peach princess, I think, really needs a masculine makeover,

so I'm hoping Daniel is the man for the job,

and that he'll help me carry it upstairs.

Daniel's just the lad if you've got something heavy.

-There you go.

-OK.

Great, OK, so mirror for up there.

Yeah. I have got the legs for it, I'm wondering

if maybe we should put them on to see what it looks like,

to give you an idea about the proportion of it.

Be nice to make it more contemporary.

Would you be keen to keep it just one colour?

I think maybe we keep it one colour.

We might do something tonal, on the door fronts.

Daniel might opt for a two-tone look on the dressing table,

but the girlie peach paint job definitely has to go,

and he's got another idea.

The mirror's great.

We can detach the mirror, and then what you'll get is a nice, really

really delicate illustration that we can work onto the back of this.

That sounds brilliant.

I had not thought that you would get detail onto that,

so that is a real bonus.

They've decided on a radical redesign,

but what's all that going to cost?

Well, I think there's a fair amount of work to do on it,

as we can see, so I think it's going to come in at around £400.

-I'm happy at that price.

-Great. Thanks very much.

-There's profit to be made, isn't there?

-There certainly is.

Brilliant. I can't wait to see it.

Daniel Heath is never one to disappoint, is he?

He's going to turn that feminine, pink, not-very-classy thing

into a dapper gentleman. I can't wait to see the results.

I know I'm going to make a profit.

Sarah's confident, but then, she doesn't have to do any of the work.

Sarah's brought me quite a challenging piece.

It looks like somebody's obviously had a go at trying to

make something of it, over several

paints of coat...

-TUTS

-"Paints of coat!"

You'll definitely have a lot of "paints of coat" to do

before that's presentable.

There we go.

Daniel has a budget of £400 for that transformation, but will

he really manage to turn peach and fuzzy into butch and beautiful?

In Wolverhampton, at Jay's workshop,

he's getting ready for Sarah's arrival,

for a thumbs-up or down to his renovation.

I'm really pleased I managed to save the Ercol-style chair,

because, after years of being well-used and well-loved,

it was being thrown away, reluctantly,

but I'm hoping that Jay and his fantastic style has recreated

something that would be welcomed back into anybody's home.

Has Jay succeeded in jazzing up the retro chair?

Jay's creative instincts have served him well.

He kept to his original concept.

The soft pastel shades give this chair a cosy feel,

but the sky-blue and pale-pink detailing pop and catch the eye.

Chalk paints have a rustic texture.

Jay has used this to give the chair the subtly distressed finish.

It feels vintage, in keeping with the original styling.

I think Jay's come up trumps again, but what about Sarah?

-Hello.

-How are you doing? Are you all right?

-You like it?

-It's neat.

I think that really looks really nice.

You got the chalk paint out.

Yeah. I'm not a brilliant chalk paint expert, I must admit.

There are people that can probably do a far better job than me,

but I love working with chalk paint cos there's no rubbing down.

It's just straightforward - slap it on and there you go.

You've got some candy colours in there,

and they're working really well with the grey.

-You like it, yeah?

-Yeah, I think you've done well.

-Thank you.

Jay's got the thumbs-up for the style,

but has he kept to the £45 budget they agreed?

A quick and easy job, erm, with chalk paint.

£45 - can't go wrong.

I think it looks quite cool, actually.

-I can't ask for more than that.

-No?

For 45 quid, that is... It's great.

You've picked all the good points,

and made them look so much better than they did,

and I can see that going into interiors magazines anywhere.

-Job done.

-Right. OK. Cool.

I'm happy, you're happy, and then,

hopefully, the person who it goes to, they'll be happy as well,

-so happy all around.

-Brilliant.

Well, let me take that away and, erm, try and get it sold

and I'll pass on the happiness when I find out who takes it.

-All right, no problem.

-Thanks again.

-You take care now.

For £45, it's a really cheap and quick and easy job to do.

It's a solid chair, as I said before,

and it's going to last the test of time, really.

It's... It's a good, strong chair.

Well, Jay has managed to pump a bit of cool into our one single chair.

He's really lifted it with those lovely pastel colours,

and I'm hoping to squeeze a little bit of profit out of it too.

Sarah first came across the chair just as owner Don was about to

sling it in the skip...

-It's really heavy, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's got a good look.

I do feel guilty about throwing this away.

..so he was happy Sarah saved it.

With its colourful redesign, it was sold to Nick,

who also bought those hessian bags.

It's time to bring Don up to date with his chair's upcycling odyssey.

-Hello again, Don.

-Hello. Hello, Sarah.

-How are you doing?

Very well, thank you. Yeah.

I said, when we last met, that if I could do something

-with your lovely old chair, I would be back in touch.

-Yeah.

And, although it was maybe a little, erm,

-old-fashioned looking, it was...

-It was dated, yeah.

-Dated?

Yeah, probably dated, but do you know something?

Dated is now called retro, retro is vintage,

-and vintage sells, so...

-Oh, right. Right.

It went off to Wolverhampton, to a fantastic guy called Jay Blades.

-Right.

-Now, I'll be keen to know what you think about it,

-so I've got some pictures.

-Oh, right, yes.

Here is your chair.

-Oh, yeah.

-So, what he's done to it...

-Right, right. Wow.

-Now, he has painted it,

and he's added some colour.

Oh, right.

-Do you approve?

-Quite different, quite different, yeah.

Transformed it, hasn't it?

-Yeah, it has given it a new lease of life and...

-Really, yeah.

-Oh, yeah. Yeah.

-Yes, he worked on it beautifully,

and the colours make it actually quite commercial.

-Right. Yeah.

-So, I have got some profit to hand over to you.

-I have got...

-Really?

-..£25 here.

-Oh!

-The profit from your old chair.

-Oh!

-That's for you to keep, to do whatever you like.

-Well...

Thanks very much indeed.

What will you do with that? Any ideas?

-A worthwhile charity, I think. Yeah.

-Oh, well, that's a lovely idea,

-and thank you so much for letting us have your chair.

-Yeah.

It was a sweet little thing,

-and I'm glad it made a little bit of profit.

-Yeah.

Hopefully, people will be inspired to pick up a paintbrush

-and do something with their own chairs.

-OK.

-OK?

-And it was lovely to catch up with you.

-Yeah, brilliant.

-It's been a pleasure.

-Take care.

-Been a pleasure.

-Bye-bye.

-Thank you.

Well, that was a lovely chair, a lovely result,

and a lovely £25 going to good causes.

Jay charged £45 for the makeover.

Sarah sold it for 70, making a profit of £25.

That's two out of two making money. We're on a roll!

The next thing Sarah picks out, she'll work on herself,

and it looks like there's something she can settle on

in Barbara and John's estate.

That looks quite cool.

They don't make them like that any more, do they?

Look at that! What's the story behind this one?

It was one of two sun loungers, camp beds,

that my parents had at a holiday home they had down in Devon.

Is it just me or does it look sort of quite cool?

Well, I suppose...

Perhaps somebody younger than me might think that it was cool!

I think I've probably seen too much of it in my time.

It might be something that could have another lease of life,

and it would be great to take it away

-and see if there's one last gasp for the lounger.

-By all means.

-That would be lovely, thank you.

-Yeah.

It'd be nice if it had some other use again.

Either Sarah's expecting some sun,

or she's got a clever idea up her sleeve.

What do Barbara and John think that might be?

Not much you can do with the chair, except lounge in it.

I hope she finds somewhere nice in the sun.

But it's a very nifty piece of kit, isn't it?

-I think she'll have a great time on it.

-Mm.

Relaxing away!

You're probably wondering what I want to do with the retro camp bed,

but it's got style, it's got class!

You can't let things like that go in the tip.

And I think, with a bit of funking up,

that thing is going to make some money.

With that fourth item secured, Sarah's time at the tip is over.

I might be here some time. You might want to go away.

Back in his studio in Walthamstow, East London,

Daniel's turning his attention to the dressing table.

One of the first jobs is to remove that thick layer of gloss paint,

but that's going to be a tough job.

So, I'm going to strip down the paint, and I think I'm going

to see what the condition is of the piece underneath.

I'm still a bit concerned about how we're going to get the paint off

without messing up the top surface.

I'm hoping that putting a bit of heat on the paint surface

will just bubble it up, so then we can scrape it off, because...

-Oh!

-Whoops. Don't drop your drawers, Daniel.

This heat gun will help to strip the thick paint from the wood beneath.

So it's bubbling up, I'm hoping that that'll mean...

Yeah. Lovely under there.

It's actually really nice. I think it's teak.

I wonder if that'll change my ideas for what I do with it,

in terms of painting the drawers.

With this discovery, Daniel might ditch the plan to paint them,

and instead expose the natural wood.

That's going to mean a lot of painstaking prep work,

but that doesn't daunt a perfectionist like our Dan.

This piece of furniture was made nearly 60 years ago,

but you sand it back and actually, it's still great underneath.

It was built to last. I'm going to carry on scraping.

You do that, Daniel. It's going to take you a while.

Back home in Sussex, I bet poor Sarah's hard at work

turning the old sun lounger into a money-maker.

Oh, or maybe not.

Absolutely nothing wrong with this. Just like this - perfect.

But it's not going to make much money.

The sun worship will have to wait.

Time to get the lounger into the workshop.

I loved this lounger the first moment I saw it.

I don't know why, I suppose it's cos it's retro,

and I can tell it's really well made.

It's got a fantastic ratchet system on here,

which means the ends go up and down and stay in place,

so it's designed to be really comfortable.

There's a blow-up pillow under here.

And that's done well to survive in such good nick for...

Well, it must be...

I'd say nearly 50 years old.

Some things actually improve with age, I think you'll find, Sarah.

Take me, for example.

The only thing about it is, at the moment, it's really looking tired.

Actually, I haven't been sleeping well lately.

There's a bit of rust on the legs...

I'm not opposed to a rub-down.

..and there's some marks on the canvas.

Well, you can't make an omelette without cracking a few eggs.

So, I'm thinking, a little bit of an update,

and I might be able to make a few quid on it.

Oh, there's definitely life in the old dog yet.

But back to the sun lounger.

The cover's in good nick, so Sarah's going to use it in the final piece.

It just means removing and washing.

But what exactly is the master plan for this project?

So, I'm thinking, if I can reposition this

from sun lounger into daybed, or make it into something

that people want to have in their conservatory

or even as a spare bed in their bedroom,

then I might stand a chance of making some money out of it.

So it needs some careful thinking,

but I'm going to get this washed and at least know that I've got that

to work with if it comes up in good condition.

So, it's a makeover that promises quite the transformation.

As the canvas is edged with plastic,

Sarah's cleaning it by hand using a mild washing powder in warm water.

One more rinse.

Then it's just a matter of hanging it out to dry.

Actually, that's happened to me a couple of times too.

Hmm, who knew I had so much in common with a sun lounger?

Time to sort those legs.

Spray time! I'm doing it out here because if I get mess everywhere,

next week, it's going to be mown off

and it'll be completely gone by then.

I'm going to have it upside down.

Hm!

Maybe it's a table.

Must stay focused.

Oh, yes!

It's definitely called "shocking yellow" for a reason.

OK, the similarities between me and the lounger end right here.

I wouldn't be seen dead in that.

I hope you know what you're doing, Sarah.

Hold back.

When you're spray-painting, it dries so quickly. It's better just to do

very fine layers, and then you don't get all these dribbling marks on it.

And you want to go past the object every time,

and then you don't get over spray,

which is this kind of film of little bits on the surface.

So, it dries very quickly, do it quickly, move on,

come back and give it another layer.

The legs may need a couple of coats,

but there won't be any need to lacquer it,

as the spray paint should prevent any further rust.

But, of course, yellow legs and a clean canvas isn't enough for Sarah.

Well, I've managed to get the first coat onto the frame,

and that looks great, and the cover has washed up really well, so now

I want to add some 1950s-inspired floral design to the cover,

and I'm hoping that my potatoes are going to help me out.

No, I'm not going mad - these work really well as an instant printer.

They carve really well, and they're slightly porous,

so that when you pick up the paint on it,

you get enough to do a few good prints before you have to dip again.

If you've never used them, you need to try.

A potato stamp - now there's a thrifty thought.

First, Sarah needs to carve her design into the cut spud.

You can draw an outline with a pencil,

or freestyle it as Sarah's doing.

Well, I'm happy with that. Time to give it a quick test.

Sarah's using some left-over emulsion paint.

It may fade once it's washed,

but it all adds to the overall rustic charm.

Definitely worth practising.

Once you get stuck in on the real thing, there's no going back.

I think that sample looks really cool.

I'm a bit scared about doing it on the real thing.

Don't worry, Sarah -

if you mess it up, there's only your reputation on the line.

Ooh, the pressure!

She's hoping to keep costs to a minimum

and profits to the max with this one,

but with such a bespoke look, will she find a prospective buyer?

In Walthamstow, Daniel's still hard at work on the dressing table.

Today, he's helped by his assistant, Laura, and it's a good job,

because it's intricate work.

The primer from the previous paint job is still in there.

-Just getting the last remnants out with little scalpels.

-Scalpels?

-This is less like woodwork and more like surgery.

-Got to get it all.

But I think it will be worth it,

I think it's going to have a good result.

Once every last atom of old paint has been removed,

Daniel's planning to paint the exterior of the unit,

and oil the front of the drawers to showcase the natural wood grain.

We'll have a nice contrast between the kind of warm, orangey wood

and the cool, dark blue that we're going to use on the outer casings.

But before all that, a base coat.

He's even going to line the drawers with wallpaper of his own design.

This should be enough, unless I'm not doing my calculations right.

Daniel's going all out to create a unique and sophisticated

new item for Sarah, but this is all taking a lot of time.

Is he really going to be able to deliver on budget?

Back in Sussex,

Sarah's putting the final touches to the retro sun lounger.

Oh, fancy!

When Sarah rescued it from certain death at the tip,

it was a tad tired, but still functional.

Now, the sun lounger screams of 1950s glamour.

Sarah has embellished the canvas with potato-print leaves

and hand-cut fabric flowers.

She's re-covered the head support pocket

with matching floral material,

and the vibrant yellow legs set the whole thing off a treat.

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

All we need now is a pool and a cocktail,

and I could be made for the day.

But that won't sell it, will it?

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

Sarah first discovered the sun lounger

in the back of Barbara and John's car.

It was one of two sun loungers, camp beds, that my parents had

at a holiday home they had down in Devon.

Perhaps somebody younger than me might think that it was cool!

I think I've probably seen too much of it in my time.

Well, I'd be willing to bet John would struggle to recognise

his old sun lounger now.

It did make it to the seaside -

it was sold to the Shed Boutique in Ramsgate,

where Lucy was very pleased with the new addition to her stock.

We are a seaside shop,

and this sort of mix of retro and arts and crafts really go together

nicely for us, and suit what we sell in the shop.

Sarah has returned to show Barbara and John

what became of their old sun lounger,

but will she be handing over any profit?

-Hi, Barbara, hello.

-Hello, Sarah.

How do you do? Hello, John, lovely to see you again.

-Hello.

-Now, it was down in Witley where I first saw your sun lounger.

In fact, it wasn't yours, was it? Was it your parents'?

My parents, yes, and in fact I can remember it since my childhood.

It's one of those things.

It was one of two that's been around for a long time.

Well, it had a certain look,

and it was that thing that first drew me to it.

But did you wonder why I took it away?

Well, certainly, because I've always found it incredibly uncomfortable!

Well, for ten minutes in the sun,

I'm sure it would be lovely to lie on.

I've actually got some pictures to show you.

So here is your sun lounger after a makeover.

-Ohh!

-Oh, my God!

-It's beautiful, actually.

-My mother would have loved that,

because she was a great one for making all sorts of

weird artworks and things, and I think she would particularly have

appreciated what you've done with that, from an unpromising start.

I really enjoyed working on it. It was a sweet thing,

and it turns out that other people liked the look of it

and I've actually managed to sell it at a profit.

So I have some money to share with you here.

I've got £33 here that I've managed to...

-Blimey!

-..garner as a profit for you, so there you go,

there is a small windfall from the sun lounger.

That is probably about ten times what it cost originally!

-Thank you very much.

-What might you do with that?

I think I'd like to spend it on the garden, actually.

I think that would be appropriate, wouldn't it?

She really would have appreciated that,

-being a great gardener as well.

-I think she'd have been amazed.

She would, she'd have been absolutely gobsmacked.

Well, it was a really...

I loved working on it, it was a bit of fun, I've made a bit of money,

and if you're going to buy something for the garden, I'm really pleased,

cos I think that puts it very nicely back where it came from, doesn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Lovely, thank you so much.

-Thank you.

-I look forward to seeing you and your excellent rubbish

at the tip sometime soon.

-Thanks ever so much, bye-bye.

-OK, bye.

-Bye.

The old lounger cost Sarah £12 to transform.

She was able to sell it for 45,

which meant there was a profit of £33 to return to Barbara and John.

Well, the sun lounger might have been a bit of a laid-back project,

but I loved working on it,

and I'm pleased that £33 is going to buy something lovely

for John and Barbara's garden.

In Walthamstow, Daniel Heath's putting a final shine

on the 1950s dressing table with mirror.

Well, I'm back in East London to see if Daniel Heath has managed

to change the drab dressing table into something beautiful.

It was right up his street, so I really hope he's nailed it.

When Sarah picked it up, this was a vision in peach,

girlie, and stuck in its dated paint job.

Now, it's a slick and stylish cobalt blue beauty.

All of the hard work revealing the original wood grain

on the drawers has paid off splendidly,

and Daniel's aviary of etchings are an elegant and airy touch.

But will Sarah be drawn to it?

I'm looking forward to showing Sarah what we've done with it.

It was a lovely shape to work with, a nice piece to work on,

-especially considering how it came in.

-You said it, Daniel.

-Daniel. Hiya.

-Hello, Sarah, how you doing.

I'm really well. Is that really it?

That's it, yes, that's what was underneath all that pink.

-The wood's beautiful.

-The grain is quite lovely.

And that mirror, it's lovely. These are just charming, aren't they?

-Thank you.

-Beautiful etchings on there.

Tucked away, there's even more.

Oh, what a surprise!

We've lined the drawers,

because we wanted to bring some more pattern into the piece as well.

That's a really lovely touch. I think that's beautiful,

to get that extra bit, and that colour way, inspired... Oh, wow!

Wallpaper of Daniel's own design in the drawers

makes another personal touch.

I really can't believe how stylish it looks.

-It's a smart piece.

-It's packed in there, isn't it?

I think it's safe to say that

Daniel's got one satisfied customer in Sarah.

She might even sell it, if she can stop enthusing long enough.

I think you've created something that's hugely saleable,

and it's just, "How high do we sell it for?", because it's beautiful.

Yeah, I couldn't believe what it was hiding, basically,

underneath the thick pink gloss.

When Sarah first spotted them, mother and daughter,

Carol and Tamara, were clearing out surplus items

after disaster struck at home.

Because I had a house fire, and I ended up with nothing,

and everybody has been so great and, like, donated everything.

-Tamara's is a busy household.

-So how many kids have you got?

-I've got ten altogether.

-Ten?!

How old's your oldest and how old's your youngest?

26, and the youngest is one.

Sarah was happy to help her free up some space

by taking the dressing table...

..which has since been reborn as a beautiful blue bit

of bedroom furniture.

And it wasn't long before the dressing table found a new home.

A keen customer spotted a shot of it

proudly displayed on Daniel Heath's instagram account.

Now, it's off to be delivered to its new owner,

and Sarah's returned to Greater Manchester to update

Tamara and mum Carol on what became of their dump-destined item.

-Hello.

-Hi, Sarah.

-How are you?

-I'm all right, thank you.

-Hello, Tamara. Oh, Carol, hi there, how are you?

-This is my mum.

-I remember meeting you.

-Yes.

You were looking like you had been very busy when I last saw you.

Yes, decorating and clearing.

The dressing table - it wasn't a very modern-looking thing.

-It hadn't been well decorated, had it?

-No, no.

-It wasn't you, was it?

No, it wasn't me, it was already like that.

Did you have any idea what we might do with it?

-Probably repainted it, maybe...

-Change the handles.

-Yes.

A bit of an update.

I took it along to a guy called Daniel Heath,

and he specialises in surface pattern design.

So, do you want to see what he did with it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Here is your dressing table.

So he stripped it back...

-Oh, it's lovely.

-..and he repainted it and finished it.

-Look at the mirror.

-And engraved the mirror.

-That's gorgeous.

-That's lovely.

-So, I did manage to sell your dressing table.

I've actually got some money here -

-I've got £350.

-No! Shut up! Wow.

-Wow, Sarah.

-All yours.

-Thank you.

-It's an absolute pleasure.

I didn't really expect that, honestly. It's brilliant.

And what will you do with it? Any ideas?

I'm going to buy a new TV with it,

I had one donated and I was very grateful.

The sound went on it this morning, so I'm going to replace the telly.

-Excellent, well, really great to catch up.

-Thank you, Sarah.

-Nice to see you, Carol, as well. Bye-bye.

-Bye!

-Thank you!

I am so pleased that this particular project has turned out well,

because Tamara and her family have been through lots recently,

and I think that money is going to come in handy.

Daniel's materials and labour on the dressing table came in on budget,

at £400. It then sold for a splendid £750,

leaving Sarah with £350 to hand over to Tamara.

Sarah has rescued four items from a life of grime.

The smelly old hessian sacks are now stylish garden trugs.

The bit of brown furniture became black, and blue, and pink.

Sarah stamped her mark on the sun lounger,

and one peachy dressing table was dragged in to the modern day.

Well, what a fantastic result.

Who'd have thought so many amazing things could be made

from just a trip to the tip?