Episode 13 Money for Nothing

I love these! What are these?

How do you make money for nothing?

This is beautiful. Why are you getting rid of it?

The answer could be hiding in over 20 million tonnes

of household waste, thrown out by us every year.

I'll just do a quick check for Granny's gold.

That's why reclamation expert Jay Blades

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

I've been a builder, I've been a philosophy student

and now, I'm a furniture restorer,

so I know more than most about transformations.

I revamp the old, turn it into the new and sell it on for a profit.

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

-Why would you chuck these chairs out?

-So, what do you think?

JAY LAUGHS

..he can transform his finds into desirable...

Boom - smashed it!

-..valuable...

-It's got real potential.

..and, hopefully, saleable items.

I've got to take my hat off to you, sir.

If Jay is successful,

then he can hand the profits back to the very people

who had no idea there was cash to be made from their trash.

-£80.

-What?

-Yes.

Welcome to Walsall, near Birmingham.

It's the birthplace of Noddy Holder

and home to Merchants Way Recycling Centre.

This is a non-stop hive of activity.

Furniture restorer and upcycler Jay is on a mission

to turn your trash into hard cash.

I love transforming things that have had it into must-have items

and then selling them on for a profit.

But before you make a beeline for your local tip, take note -

Jay's been given special permission to seek out three items

that he can rejuvenate, repurpose and sell on for a profit.

First up today are Tim and Christiane.

But is there anything here packed with potential?

Hello, guys, how are you doing?

-Hello.

-Hello, my name's Jay.

-Hello, Jay.

-Christiane.

-What are you doing with that?

-That's going...

-No! It can't be.

So, OK, you're throwing this away. Why are you throwing it away?

It's rusty, it's rusty.

-Oh, it's rusty.

-And you can't use it.

-OK, you can't use it.

-And we're decluttering.

What's the history behind this then? How long have you had this?

-Well, I arrived in England in '85.

-OK.

I bought it in France and when I arrived in London,

-I found a bag of stickers very cheaply somewhere.

-Right.

I didn't realise what they were, actually, all these stickers.

-And they're football teams, aren't they?

-Football teams, yeah.

I used it for travelling back to France and to London.

-That was in '85, '86.

-So...

Then it went into the shed in the garden about 15 years ago.

This is really, really cool. If it's all right with you,

I would like to stay in contact with you guys, keep hold of this

and transform it into something and show you what we turn it into.

-Brilliant.

-If that's all right.

-Fine.

-Yes, it's exciting.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

-That's the life of a suitcase.

-Yeah, life of a suitcase, yeah.

-Pleasure.

-Bon voyage.

And bonne chance. You're going to need it with this one.

But what do Tim and Christiane reckon to Jay taking on their case?

It's really good, actually,

because it's a suitcase that's got lots of happy memories

and the idea that it's going to have another life is a really good one,

so good for him and we hope it's successful

in its new chapter of its life.

Look at this little beauty. I really, really love this.

I love two things about it, which is the colour - lovely blue -

and the timber that's going around it. It just oozes style to me.

Seen better days but to tell you the truth, it's not in bad nick.

I know someone that will be able to transform this into a thing of joy.

And that someone for the job is Daniel Heath.

Daniel is a designer and maker

who can turn his hand to just about anything.

A wallpaper and textiles designer by trade,

he produces everything from bespoke furniture to high-end furnishings.

I absolutely love coming to work because I love my studio,

I love making things and I get to do that most of the time.

The joy of working with salvaged material is that you've got

a material that you can give a second life to

and it's got provenance to it,

it's got a history that's built into that material,

and you're making it have some new character

and then putting it back out there again,

so that's extremely satisfying.

Let's hope you're as satisfied, Daniel, in this case.

That's one item safely tucked away and Jay's back on the trail

for our second challenge of the day.

Jay, being Jay, he likes to help out when he can,

but sometimes, it doesn't always go to plan.

Can't let your mum carry this stuff. That's not right, is it?

-Look at that. Look at that, eh.

-Poor Jay.

Maybe Gemma and her old armchair will be a more successful encounter.

-Wow, this is really cool. How are you doing? I'm Jay.

-Hello.

-Are you all right?

-Yes.

-Good on you. What are you doing with this?

-Obviously, you're throwing it away.

-Yeah.

-What's the history behind it?

Where's it come from?

My in-laws moved into a 1950s place and they had the whole suite.

-Of this?

-Of this. And it was covered with hunting material.

-It was very kitch.

-Right.

-So, I stripped off the hunting thing.

-Yeah.

-And my sister-in-law had one and I had another

-and the sofa was rehomed somewhere in a charity shop.

-OK.

And I put it in my studio where the cats live

and they completely scratched it to pieces

and then I read this book about not keeping things

-for lots of stupid reasons.

-OK.

-Or examining why you keep things.

-Right.

And so I've been really trimming everything back completely,

so I got rid of it, put it in the garden,

thinking, "I'll find a home for that."

But then it tipped with rain and then cats came and lay on it.

-Right.

-And it's been in the garden all summer.

-Wow.

"Wow" is right, Jay.

This chair has most definitely been on a journey.

If it's all right with you, what I'd like to do is take this

and, if we get a chance to transform it,

-come back and show you exactly what we've done.

-Oh, yeah.

-Would that be cool?

-That would be really good.

I think Gemma is quite happy

that this chair won't be going in the tip.

I feel very good about Jay having taken away my old chair.

I'm hoping, cos it is a really lovely shape,

and I know it is, but I just don't have the wherewithal to do it -

I'm hoping that it will turn into something really funky.

I think the possibility of funkiness making an appearance is very high.

1950s armchair, wingback style, which is that bit there.

But you can see

the cats have had a brilliant time on this,

getting their claws into it and really pulling at this fabric.

But the fabric is still going strong,

so what I think needs to happen with this one

is it just needs to have a recover.

I know an upholsterer who's a very cool cat

-who would love to get their claws into this one.

-He's not lying.

Meet Ray Clarke, upholsterer extraordinaire.

Ray made a name for himself in the world of fashion design,

before discovering his love of vintage furniture.

His fresh, modern designs mix practicality, comfort and luxury.

I never intended to become an upholsterer at the beginning.

It wasn't the thing I set out to do.

I suppose you could say upholstery found ME.

With my creative background in fashion design and textile design,

I was able to use those skills and redirect them

and now this is all I do.

I just give birth to chairs. I love them, yeah.

Well, that's great news, Ray,

because we have a chair for you that needs some serious TLC.

Two items loaded into the Money For Nothing van.

Now it's time for Jay to search for his own pound-making project.

Watch out, people.

Oh, that's a good one! That's a good one.

See, that's better than therapy, that is. That's what you need.

That may be so, Jay,

but what we really need is for you to find an item for yourself.

And Kevin might be the guy who puts a nice offer on the table for you.

-How we doing? Are you all right?

-Yeah, fine, thank you very much.

This is quite nice. It's like going shopping.

-Sorry for rummaging in your boot.

-You're absolutely fine.

-You help yourself.

-That's quite nice. I do like those.

-Hold on, is that a table in there as well?

-Yeah.

I'll put these to one side and then have a look at that.

That's nice. So, Kev, why are you throwing away this table?

-All this belongs to my mother-in-law.

-OK.

And she's moving house, we've stuck her in a bungalow,

-and I'm clearing out the garage.

-Cool, so how old is this?

How old does it go back?

-Ooh, judging by the look of it, I'd say it was about the '60s.

-OK.

That's a really solid bit of table. Is it all right if I can have that?

-Course it is.

-Yeah?

-Absolutely.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-Cool.

Nice blag, Jay.

That's a cracking blank canvas to let your imagination run riot.

What I'm going to do, Kev, if it's all right with you,

I'm going to stay in contact and if I decide to do something

with this or we get something sorted,

I'll let you know exactly what we've done. Is that cool?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Nice one. Thanks for that.

-No problem, nice to talk to you.

-Likewise.

Thank you, kind sir.

Any thoughts about what the future might hold for your little cast-off?

I think it's really good

that somebody's actually going to take some of this stuff away.

I was feeling a bit guilty putting it in the car

to bring it to the tip, just to throw it away,

so I would have thought that a good job on it, clean it all up,

sort it out, maybe change the colour of it or whatever,

that can give somebody a useful table and last for years to come.

Indeed.

I'm really chuffed I was able to save this.

It's got two things that I really do love.

One is Formica from the 1950s, '60s. And also, it's got some sexy legs.

The legs are tapered and they just look beautiful.

But I have to be able to turn this into a profit

and I believe I can do something really special with this,

so let's wait and see.

I very much look forward to it, Jay.

There you have it. Three items found.

Daniel will get on the case with Tim and Christiane's trunk.

Ray will tackle Gemma's wingback chair.

And Jay's got a good feeling about Kevin's table.

That's three incredible items that I've saved from the crusher.

Now what I've got to do is make them desirable and worth a bob or two.

Stratford in East London is home to a growing number of artists.

It's also where screen printer

and wallpaper designer Daniel has a studio.

I hope that Jay's brought me something interesting.

I know that he's aware of what I do

and that my comfort zone is printing

and putting imagery onto stuff.

I've travelled all this way to East London with my trusty case

to see my main man, Daniel.

I've got some ideas for this and I know he's just person

to actually turn them into reality.

-HE KNOCKS ON DOOR

-Hello.

-Hey, Jay, how you doing?

-You all right?

-Yeah, not bad. Good to see you.

-Got you a little present.

-Oh, right, OK.

-Let's have a look at this thing.

-OK.

-It's really light.

-It is quite light, actually. What do you think?

-Well, it...

-It's nice, innit?

-It's drawn on.

-It is drawn on, yeah.

It fooled me as well. I thought that was all hand-stitched.

-That's quite amazing.

-Yeah, it's drawn on.

Hmm, so the case isn't quite as authentic as it first seemed.

Any other potential pitfalls, boys?

-It's cardboard, isn't it?

-It is, yeah. 100% cardboard.

Genuine cardboard.

-It's like a breakfast cereal box or something like that.

-There you go.

-Um...

-I wouldn't have thought of it like that.

A breakfast cereal box with two wooden bits on top of it.

Suitcases date right back to Victorian times.

As car and air travel grew more popular,

different types of cases evolved.

Lightweight cardboard ones were most probably designed

to be lifted easily in and out of vehicles,

while more solid structured cases

would be used for taking abroad on holiday.

-I was thinking it can be turned into a table or something.

-Yeah.

Like a coffee table, something like that,

where it's just keeping the kind of the character.

I think that sounds interesting

-because people like cases for that they are.

-Yeah.

And then you don't want to detract

from the interesting piece that it is.

So, I think I'll try and make it continue to look like a case

but maybe give it a bit of a foundation inside.

Yes, please, cos it is, as you said, it's just a cereal box, isn't it?

-It is.

-That's all it is. And that's not really durable at all.

-No, no.

I think we're almost there. The only thing we're not on is the price.

-I think I can do it at £185.

-£185, did you say?

-I did.

-There we go, sir.

-Brilliant.

-I'm getting in there quick.

-OK.

Thank you. That's... I'm a happy bumblebee, I must say.

As am I, Jay, as am I.

Why don't we buzz off and let Daniel do his thing?

I just knew it! Daniel's the man.

What he's going to do with his hand-printed wallpaper,

he's going to turn that cardboard into something really special.

I can't wait to see the end result.

It could be very special indeed, Jay.

Daniel has a budget of £185 to give this weary traveller a new identity.

But with material as fragile as this,

could it all come apart at those drawn-on seams?

Staying in the creative and hip world that is East London,

it's time to pay a visit to Poplar,

where upholsterer Ray is awaiting Jay and he's excited.

I've always wanted to work with Jay.

I love his eye for colour and detail.

He's bringing a piece of furniture

that the pair of us are going to work on.

I'm over the moon. I can't be happy enough.

This is like, yeah... Let's see what we can do together.

Jay meets Ray. Let's bring it on.

-Yeah.

-Well, Ray, ten out of ten for enthusiasm.

Ray and Jay together at last.

Wow, it's a good thing this one's on wheels. It is really, really heavy.

So, I'm really chuffed now that I've brought this

to my old hunting ground, East London.

This is where Ray's new place is,

so I'm really chuffed that he's going to take this one on.

I've got some ideas of what I believe he could do to this

but I'm sure he's going to have some too, so the two of us together -

pff - it's going to be an amalgamation of creativity.

Let's go and take a look.

-JAY KNOCKS ON DOOR

-Hello, Ray. Are you in there?

-Yeah. Hello, Jay.

-Long time, no see, mate.

-All right? Good to see you.

-You good?

-I'm good, mate. Looking good.

-Thank you, sir, so are you.

-Oh, there we go.

I'm looking pretty good myself.

Unlike this chair, which was left in the rain with some cats.

Oh.

So, what do you think of her?

Oh, er... Eurgh.

-Beautiful, beautiful.

-It is, isn't it?

Lovely shape.

-Oh!

-You're a brave man.

-Yeah.

-I would not do that. I would not be smelling that.

-I've done it now.

-Looks like it's got... Can I rip this down?

-Yeah.

Oh, boy!

-That's a nice spring unit.

-Yeah.

-All in really good nick.

-Yeah.

-None of them are broken, which is quite cool.

-Or rusted or misshapen.

So, that could save us on some of the money, couldn't it, eh?

-You reckon?

-Of course I reckon! I'm here to do a deal, mate.

-All right.

I need to sell this.

So, despite the smell and damp, it looks like this chair is saveable.

It's a lovely shape, Jay. I'm thinking let's keep this simple.

I'm with you, 110%. Now, this is a classic.

-As you can see, these lines are really nice.

-Yeah.

Lovely piping on here,

so let's bring it right up to the 21st century.

What kind of fabrics are you thinking of?

-Cos I'm thinking maybe wool.

-I love wool.

I love wool or felt and the contrast.

And I'd probably add in a bit of velvet in there.

-I like that kind of luxurious feel.

-Short-pile velvet for the piping.

-Definitely short-pile.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, and I think, on this one,

it looks like it belongs next to a fireplace,

so the more cosiness we could create within this chair

-and within the fabric, then we're laughing.

-Yeah.

Oh, I can already hear the crackling of the fire, gentlemen.

Short-pile velvet is not only soft and luxurious to the touch,

but adds an air of sophistication.

-So, we're talking about modern reupholstery...

-Yeah.

..using, like, some beautiful wools, some nice, subtle details,

-do you know what I mean?

-Yeah.

-Nothing too crazy.

-Yes.

Just a nice, warm, considered piece

that will just suit anyone's home, really.

With the structure of the chair intact,

it's all about keeping the design as simple as possible.

Better still, Jay's got some surplus fabric,

left from a previous job, to help save the pennies.

And, on that note, what's the damage, Ray?

I'm saying £750?

I would say £675, and I'm going to give you the fabric

and next time I see you, I'll bring you a cup of tea.

-I think that's a good deal.

-Yeah... But not Earl Grey, though.

-OK.

-OK?

-Done.

-Done.

-Thank you, sir.

Sounds like a good deal. Well done, boys.

I know what Jay wants.

This is going to turn out to be a really classic, beautiful,

subtle but...considered piece.

Wow, that's really special.

I can't wait to see the end result of that.

I knew I'd brought it to the right place.

My ideas and Ray's ideas come together to make one special chair.

I'm just hoping that we turn this one into a top cat again.

Indeed, Jay.

To transform the chair, Ray has a budget of £675,

including the material from Jay.

But has he underestimated the size of the task ahead?

Wolverhampton in the West Midlands is a town with a rich history,

from the woollen trade to coal mining,

steel production and automobile manufacturing.

Today, furniture designers and makers are adding

their own story to the city.

And it's where Jay has his workshop -

a good place to tackle this interesting table.

Formica is made of paper and it's layers and layers of thin paper,

with a kind of resin in between it

and then you have this protective layer on top,

which gives it heat resistance and you can put your pots,

and spillage, you can wipe them up. Really versatile.

But, over the years, it starts to give way - as we all do.

Speak for yourself, Jay!

Jay's decided to add some serious colour to the table,

using wallpaper and paint.

I'm going to bring this table from the '50s to the 21st century,

and with this colour combination, it's really going to pop.

First things first, is to take it apart.

In an ideal world, that should just lift off. Let's hope.

Perfection.

Next, it's time for some serious sanding.

That's a lovely bit of beech, that is.

And it's come up really, really nice.

European beech is a particular favourite

among those who regularly work with wood.

Due to the closed porous cell structure of the species,

a very high quality of finish can be achieved.

So, one down, three more to go.

With the legs sanded,

it's time to prep the table top frame in the same manner.

So, they're all sanded now.

And I'm going to paint this a really vibrant orange.

But I need to do an undercoat on that first.

The outside is going to be black

and the outside of this is going to be black. Let's get busy.

I do like it when we get busy.

Now, that's a colour, isn't it?!

Putting my sunglasses on now, Jay. Carry on.

I think it really, really does work.

With the crazy colours applied, it's on with the wallpaper paste.

This paste I've got is already mixed up,

so I don't need to get water and mix it, like the old-fashioned way.

Jay's colourful approach is definitely his signature look,

but having only spent £10 so far,

will this table be bright and beautiful or a total mishmash?

Back in Stratford, designer Daniel is about to take

the old blue suitcase on another journey -

one that will transform it into a coffee table.

It's a nice piece.

It's got character and colour to it, but it's pretty rickety.

So, what I'm going to do is line the inside with a wooden box, basically,

like a skeleton inside, to give it some strength,

some structure and some weight to it.

That would give me something I could put the legs into underneath,

through the bottom of the case.

And it'll also be an area that I can apply my wallpaper to as well,

so we can put some pattern into there and make it

a bit more interesting on the inside as well.

To get this coffee table off the ground,

Daniel strips down the case and begins the strengthening process.

It's quite challenging because the...

It's quite brittle but I have to be quite forceful

to wrench these bits off

and I just don't want to tear the whole thing in half.

To strengthen the case, Daniel cuts the ply to size and drops it in.

Now for the sides.

OK, so you can see I need to do some more adjustments on the sides

but, once that's in, we've got a good solid base

that we can screw the legs onto.

I think it's going to be a lot more sturdy.

With reinforcement a success, it's on to papering the insides.

I'm just making up a small amount of wallpaper paste,

so that I've got enough to line the suitcase,

or the panelling that I fitted out on the inside of the suitcase.

So, I'm not going to need very much, so there should be enough in here.

I'm going to start with doing the base.

-OK.

-I had my doubts about this one, but do you know what?

It might just work.

Carry on, Daniel. You're definitely on the case. Oh, dear.

Barely three miles away, in Poplar,

Ray is about to take on the old wingback chair.

-Eurgh!

-HE COUGHS

Eurgh! This is going to be a filthy rip-down. Filthy rip-down.

Oh, we like filthy rip-downs on this show.

Oh, I really hope there's nothing live in there.

It's making all kinds of funny noises.

Oh, I've just seen a woodlouse in there. Oh!

And it's crawling, which means eggs, which means larvae,

which means woodworm.

Let's continue on.

Although harmless, these slaters, sow bugs and pill bugs,

which woodlice are also known as, like to feed upon rotten wood.

There are sprays and powders available

to neutralise the unwelcome visitors,

but the best thing a homeowner can do is simply sweep them up

and put them back outside at a safe distance from your home.

I'm trying to save their life. I know they're woodlice, but...

Good man, Ray.

In view of the state of this chair,

it's going to look like a complete strip down to the frame and rebuild.

I can't risk re-covering any part of this upholstery

while this infestation has occurred.

It's going to mean more labour and more time, but it's got to be done.

And at the end of the day, Jay'll be happy to sit in a chair

that won't be crawling with woodlice, so...

I reckon you're right about that, Ray.

But, with some unexpected friends adding more time to Ray's task,

any future prospects of making a profit

have just got that bit smaller.

Ooh.

In Wolverhampton, Jay's hard at work

putting the finishing touches to the Formica table.

A little hair's dropped into that.

You might not have seen it but I did.

It's the little touches that make all the difference.

When Jay picked up the table,

it was moments away from being consigned to the tip.

# One, two, one, two, three, four...

# Fill me up

# Fill me up... #

But Jay saw its potential, stripping it right back,

giving it some care, attention, a whole lot of love

and, more importantly, lots of wonderful colour.

It is unrecognisable and it'll be a long time

before it faces any more trips to the tip.

The orange and black, I know just works really, really well together.

Hopefully, someone else will see the same thing that I do,

which is this is a gem of a design.

The legs, very contemporary.

The colour just oozes,

and the top now - come on - what's not to love on this one?

Very little, Jay, very little indeed.

Ready for a new home and to see some dinner parties

and it needs a little bit of dressing

before I take the pictures and post it up online.

Adding a bit of dressing is always a good thing

when it comes to netting a sale.

I think that is a picture.

It would help if I had my phone to take a picture.

Jay first caught sight of the table

whilst Kevin was being a dutiful son-in-law.

-All this belongs to my mother-in-law.

-OK.

And she's moving house, we've stuck her in a bungalow

and I'm clearing out the garage.

Luckily, Jay could see a bright future for the table

and, with a colourful flick of the wrist...

Jay did eventually find his phone to post piccies of the table online.

And it sold to Petit Miracle Interiors,

a furniture restoration shop in London.

General manager Kate is a fan.

The thing that originally caught my eye

was the use of colour. It's really attractive.

It's not necessarily a mix of colours that I would put together

but I think, when you look at the table,

you can really tell how beautiful they look.

And it's quite unusual and that's what we like to look for as well.

Now Jay is en route to Kevin in Rugby to hand over some cash.

But how much?

JAY KNOCKS ON DOOR

-Hello, Jay.

-How you doing, Kevin? You all right?

-Good, thank you. You?

-Not too bad.

-Nice to see you.

-Likewise.

Do you remember the old table that you brought along

-to the recycling centre?

-I certainly do, yeah.

-And it belonged to your...?

-Mother-in-law.

-Well, I took it on as a project myself.

-Yeah.

-And I transformed it.

-OK.

-Kept it as a table though.

And transformed it into...

Oh, yeah, wow! That is so different. Now that IS a transformation.

-It is a bit, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's just incredible.

-My signature is, like, some bright vibrancy colour.

-I can see THAT!

-And I'm pleased to tell you that we've sold it.

-Right.

And I have some profit for you.

-So, I've got £125...

-Oh, my goodness me!

-..for yourself, sir.

-Thank you very much.

-All right?

-Wow!

Any ideas of what you might do with that?

-Well, we recently had a little granddaughter.

-All right.

And we've spoken to the mother-in-law, so between us,

-we're going to buy something for the baby.

-Ah, bless. That's perfect.

-Yeah.

-All right.

-All right, lovely. Nice to see you.

-Likewise.

-Thank you very much.

-And you never know,

-I might see you at the recycling centre again.

-You never know.

-Right.

-Take care. Bye-bye.

-See you later.

Transforming that 1950s kitchen table was such a joy

and it's a pleasure to know that the profit we made is going towards

a present for Kevin's brand-new granddaughter.

Jay spent £10 on materials.

The interiors boutique bought it for £135,

leaving a £125 profit for Kevin's granddaughter.

Excellent!

In Stratford, East London,

Daniel is giving his coffee table a final polish.

I hope that Jay likes what we've done with it.

I think it looks very different to how it came here

but it still holds some of the character

and some of the telltale signs of wear

and the fact that it's had a life.

I'm back to see Daniel, to pick up that sweet little suitcase.

Hopefully, he's kept some of the charm

and added his own little twist to it.

Back at the tip, Jay spotted this old case

about to make its final journey.

And boy, oh, boy, this time it's travelled first class.

It was on the verge of falling apart,

but Daniel gave it a new solid interior and built it back up

by adding funky modern legs,

a beautiful design

and he's topped it off with solid glass.

There are coffee tables and then there are coffee tables by Daniel.

What a cracking result.

-Hello?

-Hey.

-How you doing, sir?

-How you doing?

Oh, that looks special!

-Oh, that is nice.

-I'm glad you like it.

-Whoo!

I wanted to keep some of the outer

-because there was so little of the thing in the first place.

-Yeah.

I didn't want to do too much to that

but then the inside is, obviously, a real contrast to that.

Oh, it's... It's cool!

Cool is a bit of an understatement, Jay.

I love this transformation,

especially considering the fragility of the suitcase

when it was handed over to Daniel.

That was the biggest challenge -

to make the case sturdy

and to give it, basically, some skeleton inside.

Rigidity, yeah. I really like it.

But has Daniel stayed within the budget of £185?

-Did we come in on budget?

-Yeah.

It was, as ever, more time than expense, really.

I think you've made such a quirky little coffee table,

with storage, and I've just got to sell it. So, thank you, sir.

-Cheers, Jay.

-I'll be off. All right?

-Take care.

-Take care.

-Thank you.

Wow, what a transformation!

Daniel adding his printed designs inside that little suitcase

has just made sure it's ready for another journey.

I'm glad that he saw that what we'd done with it

maintained that character but gave it something fresh and new as well,

so, yeah, I'm glad he was pleased, yeah.

The blue suitcase caught Jay's eye

when Tim and Christiane decided it was time for a clear-out.

-It's rusty, it's rusty.

-Oh, it's rusty.

-You can't use it.

-OK you can't use it.

-And we're decluttering.

With the suitcase saved from the tip,

Jay knew that Dan was the man for the job, and he was right.

The coffee table was snapped up

by a vintage and retro home furnishings company in Shropshire.

Now Jay is off to Walsall to visit Tim and Christiane

and hand over some cash.

Wow, now, that's a knocker, innit?

-Hello!

-Hello.

-Hello, Christiane. Are you all right?

-Yes, thank you.

-How you doing, Tim? All right?

-Yeah, well, thanks.

-So, how are you guys doing?

-Very well, very well.

-Very well?

-Yeah.

Do you remember the suitcase that you guys brought down

-to the recycling centre?

-We do.

-And fond memories you have of that?

-Fonder than ever.

-Oh, bless you.

Well, I took it to a young designer called Daniel Heath,

who worked his magic on it and turned it into...

-Oh, wow!

-Let's see if I can get it...

-Wow!

-Oh, wow!

-It's a coffee table.

-A coffee table with glass on top and sides.

-Beautiful! It's very smart.

-It's amazing.

-Very smart.

-It's classy, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So, this is an art deco-inspired pattern by Daniel

and what he had to do, because the suitcase is made of cardboard,

he had to strengthen it inside for the glass to rest on something

and also the legs to be screwed in.

Cos it couldn't be screwed into cardboard.

-It certainly looks sturdy now, doesn't it?

-It's very sturdy.

-You can still see it's very much a suitcase.

-Yeah.

I think it's a work of art, to tell the honest truth.

-It is a work of art.

-With the stickers.

The stickers are very important.

That combination between the really stylish art deco lining

and your sticker on the side is...just prefect.

-It makes you smile then, doesn't it?

-It does.

-And I think the stickers are cool in their own right.

-Of course they are.

-They're not art deco, but they are very cool.

-I thought they were cool.

-I thought they were happy.

-Yeah.

And you'll be pleased to know that we was able to sell that

and I have...some profit for you.

-Oh!

-I have...

-Some good news today.

-Some good news. £95.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-For doing nothing. For giving you a suitcase at the tip.

-Yes.

-And seeing a beautiful product like that.

-Exactly.

-What are you likely to do with £95?

-I've spent it already.

But I won't let you spend it. It was MY suitcase.

I think it will go to children.

We support some children abroad in developing countries.

-We have four, so we can add something to their birthdays.

-Yes.

And then we'll have a drink with our own children in England.

Ah, that's nice, that's nice. Bless you.

So, that's a good cause and I'm going to love you and leave you.

-So, thank you for the suitcase.

-No, thank YOU. Very exciting, thank you.

We'll never go to the tip again!

Oh, bless you. You take care now. Bye-bye.

Christiane and Tim were over the moon with that transformation

and who could blame them?

Daniel charged £185 to work his magic.

The vintage store bought it for £280,

leaving a £95 profit for Tim and Christiane.

Back in East London, Ray is making some last-minute adjustments

to the wingback chair.

And there's not a whiff of cats to be had anywhere.

'Overall, I'm really pleased with the finished look.'

It's a pretty nice solid piece there,

so, yeah, I just hope Jay likes it.

I'm here to pick that old red chair up from Ray.

Hopefully, he's given me a very slick, cool,

contemporary transformation.

Back at the tip, Jay took a shine to a chair

that had reached the end of the road.

Now it's a chair with a whole new beginning.

Ray has made us very proud with this one.

After requiring a complete strip down,

as well as some pest control,

this really is a tremendous result.

That short-pile velvet from Jay works perfectly

and Ray's stitching, detail and overall craftsmanship

is as sophisticated as promised.

Nice one, Ray!

-How you doing, Ray?

-How's it going, man?

Cor blimey, you've got some work in here now haven't you?

-Yeah, I'm very busy.

-Very busy. Whoa-oa! Look at that, mate!

-It's all right, innit?

-It's a bit more than all right!

-Yeah.

That is nice!

Very nice. Very nice indeed.

I think what you've done is just... It works, 100% works.

You have most definitely surpassed yourself on this one, Ray.

-Thank you.

-I'm telling, you this is supercool.

-I wanted something slick, cool, contemporary.

-Yeah.

And you've given it to me.

Thank you, Ray. You are most kind.

Now, more importantly, is Ray within his £675 budget?

-Tell me you've come in on budget.

-Mate, we've come in on budget.

-Thank you, sir!

-Do you know what I mean?

-That's good.

-I'm really glad of that. That's, oh, made my day.

-Cool. Wicked.

-So, your work's done.

-Mm-hmm.

-Now my work begins.

-Yeah.

-All right.

-So, thank you.

-Thank you.

-And I'll see you again soon.

-Nice one, Jay.

-Take care, Ray.

-Take care. Bye-bye.

Overall, a tremendous result.

Ray has definitely pulled this one out the bag.

What he did was turn it into something cool,

contemporary and very stylish.

All I've got to do is sell it now.

I'm so pleased that he likes it.

I kind of got the impression, got the idea of what Jay was after,

and I'm glad I've been able to deliver it for him.

What a transformation it is

and it all began at Walsall Recycling Centre.

-How you doing? I'm Jay.

-Hello.

-You all right?

-Yes.

-Good on you.

-What you doing with this? Obviously, you're throwing it away.

-Yeah.

The red chair was spotted by Jay

as Gemma was about to put it out of its misery.

So, I've been really trimming everything back completely,

so I got rid of it, put it in the garden,

thinking, "I'll find a home for that."

But then it tipped with rain and then cats came and lay on it

and it's been in the garden all summer.

Yeah, it was in a right mess,

but Jay knew that Ray had the skills to save it.

From the stinky cats...

..to the cat's meow.

Now Jay is in Walsall to see Gemma to show her the transformation.

-Hello, Gemma.

-Hello, Jay.

-How you doing?

-All right.

-You all right?

So, do you remember the red chair you brought to us

-at the recycling centre?

-I do.

-If I remember rightly,

you had it outside or did you have it in the garden?

It was, for a while, unfortunately. Got a little bit mouldy.

-And the cats were...

-The cats completely scratched it to pieces,

which is why I took it out to the garden.

And you was a bit reluctant, if I remember rightly,

to take it to the dump. You was going to do it up yourself.

-I really hate throwing things away. I've been a hoarder for years.

-Yeah.

And recently, um, I've been trying to get rid of being a hoarder.

As you see, I live in a small house and you can't keep everything.

No, you can't. What I did was I took it to a guy called Ray Clarke...

-OK.

-..who transformed your red chair.

And, if you remember, that was what it looks like before.

-Yeah, I remember.

-Yeah, red, cats tearing at it.

-Scratched to pieces.

Oh, bless. And this is what he's done to it.

-Ooh, I like! It's kind of a bit asymmetric, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Oh, it's really beautiful. It's really stylish.

-You like it, yeah?

-Yeah. It's really masculine.

-It is a bit.

-It's supposed to be metrosexual, is what it's meant to be.

-Oh, OK.

-Yeah.

I still wouldn't let it near my cats.

-I'm sad to say that we wasn't able to sell it.

-OK.

But I don't think it's not going to sell.

-I know it's going to sell, basically.

-OK.

So, as soon as it does, I will get back to you

-and bring you the profit.

-OK.

-Is that cool?

-That's great.

-No problem.

-Thanks, Jay.

-Thanks a lot.

-You take care.

-Bye.

-Bye-bye.

I think Gemma was rather pleased with that transformation

and she's got me thinking. Is my taste a bit too masculine?

Something to think about.

Ray charged £675 to work his magic.

This wonderful transformation has yet to be discovered by a buyer

but Jay is confident

that Gemma won't be waiting too long for the profit.

Jay salvaged three items that were destined for the dump.

Daniel worked wonders with the blue suitcase,

Ray showed his quality with the wingback chair

and Jay splashed the colour with the Formica table.

Turning a profit on rubbish is such a treat. It just goes to show,

with a little bit of design know-how and determination,

salvaged items can be given a whole new lease of life.