Episode 13 Money for Nothing

How are you doing, mate? All right? What's this?

How do you make money for nothing?

So what are you doing here? Are you having a jumble sale?

The answer could be hiding in over 20 million tonnes of household waste

thrown out by us every year.

-I'd like to have that one as well.

-Sure. If you want.

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 transformation.

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

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

I know it might not look like much.

So, it's in a bit of a state.

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

But, like, wow.

..valuable...

We weren't expecting that.

..and hopefully saleable items.

Kev, you've done it again, 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.

SHE LAUGHS

Thank you so much.

At the Altrincham recycling centre in Greater Manchester

the sun is out, the cars are lining up and junk genius Jay Blades

is ready for a glorious day of rescuing rubbish.

On a day like today, where would you rather be?

The beach? For me, it's always the recycling centre.

Now, there's no sandcastle building here,

I've got to go digging for some treasure.

Every wave of visitors sees new things washed ashore

and Jay is waiting to catch them.

If you come with something good, I want it.

Jay has special permission to be here.

-See you later, mate.

-And he is on the hunt for three items

with the potential to bring in the bucks.

Does Lynette have something tucked away in her boot?

Now that is what I like to see. How are you doing?

-Hello.

-I'm Jay.

-Nice to meet you.

-So, obviously,

-you're throwing these away.

-I am going to get rid of them, yes.

-And what were they used for before, then?

-They were planted-up gardens.

My mother bought me this one.

It had ferns and cactus in.

And this one also somebody gave me, which I planted myself.

The bottle garden, or terrarium,

was all the rage in the mid-19th century.

They were perfect for botanists

transporting exotic plants on long voyages and, pretty soon,

everyone wanted one.

-How would you get to the plant, then?

-You had a little spoon

and a fork which were attached to long canes to do a little bit

of weeding, and tidy up the earth, and turn it over,

-and make it look fresh.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Wow!

Hello, there's a nice echo in there.

-Hello?

-It's a little bit dirty, I'm afraid.

-That's all right.

-I can handle dirt.

-Right.

-You don't mind if I have these, then?

No, I'd be very pleased if you have them.

I'll take them and I love a challenge.

I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with them now,

but I will stay in contact with you, if that's all right?

-I shall look out to see what you do with them.

-Thank you.

-Nice to have met you.

-Likewise.

Jay is up and running with a couple of old glass bottles.

But what does Lynette think could be done with them?

I have no idea what he'll do with them, maybe make some lighting,

perhaps he'll have a go at making a garden himself.

Indoor garden vases, would you believe it?

Now, these are a real gem to find

and I think these are hand-blown, just looking at the detail on here.

So, it would have been criminal of me to allow these

to go into the skip. There's definitely money to be made here.

And Jay knows exactly where to send them.

Husband and wife team Katy and Richard not only have

love for one another, but they're sharing it with the world.

Their passion is to turn unused and unloved items into high-end,

modern interiors that can brighten up any home.

I do have a tendency to go quite crazy and maybe a little bit

crazier than you, would that be fair to say?

And you're good at reining me in.

Our skills are sort of complementary, I think, as well,

rather than overlap, so we don't tread on each other's toes.

It's very egalitarian as long as he does what I tell him to do.

-It's all right, it works well, yeah.

-She's in charge.

What will these two crafty creatives conjure up with Jay's bottles?

With one item in the bag, Jay is on the lookout for two more.

Hard-core trash into hard, cold cash, that's my game.

Sarah's busy unloading her car.

Has Jay spotted a potential money-maker?

-Hello, how are we doing?

-Hi, how are you?

-Very good, I'm Jay.

-I'm Sarah, pleased to meet you.

Likewise. So, obviously, someone's been doing some flooring.

We have, my husband has, yes.

And is this solid stuff?

It is, yes, solid oak.

Cool. So how long have you had this?

I've had it for about five years sat in the garage.

This has been sat in the garage for five years?

So your husband is obviously good at what he does

-cos he hasn't got a lot of offcuts.

-Yeah, don't tell him that.

Why not? He's good. He's done a good job.

-If it's all right with you, can I take these?

-Course you can, yeah.

-Help yourself, that's fine.

-All right.

What are you going to make with them?

To tell you the truth, I don't know just yet, but I'm going to

-let you know.

-Good.

-And I'll come back and show you what I've made.

-Is that all right?

-Excellent, I'd like that.

Jay's not sure what this flooring could become.

Does Sarah have any helpful suggestions?

I've no idea what he's going to do with them but I love the idea of

recycling everybody's old waste.

It's a lovely wood, actually, and they're pristine,

they've never been used before,

so I'm sure he'll make something gorgeous.

This is a great find and, in the right hands,

this will turn us a nice profit.

Jay needs a wizard with wood,

someone who's fantastic with flooring.

Luckily, he knows two people who fit the bill.

Meet Josh and his best pal Oli.

These dedicated designers have a passion for turning unwanted waste

into must-have items.

I think we just really like natural, raw materials.

And we kind of combine those with clean, crisp design.

I think the main thing that we really love doing is coming into the

workshop and starting on something new, just having the freedom

to design something and then see it through to a finished product.

Jay's hoping Josh and Oli

are just the team to transform his offcuts of oak flooring.

With two items saved from the skip,

Jay's in search of a little something he can work on himself.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-Good on you.

And Mel has arrived with a boot full of potential loot.

Just the thing, I could do with a lie down.

-Hello.

-How are you doing?

I'm good. So, what's the story behind this?

-This is nice.

-A neighbour moved out, didn't want it,

asked me if I could get rid of it.

-I said, "Go on, I'll find a home for it."

-Right.

-But I couldn't.

-And here you are.

-It's now going to the tip.

-Right.

So how long have you had it, then?

Oh, probably about three months, four months.

Oh, right. It's so sturdy for something like this to be outside.

Normally, the rain would get to it, the weather.

It is flaking a little bit down here.

But that's nothing really, that's nothing.

I've never seen anything like it and it's so cool.

-It's still workable.

-Oh, yeah.

-Have you sat in it?

Yeah, but it's very difficult getting up out of it.

-Is it?

-I've got wonky knees.

-Let me have a go, let me have a go.

Oh, cor blimey. Oh, what?

-Now that...

-That's comfortable?

-That is comfortable.

Oh, it is comfortable.

Oh, here we go. Jay?

Jay?

Sorry, Mel.

-All right, so you don't mind if I take this, then?

-No, you can have it

-with pleasure, mate.

-You've made my day, sir, thank you.

This lounger won't be lounging around Mel's garden any longer.

Is he sorry to see it go?

It's an unusual shape but I couldn't take to it, I didn't like it.

This is just so comfortable. I don't want to get out of it.

But if I want to turn this into a profit, I'm going to have to.

But, don't worry, I know exactly what this needs.

The bamboo lounger completes today's sweep of the recycling centre.

It's Katy and Richard's job to come up with something smashing

from the big glass bottles.

Can Josh and Oli put their distinctive stamp

on the oak flooring?

And will Jay lavish some love on the bamboo lounger?

Now, I'm shattered after all that searching but, I tell you what,

I'm also happy because I found three amazing items

that are going to make brilliant transformations.

The glass bottles have been delivered

to Katy and Richard in their studio in South Wales.

They've had a chance to look over the goods

and consider their options.

Well, we've got some quite nice ideas

but I'd be interested to know what Jay thinks,

whether he's already hatched a plan.

PHONE RINGS

Right on cue, Jay's ringing to chat through ideas.

So what do you think of them? They're big, ain't they?

-They are beautiful.

-Yeah, they are really lovely,

I can't believe somebody was going to chuck them out.

Well, the idea that I had was basically to turn them

into what they was originally and put like a garden thing

inside as well, but you guys are the creative ones.

Well, I actually had a lighting idea, so moving away

from the terrarium idea, which is lovely because

that's what they would have been used for.

I think it would be nice to actually make them into some really dramatic

table or floor lamps.

OK, that sounds cool.

I'd like to use quite high-end fabric cables, really nice, big,

heavy chrome fittings and then make some big conical shades using really

-colourful fabric.

-That all sounds good,

but normally when you have a high-end fabric cable

and a high-end lampshade, it's going to come at a price,

so what's the budget that I've got to set aside for these?

For materials and work, we could get these done for 100 each.

I tell you what, if I was there, I would give you both a hug right now.

-Take care now.

-OK.

-See you soon.

-All the best.

-Cheers, now, bye.

The budget is set and everyone's happy.

A purr-fect conclusion.

He liked what we had in mind.

-We convinced him, didn't we?

-We'll bring him around.

-We'll bring him around.

-And if all else fails,

we can just give him a nice, big hug.

The bottles are to be turned into table lamps,

but with all those fancy fittings and fabrics,

let's hope Katy and Richard can stick to their £200 budget.

The South Downs National Park

contains some of the most ancient woodland in the country,

a fitting place for Jay to bring his oak offcuts.

Thankfully, it's also where he'll find Josh and Oli.

He normally brings us some pretty good stuff, doesn't he?

Yeah, he's probably got a bit of an idea of something

-that can be done with it.

-Yeah, let's hope so.

I'm here in Chichester to see Josh and Oli and I've got some

lovely oak floorboards that I know is going to set them

a bit of a challenge. Let's get these inside.

-How are you doing, lads?

-All right, Jay?

-All right?

-Yeah, I'm good. How are you doing?

-I'm very good actually.

I'm even better now that I'm here.

What I've got for you are floorboards.

I know you don't normally work with floorboards,

I know that's not your bag,

but I thought if anybody could do something creative with these,

it's got to be you lot. So the idea I had was kind of like making

-a little table.

-We could do a table, couldn't we?

-They would be nice as a table top.

-So that was a good idea, then?

I reckon it's not a bad idea, Jay.

Thank you very much, sir.

You smooth talker, Josh.

I'm just thinking it depends how much you want to spend.

Oh, he said the magic word, how much do I want to spend?

Right, I don't want to go too overboard,

so if I leave you with a budget of...

..let's say 120?

Yeah, it might just be a little bit difficult on the budget.

Making a table is always going to cost a bit more.

Oh, dear, sounds expensive.

OK, be kind to me, even if you come up with...

..a better idea that is cheaper, that would be good.

Well, as soon as I saw these, I was thinking they could be

little serving boards. You put your coffee or whatever on there.

We would put a little hole in or even a bit of leather on there,

so you've got a little...

-Then it's a bit of a wall feature as well.

-I think I like

the sound of that. I do. All right.

-How much are we talking?

-Well, maybe, like...

-..a tenner for each of those?

-OK, cool.

Right, the table has been shelved in favour of some serving boards.

Job done, we can all go home.

Yeah?

I'm kind of thinking as well...

Hang on.

Josh isn't finished yet.

They are tongue and grooved floorboards,

they fit nicely together.

-Yeah, they do.

-Could this be like the base to a little tray,

or something like that, as well?

You know, you could fit your small stuff on there and, then,

if you had some bigger teapot, or, like, a load of mugs to bring over

as well, you could have a couple of little trays to take that stuff.

-I like the idea.

-So, sell it all to a cafe.

So it's all as, like, a collection?

Yeah, it's like a kit. A serving kit.

Hold on, you've added something else,

so is that going to add on to me budget?

Why don't we say, like, 20 quid for a tray as well, then?

Eight of these and then two trays?

That's 120!

Shake. Oli, Josh, we've shook on it.

It's a deal.

Once they're done and dusted, let me know and then I'll come back.

-Take care.

-See you later.

Jay scarpers before the boys have a chance to change their mind...again.

Obviously we just kind of said, "Yeah, we'll make a trade,"

but we've yet to really think that through so...

Yeah, that'll take a little bit of working out

but I'm sure we'll able to figure something out.

The lads have promised Jay eight serving platters

and a couple of trays out of just a few offcuts -

and all for £120.

This could be interesting.

Jay is taking the lounger back to his workshop in Wolverhampton.

Let's hope he's not planning to have a snooze in the back room.

Now, this is a gorgeous sun lounger.

I'm just going to give it a little bit of a spruce up.

So adding some paint and a bit of colour,

also I'm going to make a little cushion for the headrest up there,

cos I'm not that great at stitching,

I don't have a sewing machine, so I'm going to give it a go.

That's the spirit, Jay!

First job of the day is to sand down the frame.

Once the sanding's done, the frame is ready to paint.

Jay is using masking tape to protect the slats.

So, what's come to mind is a little motto.

Five Ps -

which is, "Perfect preparation prevents poor performance."

So I'm preparing this piece of furniture

so I don't have a poor performance.

The next bit is potentially perilous.

With a scalpel, Jay is tidying up the taped areas.

Mind those fingers!

I do feel like a surgeon,

and I can understand what kind of pressure they go through.

Because every cut I'm thinking about, "Is it going to be good?

"Where are my fingers? Am I going to stab myself?"

I don't think that is what surgeons worry about, Jay.

That's perfect.

Fingers intact, Jay is adding a coat of black lacquer to the frame.

I know what you're thinking -

no, I'm not going to paint the whole thing with this little paintbrush.

Jay finishes off the painting and leaves the frame to dry,

turning his attention to the tricky bit -

making the cushion.

I've only ever made one cushion in my entire life,

so this could go horribly wrong.

So, fingers crossed, eh?

You can't make a cushion without fabric,

so Jay has sourced this striking material from his local market.

This is what I want to use - look at that!

It's nice, isn't it?

Next up, measuring and cutting.

That's interesting.

52 that way...

..and 28 that way.

Now, you've got to leave a certain amount for your seams.

I don't know what that amount is,

but I know you've got to leave a bit.

This is the moment. I am feeling confident.

I've got the...shears out, and now let's cut!

Let's go for it!

Look at that concentration!

That's confident cutting right there.

If you've got the fabric folded over, don't cut through it.

Oops! His cutting may be slightly off...

..but Jay knows his sewing will need to be bang on...

..and with so much at stake,

he's had a brand-new sewing machine delivered.

Now, what I'm trying to do is figure out how to thread...

..my bobbin.

I know this sits on there.

I'll give it a go, see what happens.

I can't...!

I can't find the end.

It's not very secure.

I didn't suss, this comes up.

This is the smallest hole in the world!

Yes! I did it!

Jay celebrates one small victory at a time -

but progress is painfully slow.

That's not bad, is it? Truthfully, this could take a little while.

You read my mind.

Jay has spent £10 on paint, material and sanding pads.

Let's hope wrestling with the sewing machine

doesn't cause Jay's project to unravel.

In South Wales,

Katy and Richard have been busy

planning how to turn the glass bottles

into big and bold table lamps.

They've got them all cleaned up - so what's next?

Now they're all lovely, spick-and-span and shiny,

they're ready to go.

We have had some holes drilled down here.

We get that done off-site because it quite a tricky job,

and we're going to run beautiful coloured fabric cable through these.

The bottles are certainly gleaming, but table lamps require lampshades,

and lampshades require just the right proportions.

-So that's perfect, width wise, isn't it?

-Yeah, that'll be lovely.

And I think, height wise...

Yeah, maybe you're a bit taller than me, just a bit.

-About there?

-Yeah.

Two hoops hanging in midair is all very well and good,

but, to get a better idea, they're going to knock up a mock up.

So...

Once the lampshade is made,

it's almost impossible to start messing around

with its size and shape.

-It's a bit fiddly, but with Richard's help...

-Yeah.

-I'll come in.

-..we'll get it going.

To save on material, a quick paper shade helps them see what's working.

Feel like I'm on Blue Peter.

I bet you wish you'd made one earlier!

This is one of my cheaper shades.

-OK.

-So, the width's bang on, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Just the height.

It is too tall.

So, ten centimetres - one, two, three, four, five squares.

They've got the height sorted

and they're happy that they can nail the right shape

when it comes to the real thing.

Next it's time to think fabric.

Right, then, let's have a look.

-So what are you thinking?

-This is the fun bit.

You promised Jay some fabulous fabrics, so let's see what you got.

Something like this is going to be too small and busy.

That's really big and bold, nice colours.

Oh, I love this fabric.

Yeah, that's great.

How about this - it's got a bigger pattern on it?

That is beautiful.

After a good old rummage in the fabric basket,

two favourites have emerged, and now it's down to business.

The material has to be stiffened with plastic backing

before it can be fixed onto metal hoops.

Well, this is a bit where it's a bit heart in the mouth,

-because...

-Yeah.

-..A, the fabric's got quite a regimented pattern,

so if you go skewwhiff

and it carries ongoing skewwhiff when you roll the lampshade, then...

..it's going to be all over the place,

it's not going to look professional.

Also, if there's going to... Yeah,

you have to really check for bits of dust that get caught up,

because they are going to be sandwiched...

So, I can feel some on there already.

Richard has measured and cut a length of self-adhesive laminate

which provides just enough rigidity.

It's going to adhere to the fabric, which is great -

but also a bit scary, because once it sticks, it sticks.

You peel it off and then it loses its stickability.

So, Katy, what you're saying is you'd better get it right.

Oh, this is tense.

You do get through a lot of fabric if you...

..mess up.

There are plenty of bumps to smooth out on this project

before it's completed.

We'd better leave these two to concentrate.

Back in Chichester, Josh and Oli are talking trays,

and planning platters.

I thought it might be cool if it was almost like a hexagon type shape.

Yeah, I kind of thought it would be nice to do a hexagon tray, as well.

-Yeah.

-Maybe we could tie the two in.

I love a good, like, geometric shape

but I probably should have paid more attention in maths class because,

like, working out how to do it all,

it's just quite complicated.

Or, I find complicated, anyway, in my simple little mind.

So...

It's only six sides, Josh.

It can't be that hard.

These bits might be a bit small.

Not much of a tray.

Mm, back to the drawing tray...

..I mean board.

HE WHISTLES

Meanwhile, Oli's doing some of his own experimenting

on a spare length of wood.

The little leather hoop,

I might secure it with a brass piece -

but I'm not sure...

..if I'm going to be able to do that.

With Oli struggling to make his platters work

and Josh making tiny trays,

it's time to reshuffle their limited resources.

All it will mean is we'll have six serving platters

that will be that kind of size,

-and then two of them will be this kind of size...

-Mm.

..and we think that's probably the better compromise

than making Josh's trays too small.

It's probably more useful to have a slightly bigger tray

-and a slightly smaller serving board, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Decision made.

There are lots of safety considerations

when thinking about allowing recycled wood to be used with food.

If you're in doubt,

make sure the food doesn't make direct contact with the board.

Always make sure you know what the safety requirements are,

and if in doubt, leave it to a professional.

What do you think of those angles?

Over on the tray side of the workshop,

Josh is employing more modest technology.

Nice sort of tight joint there now, so that'll glue up a lot stronger.

I knew this would come to a sticky end. Oh, dear.

You don't want this falling apart

while you're delivering a nice hot cup of tea -

that would be terrible.

The glue needs to be set hard

before Josh thinks about cutting and planing,

so it's 24 hours in the clamps for these fellas.

Meanwhile, Oli has cut notches into his serving platters,

but he really needs the leather hanging hooks to fit.

It's tight!

With some work still to do,

will Oli manage to create platters that matter?

And can Josh make his trays tray-mendous?

In Wolverhampton...

..Jay's been engaged in an epic battle between man and...

..sewing machine.

His plan to create a cushion for this bamboo lounger

was in danger of falling apart at the seams.

Has his novice needlework risen to the challenge?

I like creating something special and unique.

I think I've definitely done it here.

Before, the lounger was grey, lifeless - anonymous, even.

But now...

..Jay's given it real personality with a bright new look.

He's spruced up this seat with a splash of colour.

The bright orange ties and the blue stripe

contrast with the rich black frame -

and Jay has conquered the sewing machine,

producing a plump floral cushion.

Now, there was nothing wrong with this one -

basically all it needed was a sprucing up, which I've done,

added a bit of colour - I think I've done that - and comfortability.

It's a winner!

When this lounger turned up at the tip, Mel didn't see a bright future.

What's the story behind this?

It's a neighbour moved out, didn't want it,

asked me if I could get rid of it.

I said, "Go on, I'll find a home for it."

-And here you are.

-It's now going to the tip.

And he was quite happy to see it go.

I couldn't take to it - I didn't like it!

Jay wasn't going to let it go to waste,

and with a quirky paint job and home-made cushion

has transformed it from dingy to desirable...

..and, after sharing a few pictures online...

..Jay found a buyer.

Now he's back in Altrincham to show Mel the fruits of his labour.

-Hello, mate.

-Hello, mate.

-How are we doing?

-Not so bad, our kid. Not so bad.

-You all right?

-Yeah.

-Good!

So far so good, still alive!

That's the main thing! So, do you remember the lounger

-that you brought along to the recycling centre?

-Certainly did.

So that wasn't yours, if I remember rightly.

No, it came from next door.

OK, and they didn't want it any more?

No, he moved - he was only in for 12 months

and didn't want to take his rubbish.

I got some bags of sand if you want some of them!

No, that's all right, you can keep the sand.

What I've done is I took the project myself

-and I turned it into...

-Be interesting.

So that's what it looked like before.

-I'll just put these on.

-Yes, you certainly need the glasses!

-Yes, that's right.

-That's it.

-Oh, nice.

-I made a headrest for it.

-Yeah.

-And all I've done, really, is painted that bit blue,

and the whole frame, just kind of gave it a spruce up

-because it was a bit flaking off, some of the black...

-Yeah.

-..and then made a pillowcase for it.

-It looks good.

-It's done all right, yeah!

-I quite like it now -

but I haven't... I need a bigger room to put it in.

-No, you need a big garden, actually.

-Yeah.

I'm glad to see someone would make use of that,

cos it would be a shame to throw it, but it was no good to me.

-Someone has bought this.

-Yeah.

-And...

I'm pleased to tell you that I was able to sell that

and I got for you a bit of money, £90...

-Oh, nice!

-..profit for you.

Wow!

That's a surprise, my friend.

-That's a surprise.

-What are you going to do with that, then?

-Little weekend in Wales.

-Oh, right.

-In the van.

-Two nights will cost 60 quid, I should think.

-Yeah, yeah.

30 quid, there, will do for a few drinks.

-Oh, well, brilliant.

-Cheers, mate.

-That's brill.

-Mel, it's been a pleasure.

-Thank you very much.

-All right?

-Cheers.

-See you soon.

-Yeah, be good.

-All right, take care!

That little bit of paint and brush up on it,

it's actually made it into something special.

It looks good.

Mel seemed happy with the transformation,

even though I didn't do much to it.

Now, what he's going to do with the profit

is take him and the missus away for a lovely weekend in Wales.

Only thing is he didn't invite me!

Better luck next time!

With Jay only spending £10,

a sale of £100 leaves Mel with a cracking £90 profit.

Jay's in South Wales to catch up with Katy and Richard.

They've been busy turning the glass bottles into funky table lamps.

-They're really beautiful objects, you know?

-Yeah.

It's always nice to get something

that feels like it's had a bit of a life.

They said to me they was going to turn them into statement pieces.

Let's go and see how they got on.

Before, these bottles were caked in years of dried-in dirt -

but with a good clean and a generous sprinkle of creative flair...

..they've been transformed from grubby glass gardens

into modern and stylish table lamps.

Each shade is dressed in botanical themed fabric,

and the conical shape complements the curves of the bottles.

With the pink shade in cotton and the green in linen,

the two lamps are individual pieces that also work well as a pair.

The lamps are finished off neatly

with coloured cloth flex and chrome fittings,

and, of course, they've been PAT tested

and comply with all UK electrical safety standards.

Jay was looking for standout pieces.

Have Katy and Richard delivered?

-Hello, hello.

-How are we doing?

-Yeah, very well.

-Nice to see you.

-That's good, that's good.

-Likewise.

Nice to see you.

-I'm not too sure.

-Aah!

I'm only joking.

It's gorgeous.

You know they're gorgeous.

-Thank you.

-You said to me you going to do statement.

-Yeah.

You were going to give me a statement piece, now look at that!

That is...definitely a statement piece, this is...

-How did you clean them?

-It's not alchemy.

Look, this is a cowboy cleaner,

and what you do is you attach it to a drill, feed it into the bottle

and then, as the drill goes round, these spin out.

It's a bit like a car wash.

That's a handy bottle cleaning tip -

but I'm a bit confused.

Wasn't there a blue lampshade in the original plan?

We originally made a different shade for this one, didn't we?

-We did - but we felt the previous shade was a cylinder...

-OK.

..and it was...it was a design that felt

sort of maybe of a slightly different era

so we thought what's nice about these

is they're kind of different in look,

but you've still got the leaf pattern going on -

and they could work together as a pair.

What I want to know is how you guys did on the budget,

because I set you £100 per vase, so that's £200.

-How did we do?

-Yes.

-Totally on the nose.

-So all of this.

I've got the lampshade, a clean vase...

-..wire with a plug that works...

-Yeah.

..and hold on, have I got... is there a light bulb?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look. Not just any light bulb.

-Wow!

-So we got hold of these beautiful...

..light bulbs that... work superbly.

Even without the shades, they are pretty stunning.

That is pretty stunning. Even just by itself.

-Look at that!

-Yeah.

-That is a light bulb.

Big lamp, big bulb.

-Tell me about it!

-All works.

So I get all of this for £100 each?

-You do.

-You do.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

-Our pleasure.

-I'm going to have to kiss your missus, though.

-Aww, mwah.

-Thank you.

-No hug?

No, no, you're all right!

-I got my light bulb, I don't need a hug.

-Oh.

So, I'm going to love you and leave you,

I'll get someone to pick them up.

-All right.

-Cheers.

-Take care. Bye-bye.

Katy and Richard have done a brilliant job

of cleaning up those two dirty vases -

and they've given me not one but two statement pieces.

Now all I've got to do is sell them at the right price.

No pressure!

When Lynette came to the tip to ditch her old glass bottles,

Jay was quick to pounce.

-Hello.

-I'm Jay.

-Nice to meet you.

You don't mind if I have these, then?

No, I would be very pleased if you have them.

Lynette hoped for a green-fingered makeover...

Perhaps he'll even have a go at making a garden himself.

..but it was with a flourish of fabric

that Katy and Richard created two impressive table lamps.

The lamps were put up for sale online and sold to a private buyer.

Now Jay's in Timperley to show Lynette how the makeover ended up.

-Hello!

-Hello, Jay!

-How are you doing?

I'm fine, thank you very much.

-How are you?

-I'm very good, actually.

-Good!

So do you remember the bowls, the glass bowls?

-I do, Jay, yes.

-You brought those down to the recycling centre.

-How long did you have those?

-For about 30 years.

-30 years!

-Yes.

-So why was you getting rid of them, then,

-because there was nothing wrong with them?

-No, there wasn't,

but I seemed to be moving them

from one spot to the other spot in the garden

and I couldn't decide what to do with them

-so I decided it was time for them to go.

-Time to go.

-Yes.

Well, I took them to a couple called Humblesticks,

and basically they turned your glass bowls into...

-Are you ready for this?

-I am.

-Put the glasses on!

-Go on.

-All right!

-..into lamps.

-Oh, beautiful!

-Oh, they're so clean! They're lovely!

-You like that do you?

That's gorgeous, lovely!

-They've got the wire dangling through the middle...

-That's lovely.

..and then you've got the plug on the end so you can plug it in,

turn it on, and then it lights up with this beautiful lampshade.

The shades are beautiful.

And I'm pleased to tell you that we was able to sell them...

Oh, even better!

..and, for you, I have £325.

I'm shocked! Jay, I'm shocked!

-That is all yours.

-I can't believe it!

-Yeah!

Thank you so much!

What are you going to do with the money?

-I'm going to take my mum for afternoon tea.

-Oh, bless you.

-Yes, I am.

-That's nice.

-I'm... I'm shocked.

-Are you shocked?!

I am so shocked! I don't know what to say.

-Thank you so much.

-Oh, bless you.

-That's so kind.

Well, that's good, you're going to take Mum out for an afternoon tea.

-I am, yes.

-It's a pity I can't join you.

-It is. I wish you could.

-Oh, bless you.

-Thank you so much.

-I'm going to be off.

-Bye-bye, now.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

It's fair to say that Lynette was gobsmacked

that we managed to turn her dirty old pots into a nice clean profit.

Now, the look on her face is what this job's all about.

It cost £200 to turn the bottles in two lamps.

They sold for an impressive £525,

giving Lynette a whopping profit of £325.

Lovely!

Jay is back in Sussex to see what has become of the oak flooring.

Hopefully they've given me some serving platters,

maybe with a tray or two,

cos I'm feeling quite peckish. Let's go and take a look.

Oli's been working a little too hard recently,

and he's in bed with a bad back, so Josh is flying solo today.

I think he's going to be really surprised

at what we've done with the floorboards,

and I think we're both, like, really pleased at how they came out so...

Yeah, looking forward to it.

With limited boards at their disposal, and ten pieces to deliver,

not only did Josh and Oli have to be creative,

they had to be careful, too...

..and it looks as if they haven't disappointed.

Oli's hexagonal platters have been planed and treated with wood oil

to bring out the natural warmth of the grain.

Each leather hoop fits snugly into its slot -

but, for extra peace of mind, has been secured with a brass rod.

Josh's two trays have been finished off with oak strips

that were lying around in the workshop.

They've been stained black to contrast nicely with the tray base.

The only question now is...

..will Jay be impressed?

-Hello, mate.

-Look at that!

-Yeah.

-Cool! You good?

-Yeah, I'm good. How are you?

-I'm very good. I'm even better, now.

Look at this, man! Is this my floorboards?

-Really?!

-Floorboards, yeah.

Look at that, man! I want one of these.

It's just a floorboard, but you wouldn't think that, would you?

That looks stylishly cool.

Nice one, man, cheers. Yeah, they came out really well.

And then the trays...

Come on! That just looks cool like...as it is.

-Look at that!

-Yeah, we were saying

that they could almost be little picture frames

or something like that.

The platters and trays are a big hit with Jay -

but there's still one thing left to discuss.

So how did we do on the budget, then?

Yeah, the budget was pretty tight, I think.

We're going to stick to the budget that we agreed, but...

-Yeah...

-That's 120?

-Yeah, that was a bit tight for us, yeah.

-120 for all of this?

-Yeah, yeah, you got a bargain.

That's a deal. I've got more than a bargain!

I think I've got a steal.

-I'm going to be out of here before you change your mind.

-Yeah!

Oopsie-daisy.

They're all mine! I've gone!

See you later!

Two things. That is a steal and they're just so beautiful!

These guys have an ability to make wood look sexy.

Now all I've got to do is sell them.

Sarah was having a garage clear-out,

and her left-over oak flooring was getting the heave-ho.

So how long have you had this?

We had it for about five years sat in the garage.

Sat in the garage for five years?

For Jay, it goes against the grain to throw out such useful material.

If it's all right with you, can I take these?

-Course you can, yes.

-Yeah?

So he passed the wood on to Josh and Oli,

who after a bit of magic...

..came up with an elegant collection of trays and serving platters...

..and it was Margate cafe owner Jean who just had to have them.

They're fantastic - and they're going to be really nice

in terms of nothing slipping off them.

So I'm looking forward to using them.

Now Jay's catching up with Sarah

to show her what became of her cast-off flooring.

-Hello.

-Hello! How are you?

-I'm very good, how are you?

-Nice to see you again.

-Likewise.

-Fine, thank you.

So, do you remember the floorboards

-that you brought up to the recycling centre?

-I do.

-How long did you have them for?

-Oh... Four years, five years.

And was it from this house, then?

Yes, yeah, from the floor in here.

Oh, OK. So why was you throwing them away, then?

-I think we bought too many, actually.

-As we all do.

-Yes.

I took them to two guys called Forge Creative,

and what they turned your floorboards into was...

Oh, they are gorgeous.

Like, serving platters, is what they are.

Oh, they're beautiful!

They've stripped them

and just added a little bit of leather strip on there,

and then we've got a couple of trays.

This bit, where the tray is, the surrounding,

-that's another bit of oak that they've added on there.

-OK.

I think they're beautiful, I'd love one, actually.

-Oh, would you?

-Yeah!

Unfortunately they've all been sold,

but I'm pleased to tell you that I have for you...

..£80 profit.

-That's amazing! Thank you very much.

-That's all yours.

-Thank you.

-What are you going to do with the money, then?

It's going to a friend of mine who runs a local charity,

giving out shoeboxes to children in Eastern Europe.

-Shoes in a box?

-Not quite, no.

-OK.

People donate shoeboxes with essentials and toys,

which we then give to Jess and she sends out

to children in Eastern Europe,

but they don't get the postage

so she does fundraising to get the shoeboxes over there.

Oh, so that's going to pay for the postage.

It is, yeah, she's thrilled.

-Absolutely brilliant.

-Fantastic.

-Well, going to leave you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much.

-Take care.

-Nice to see you.

-Bye.

-Bye-bye.

My friend will be thrilled when I tell her that we...

..we've raised some money for her shoebox charity.

I wasn't expecting that at all,

I think when you go to the tip you just take your junk

and you try and get rid of it

and make a bit of space in your house, so...

Yeah, I'm really amazed, and I think they look beautiful.

Sarah was pleasantly surprised with the transformation,

and the money's going to a worthy cause.

What could be better?

Josh and Oli stuck to their budget of £120.

Jay sold all of the serving platters and trays for £200,

leaving Sarah a profit of £80 to donate to her friend's charity.

The glass bottles have become two striking table lamps,

the oak flooring was transformed into trays and platters,

and Jay's delicate makeover

gave the bamboo lounger a new lease of life.

Three old items that were on the verge of being binned

have been transformed into cool and contemporary furnishings -

and what's more, we've made some money for nothing along the way.