Footstool Refashion

Give dated furniture a new lease of life!

Posted by Libby W.

About

I bought this footstool from a charity shop a couple of years ago, intending to use it for a refashioning project. The wood was a horrible orange colour and the upholstery was dated and worn. It was very sad looking and was marked and chipped in places. Since then it has been carted from house to house and was sat next to the tv gently taunting me! When I saw this beautiful bumblebee fabric, I knew it would be perfect for this project. I am so pleased with the result as it looks so cute and pretty now!

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You Will Need (8 things)

  • Off white Chalk Paint (or colour of your choice)
  • Stool to upcycle
  • Bumblebee Fabric or a print of your choice
  • Pliers
  • Paintbrush
  • Furniture Wax
  • Iron and Ironing Board
  • Glue Gun super glue or a staple gun

Steps (10 steps, 180 minutes)

  1. 1

    Separate the cushion from the base of the footstool. I used a kitchen knife and a bit of elbow grease for this.

  2. 2

    Once I had done this I was left with nails sticking up from the wood. I pulled these out with a pair of pliers.

  3. 3

    Separate all the pieces. I pulled out the draws, took off the magazine rack bit and the knobs. Wipe it all down ready for painting.

  4. 4

    Paint everything with the chalkboard paint. I did several coats leaving things to dry between stages.

  5. 5

    When the paint was dry I applied a layer of wax to give it some shine and make it more hard wearing. This is the paint and wax that I used.

  6. 6

    Now the fun part - covering the cushion! I ironed my fabric so that it had no unsightly creases and was ready for use.

  7. 7

    I decided not to remove the old fabric, as I thought this would be fiddly. As my cushion sits on top of the stool it doesn't matter if I had a little extra bulk. I trimmed away some of the old fabric so that it was as neat as possible.

    I laid the cushion on top of the fabric and cut round it leaving a generous allowance.

  8. 8

    I then folded the fabric over the footstool, careful to keep it taut, gluing as I went.

    You could use staples rather than glue here, if you have a staple gun. This would hold the fabric in place better and probably last longer.

  9. 9

    At the corners I tucked in the excess fabric, making a little triangle and then gluing everything down.

  10. 10

    Finally I put the knobs back on the drawers and glued the cushion back on the base.

    The magazine rack didn't make it back on as I decided it looked better without it.