Before and After: Simple Stool

Remember this 80's gem with it's cheap black silk fabric and black metal legs?  Say hello to my first piece of inventory for Lather Creations.

I picked up this footstool off Kijiji for $15 with big plans to do my first fabric recovering job.  Since this is obviously a more recent piece of furniture, rather than having traditional uphostery tacks, it was simply a piece of plywood layered with foam and fabric and stapled together.  All in all, a great starter project!

I started by unscrewing the base from the seat cushion, washed it throughoughly and spray painted it several coats of indoor/outdoor white spray paint.  This was followed with a few coats of clear gloss top coat for protection.

The old staples were taken out with a butter knife (wear your safety glasses!) and I used the old foam and fabric to size out my new foam and fabric (the old foam was nasty and not worth saving). I got them from a local fabric store and they happened to be having a sale on upholstery fabric and foam - score! Using a staple gun, I slowly made my way around the plywood, pulling and folding over the fabric before securing it to the plywood.  The corners were tricky but practice makes perfect!

A few lessons learned along the way...
-spray painting is for the patient soul,  being overzealous results in unslightly drip marks.  Use short bursts of spray in a constant motion.
-if your fabric has a pattern, pay careful attention to keeping it lined up along the edge of the seat as you pull and stretch.

I'm super pleased with the end result, I think it's perfect for brightening up a mudroom or other space in need of a little extra seating.

What are you up to this lovely Friday?

XO
Lenore