DIY-Vintage Upholstered Step Stool

Hello farmhouse friends!

Greetings from the other side of Spring break. That is where I have been for the last two weeks.

If you have been wondering what has happened to me, I have not died tragically under a mountain of spray paint as the rumors have said.

One of the weeks I got to hang out with these two cuties and their mama from California. They came up to go to the Great Wolfe Lodge for Spring Break.

It makes me miss my kids at this age. Mine are all grown-ups now except my number 4 is a teenage girl. The other 3 are all grown ups.

They are so fun! I know their mom thinks I am crazy for missing this age but it goes sooooo fast!

Today, class we are going to recover a  really gross stool that is in bad need of recovering. In the picture  above and  below you can see why it is in such great need.

Gross! Who lives  in the house you got this thing at?

Did you pull it out of a dumpster?

Nope, that hazmat material is right out of my livingroom.

Yes, tragically my livingroom.

Here is another glamour shot of it’s filthiness.

I don’t even want to know what has been spilled on it!

Step One: Take your step stool apart-Wear Hazmat Gloves and attempt to take it apart without giving yourself some sort of grave illness from all of the stored bacteria. Mine had just 4 screws holding it together. Thank goodness!

Still Step One: Rejoice you didn’t die or find anything really gross underneath the edges.

Materials List:

• Staple Gun
• Staples
• Hammer
• Scissors
• Material for Upholstery
• Possible anti-bacterial cream if you have a really gross step stool or you staple your finger…..just saying

Step Two: Cut out your upholstery material of choice. Cut your fabric generously larger than the top you are recovering. It needs to be able to wrap around the top as you can see and staple around on to the bottom.  You can cut the excess off later. You want plenty to be able to pull tight when stapling.

Step Three: Stapling Upholstery. This is definitely the scariest part to begin. Once you start it is not hard at all. It is not uncommon for your staples to not go all the way into to wood. That is why I keep a hammer close by to just finish the job. The best practice for good upholstery is to work in opposites. When you put your first staple in on one side put your next staple on the opposite side so you can stretch your material nice and tight.

Here is a close up of one of my staples no going quite all the way in.

Just take your hammer and hammer it right down.

Step Three: Stapling Upholstery. Still working on the stapling part. It takes quite a while to get all of the staples in. Your hand will hurt before your project is all done. But it is totally worth it I promise! You need to keep working in opposing sides until you are all done and your material is nice and tight. Keep turning your stool top over and checking it to see if it nice and tight. Be careful if you fabric has a pattern print to it so that you are not stretching it out of shape.

Step Three: Trimming the Upholstery. Now you get to cut off all of that extra shaggy fabric that is flopping around. Yay! Make it nice and clean. Be care not to cut too close.

Step Four: Put it Back Together. All stools will be a little different so just reverse how your’s came apart and put it back together.

Here is a close up of mine.

You will never guess where my material came from.

No, not Jo-Ann fabrics.

It was a curtain remnant.  Yes indeed!

I love using things unexpectedly.

Here is where the stool will be returning to.

Hopefully not to be returning to it’s hazmat state again…..but I can recover it again if needed.

Why do you need a step stool in your living room, by the way you might ask?

Because some of us aren’t 6’4 inches tall like the giant Silverfox and might just need a stool for our short legs from time to time ok!

Geez, so many questions!

Oh, that was just one I guess. I might be a little sensitive.

Here she is all done up for her glamour shot.

Her current choice of garment is much better than the disgustingness of her former cloak.

She has come a long way.

By the way, isn’t that chippy paint awesome.

It took years of neglect, kicking, throwing and three teenage boys to achieve that patina!

I just love the “antique” look. It just works with my lifestyle!

 

Let us know if you have done any upholstering yourself or choose to do some. Send us some photos. We would love to see what you are up to.