Refurbishing a Foot Stool

Paint

• 1

  Sand the stool to remove existing varnish. Wipe the dust away with a tack cloth.

• 2

  Use a putty knife to fill any holes and scratches with wood putty. Sand the putty until it is level with the surrounding surface.

• 3

  Secure any loose pieces with wood glue. Wipe off excess glue with a damp rag.

• 4

  Hammer down all nails so that they are just below the surrounding wood. Remove and replace rusted nails. Secure loose braces or legs with additional nails.

• 5

  Apply a coat of paint. Wait 2 hours and apply a second coat. Allow the stool to dry overnight.

• 6

  Use stencils, sponges, stamps or appliques to add designs over the base coat, if you wish.

• 7

  Apply one or two coats of varnish to protect the paint and seal it.

Upholstery

• 8

  Complete the painting process in Section 1. Remove all upholstery tacks or staples and the existing fabric.

• 9

  Examine the condition of the cushion. Remove the cushion if it is flat, depressed, moldy or otherwise irreparable. Skip to Step 5 if the cushion is serviceable.

• 10

  Measure the width and length of the stool's surface. Cut a block of upholstery foam to size using shears. Cut a piece of batting 3 inches longer and wider than the foam.

• 11

  Glue the foam to the stool. Center the batting on top of the foam and glue it in place.

• 12

  Measure the stool's length and width over the batting and foam. Cut a piece of material 5 inches longer and wider than this measurement.

• 13

  Center the fabric on the stool and pull it taut. Staple the fabric to the wood on the edge of the stool. If the wood has a carved design, it may be necessary to staple the material to the upper 1/2 inch of this decorative section.

• 14

  Trim the fabric so that there is 1/4 inch of material past the staples.

• 15

  Glue trim over the raw edge of the material.

• 16

  Hammer decorative tacks onto the cut end of the trim and around the border of the material to hide any signs of alteration.