How to Reupholster a Footstool

I am all about creating the perfect look for my home, but I have to admit, I have expensive taste without the deep pockets to match. That’s why I have learned to achieve my desired look through DIY. Recently, I visited our local antique mall in search for the perfect chair and ottoman duo to create a little reading space in my room.

The good news is, I found my duo, the semi-bad news is, while the bones of the furniture were perfect, the fabric on the footstool was less than ideal.

In this post, I am sharing how I reupholstered an antique store footstool for $45 and in 30 minutes.

As you can see in the image above, the fabric design on the footstool I found was out-dated but I really loved the solid wood frame and clawfoot legs. I decided to take to Etsy to look for a vintage toile fabric to revamp my super cute footstool.

What You Need:

Toile Fabric from Etsy

Staple Gun

Staples for the Staple Gun

Drill

Reupholster a Footstool

Now for the fun and fairly easy part. First, I flipped my footstool over and removed the screws from the bottom. This allowed me to remove the top, cushioned part of the footstool. This is the piece I will be reupholstering.

Before reupholstering, I take my new fabric and fold it in half to double it up for thickness. When choosing a fabric, do your research and read reviews. You don’t want to purchase a fabric that is too thin which can be see through or easily rip.

Next, I load up my staple gun. I begin by stapling one side of the fabric to the bottom of the footstool board. Then, I flipped it over and pulled the fabric across the footstool tightly and stapled the opposite side to the bottom of the footstool. I didn’t bother removing the fabric that was originally in place. I was worried that removing the fabric would be a little out of my expertise. Besides, you couldn;t see the original fabric through the new fabric since I folded the new fabric in half, doubling it up.

The trickiest part is getting the corners perfectly rounded. I don’t have any real tip here. I just played around with folding the fabric over the corners until I got it to look right and then I stapled the fabric to the bottom of the board.

Once you have your footstool top board fully covered, you can reattach it to your frame using the original screws and your drill.
There you have it. Good as new!

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Hi! I'm Alexandra

I am an entrepreneur, author, and mom of 3 from Memphis, Tennessee. I fill my days pursuing the dream of being my own boss as a full time influencer and sensory marketing specialist while spending my evenings playing superheros, helping with homework, making dinner, and tucking in my littles.

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