DIY Barstool Makeover

stool1.jpeg

:: Chairs Before ::

When we first moved into our condo we were gifted these classic 80s barstools. They were comfortable and best of all they were free so we took them happily! When we moved into our new place we took the stools with us. During the move we expected to buy new chairs so we used them as painting ladders. Needless to say they got covered in "simply white" paint and we were on the hunt for new stools! I quickly discovered that barstools aren't cheap and to be honest they just don't make comfortable chairs anymore like they did in the 80s! We decided to stick with the chairs and eventually re-paint them and re-cover them. 

:: Chairs After ::

Fast forward to yesterday when my sister's boyfriend Eddie, or "Handy Man Ed" as we nicknamed him came over and spent five hours and three trips to the hardware store with me. Lets just say that without Eddie these chairs would not still be in our living room right now – I would have likely tossed them over the balcony! 

I'm more of a big picture person where Eddie excels with details. He patiently folded little notches into the fabric while I covered the entire balcony in plastic and spray painted the stools. Eddie suggested a high gloss finish in addition to the black spray paint – at first I thought this was just not entirely needed but they really do bump up the finish in a big way. They shine like new again! Recovering chairs was way more work then I thought it would be - tough labour! Eddie took out about 200 staples from one chair with a screw driver and plyer combo and from that pattern we traced the other three seats. The tricky part was for sure with the notches, square stools would be way easier! We were so proud of the results. I absolutely love the new stools and a HUGE thank you to Eddie.

Note on fabric selection: For the barstools I chose an outdoor fabric that is really durable and washable. I did love some of the white linen fabrics but let's be honest … we are not a white linen couple!

What you will need:

  • Eddie

  • Fabric – at least two yards for four stools, that way if you make a mistake you will have lots to play with

  • Staple gun – don't forget to actually buy the staples … not that I would do that either…

  • Rustoleum spray paint – two bottles of black and one high gloss finish

  • Something to remove other staples

Christie Preston