Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Shabby Chic Foot Stool

Living in California, yard sales are prevalent. This weekend offered many sales and some great items! Here's one of the items I picked up:

Vintage Sleigh Foot Stool

I looked it over well and couldn't find any markings or branding, but guess it is mid 1900's or slightly earlier. I saw this poor little guy sitting on the ground and had to have it! The cost: a whole $3.00! I brought it home and began working on it immediately.

In refinishing this cutie, I used the following:

  1. 60 grit sandpaper
  2. quality 1" and 2" brushes
  3. 1" sponge brush
  4. Quality semi gloss paint (I used Concepts in "Ladybug Red")
  5. Minwax stain (I used "American Walnut")
  6. Fabric piece
  7. 3/4 yard of 1" quilt batting
  8. 20 thumb tacks
In starting, I decided to complete the foot rest first. I laid the middle board on top of the batting and cut it about 1" over the board side, all around. I cut 5 pieces, with the last 4 pieces being the same size as the board itself. I notched out the sides in the batting.



 Next, comes the fabric. I found the desired look of the pattern and laid the fabric over the pile. I want a complete, finished look on the underside, so I will be leaving the length sizes a bit longer, than what I really need. Once cut, I ironed the fabric, to get the creases out. I also pressed a half inch seam on each end, to close in the unfinished edges. Starting with the length sides, I pressed down on the pieces (a helper might make this easier) and began carefully pulling the fabric towards the center of the wood piece. Once I had it tight enough, I tacked it down, then I turned to the ends. I carefully did some tucking and began tacking it down.


underside is completely covered and pinned in place

finished cushion

Next, comes the foot rest, itself. Using my 60 grit sandpaper, I sanded down the whole thing. I used some wood glue to help seal some loose handles and let it dry overnight.

Once the sanding and repairs were complete, I began painting. I used 2 coats with polyester brush, allowing the brush strokes and the dark wood to show through the paint. Once the paint was dry, I lightly sanded the areas that I wanted to be distressed (mainly the handles and sides... places that would get a high usage). I then took a sponge brush and applied the stain to the unfinished areas, immediately wiping the excess off, sometimes rubbing it into the piece itself.



After a couple of hours, the base was dry and ready for the cushion. All I had to do was carefully tuck it into the slots and press it down. It popped right into place!



Complete!



Total investment: $9
Time investment: 4 hours

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