Sunday, April 26, 2015

Cute Step Stool Makeover


Hello All! So this week I did another quick, easy, and cheap project! This stool came out of my grandfather's workroom and I'm sure was used for many woodworking and other projects over the years. It is nice and sturdy but wasn't the prettiest looking. I thought that it would be an easy rehab so that I may be able to reach the upper cabinets in my kitchen. Being 5'4", I have to climb on to the counter if I want to reach my top shelf or add a wine bottle the the collection above the cabinets. Seriously, the man who mounted the cabinets must have been a giant! 

Here are the before pictures. As you can see there were some vinyl black mats that I peeled off (I then  had to scrub off the old adhesive).


The next step was to give the stool a new coat of paint with Rustoleum Metallic in Rubbed Bronze, making sure to hit all angles including the bottom of the steps since they will show when the stool is folded up.  


Make sure to hit all surfaces that will show. For me that included hitting the nut caps. The actual stove bolts do not show so I didn't worry about painting them. 


The next step was to take the vinyl mats and trace them on to some 1/4" plywood. I then used a jigsaw to cut them out and a belt sander to buff out the edges, particularly the corners. I them placed the wood pieces on the stool and marked the holes in the step. I then used a drill to make holes large enough for the bolts. (That makes three new tools learned in 1 hour - thanks dad!). Make sure to mark  which step it is and the orientation so the holes will match up. 


 I then put the bolts through the holes and secured them with some tough as nails glue. Next, it was time to cut out the fabric and batting to cover the steps. I used to same fabric and batting as when I did my Refinished Card Table and Chairs because I had some left over material and I love the print. With the bolts already in, I stapled the batting and fabric around the wood making sure to keep it nice and tight. I used the same tools/stapler as in the Card Table Makeover and followed the same method.


After the wood was covered I lined the bolts up with the holes and slipped them through. I secured them with the painted nut caps and Voila!




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