Introduction: Covering Old Stools

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Two old stools I scrounged from the trash pickup area of the school I work at, a square of fabric from something I made 15 years ago and a memory foam mattress my friend was throwing away. The only things that are not recycled in this instructable are the staples I used to attach the fabric to the stool!

Supplies

A stool or chair, or table for that matter! Since I'm using a staple gun, the only requirement is that it can take and hold the staples

A scrap of enough fabric to cover the stool - in my case the piece was about 20"x30"

Some sort of padding: I used pieces from a queen sized memory foam mattress, but other items I've thought about using are the "recyclable" material I've seen used in food containers for delivery - they are made from old clothes like blue jeans.

A staple gun and staples - I used 1/2" staples

Step 1: Cut Out Your Foam

Set the stool upside down on your foam to mark the cut-out pattern. For these stools, I had to make weird indentions for the legs which sort of stick out. You will have to figure out the pattern based on your stool, but many times it will be a circle or square.

Cut out the foam. DON'T cut out the material until you have the foam-covered stool to measure with or it might be too small.

Step 2: Staple Your Foam to the Stool

Handle any weird sections like my sticking-out legs first, pulling the foam so it lays right. Then go back around stapling the foam down every 3 imches or so. I had to make sure to staple the foam very close to the legs to make it lay right.

When all the foam is stapled, THEN use the stool, again, to make the cut pattern for the material.

Step 3: Cover the Stool With Fabric and You're Done!

Staple the fabric to the underside of the stool. First do a little of one side, then do the opposite, pulling the material tight, then the other sides, pulling the material tight each time. Fold the material into pleats to make it neater.

For the weird legs, I folded the material and then stapled it tightly on the underside of the stool, but very close to the under-leg so that it held tight against the stool seat.

If I had enough material, and possibly a different underside, I would cut a circular piece, fold the edges down and iron them flat, and then use Tacky Glue to cover the staples. As it is, I have to hope no one looks under my stools!