Reupholstering a Foot Stool

Turn the footstool over. Look for screws or staples that are holding the old upholstery to the footstool’s frame. Unscrew the screws or pull the staples with a pair of pliers. Try not to damage the old piece of upholstery so you can use it for a pattern.

Place a piece of upholstery fabric flat on a table or other work surface. Place the old piece of fabric on top of the new. Smooth out any wrinkles in either piece. Align the fabric grain of the old piece with the grain of the new.

Cut the new fabric piece using the old piece as your guide. Create extra seam allowances by cutting the new fabric 1/2-inch larger than the old.

Flip the footstool right side up. Examine the batting that covers it. Replace the old batting with new, if necessary. Staple the new batting or loose old batting to the footstool’s frame.

Set the overturned footstool in the center of the new piece of upholstery fabric. Fold one corner of the fabric into itself so no raw edge of material shows. Pull the fabric up and under the base of the footstool. Staple the corner in place near a leg. Repeat this process with the diagonal corner. Finish the remaining two corners in a similar manner.

Pull the fabric up on one side. Fold the edge under so no raw edge shows. Staple along the underside of the footstool. Repeat this process for the remaining sides.

Plug in a hot glue gun to give it time to heat. Apply a 6-inch bead of glue along the bottom edge on one side of the footstool. Place trim along the glue bead before the glue dries. Work your way around the entire footstool gluing trim in place. When you complete the circuit, turn back the last 1/2 inch of trim so its raw edge doesn’t show. Secure the end to the footstool with glue.