How to Reupholster a Leather Foot Stool

Remove the old covering. Turn the foot stool over and remove any tacks, nails or staples that are securing the old covering. This can be done with pliers or a chisel and hammer. Remove the legs of the foot stool as well. Most foot stool legs can be screwed on and off.

Remove the old padding. Once the cover has been removed, check the cushion for any wear and bad spots. If you find areas that need removal, go ahead and take off all the padding. This is easily replaced with new padding, and now is the perfect time. If the cushion is still in good shape, do not replace it. Instead, begin recovering the stool.

Replace the padding. Trim your padding to fit the foot stool, leaving an inch extra. Tug it down snugly and nail or staple it in place underneath the stool. Pull it across and staple it to the other underside of the stool. Add extra layers, securing them each as you did the first, until you are satisfied with the level of padding on the stool.

Cut your leather. If possible, cut your leather in one piece to fit the foot stool, with 2 inches of excess material on all sides. On the first side, attach the leather with staples or nails leaving 2 inches of excess. On the opposite side, pull the leather as tightly as you can and secure it with nails or staples. Follow the same steps for the other two sides, pulling the leather taut.

Trim the excess leather and padding. With your scissors or other cutting instrument, trim the excess leather closer to the nails or staples, leaving approximately 1/2 to 1-inch of excess. Make sure not to cut too closely to the nails or staples, as this could create tearing.

Add upholstery tacks. These tacks can be used in place of nails and staples if you wish. But they can also be used as additional anchors for the leather or to hide unsightly nails or staples.

While the stool is still upside down, reattach the legs.