I'm definitely easing back into that DIY life! To be honest, I have a little bit of DIY A.D.D. lately. Since we moved into our house back in June, my brain has been on overload with everything I want to update/renovate/paint/fix/etc! I want to do ALL THE THINGS NOW! But you know, there's that whole part where things cost money or something... oh, and take time (#3Kids4AndUnder). And the number of my children that take naps is slowly diminishing (one out of three still take naps). I think I have at least five projects right now where I have most or all of the supplies, and I just need to carve out the time to get them done!
OK, on to the bench! A few years back when my parents downsized, my Mama passed down some of a furniture set from her grandmother. It's this rich wood with intricate design and I love it. I use the stand up dresser for craft storage and the desk/vanity is in Emerson's room. The bench has been hanging out in our Master Bedroom with this lovely original gold fabric. I had some of this black and white striped fabric (from IKEA) leftover from a pouf project (tutorial to come!), and I thought it would work well on the bench.
SUPPLIES
- Fabric
- Batting
- Foam
- Upholstery strapping (if needed)
- Nail gun or staple gun
- Hammer
STEP ONE:
Take off the old fabric, batting, foam, etc. This piece is pretty old and even had horse hair for the cushion! There were approximately 1,000 tiny finishing upholstery nails that took forever to take off. But that's what husbands are for, right?!
STEP TWO:
Replace the upholstery strapping. I picked up some new strapping at JoAnn's and we attached it in a weave so it would hold tight. Such a huge difference! The old bench was broken through from a certain two year old (thanks Teddy Mike), and the fact that it is probably over 60 years old didn't help either!
Originally, we bought some new upholstery nails to attach the strapping, but we were having trouble getting them nailed in, so we just used the staple gun and it worked great.
STEP THREE:
Cut the foam to size, put the foam on the bench frame, and stretch the batting tight over top. We stapled the long ends first so it was nice and tight with no bunching. Then we pulled tight and stapled along the other two sides, leaving enough room near the corners.
Next, we stapled the corners folding the fabric so there were no creases and everything was pulled tight. After everything is stapled, cut off the excess batting as close to the staples as you can get.
STEP FOUR:
Add the fabric on top and follow the same stapling pattern - two long sides first, then the two other sides, pulling tight as you go. Then follow up with the corners, folding to make a neat, tight seam. I had Zach help me pull tight so we could get a really smooth, tight finish, so having another set of arms definitely helps!
STEP FIVE:
Attach the cushion to the bench. Our cushion fit snug and the screw holes were so worn that even new screws wouldn't hold it together. Since this bench doesn't get a lot of high traffic (besides holding my clothes every once and a while), I didn't securely attach it.
And now you have yourself an updated bench! I decided not to refinish or repaint the base of the bench because the wood is in pretty good condition. Plus, I am a little intimidated because there is so much detail! It's so intricate I get a headache even thinking about sanding and repainting or staining it. No thanks.
I'm loving how it turned out! It's looks great back in our Master Bedroom, and let's be honest, it will probably soon be covered by my clothes, but at least when it's not it will be pretty! I love the contrast of the black and white against the other color I like to pull into our house.
As for cost, this was such a cheap project. I had almost everything on hand, besides the strapping, which only costs a couple of dollars at JoAnn's. Re-upholstering is such an affordable way to update pieces in your home! Happy DIY'ing!
This way my partner Wesley Virgin's tale launches with this shocking and controversial VIDEO.
ReplyDeleteYou see, Wesley was in the military-and shortly after leaving-he revealed hidden, "self mind control" tactics that the CIA and others used to get anything they want.
As it turns out, these are the EXACT same secrets tons of celebrities (especially those who "come out of nowhere") and elite business people used to become wealthy and famous.
You probably know that you utilize only 10% of your brain.
Really, that's because most of your brainpower is UNCONSCIOUS.
Perhaps this expression has even occurred IN YOUR own head... as it did in my good friend Wesley Virgin's head seven years ago, while driving a non-registered, garbage bucket of a vehicle without a driver's license and with $3 on his banking card.
"I'm absolutely frustrated with living payroll to payroll! Why can't I turn myself successful?"
You took part in those conversations, right?
Your own success story is going to start. All you need is to believe in YOURSELF.
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Vintage vibe for my house this year. Here's a great website for all of us.
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