Foot Stool Transformation

So if you read my post yesterday, you know that I picked up this beauty in Savannah last week for 25 bucks!

I debated for a few days about what I wanted to do with it and where it would go. I finally decided that I want to put it at the end of the hallway for now, but probably move it to our office/guest room once we get our daybed- which I've ordered but is sadly on back order until June :(

I was first thinking of using burlap fabric for that natural look, and maybe paint the base white. But once I got the burlap on, I thought it looked a little too drab. Luckily it was only $4 for the fabric so I didn't waste too much moolah. So back to Hancock Fabrics I went, and found exactly what I had in mind.

I did this the same way as the headboard. Staple first at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock. Then fill in all around while pulling fabric tightly.

Tada! I love this print-it's grey with white lines and squares outlined in orange

So I had the cushion finished; now it was just a matter of deciding whether I wanted to paint the base. Here is how it looked with the original wood base and new cushion:

I finally decided to paint the base white to bring out the white in the fabric and I'm very glad I did! First, I sanded the wood just to make sure it was ready for paint. Then I painted 2 light coats of Ivory Dust in a satin finish. This wouldn't be my first choice of finish, I would rather use a semi-gloss, but I had it on hand from a paint sample I bought when picking out a trim color. Yay- this part was practically free! Here's how it looked after 2 coats of paint:

Almost finished! All I had to do now was put on a coat of poly to make it shine, or so I thought. I used the same can of poly for a previous painted-wood project and it worked perfectly. Next time, I'll be sure to read the fine print on the can BEFORE coating it on painted wood!

If you look closely toward the bottom of the can, it reads "Oil-based stains, paints, or coatings applied under Polycrylic may amber normally." Well apparently, the stain on this stool was oil-based because it ambered all over! So my work was ruined :(

I mean, it just looked awful. Talk about learning from your mistakes! I'll definitely read the fine print next time. So I had to wait a few hours for the poly to completely dry before re-sanding. After lightly sanding it, I put another coat of the white paint on and it covered up all of the amberness (don't think that's a word but you get the idea)

Then it was just a matter of letting it dry overnight and then attaching the cushion. I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out! Remember, this is how it looked when I found it:

And this is it now:

 

Total cost for this project = $35

     stool: $25

     burlap fabric: $4

     geometric fabric: $6

     staple gun and staples: already owned

     paint and paint brush: already owned

Not too shabby... What do you think?