How to reupholster kitchen bar stools

Reupholstering kitchen bar stools is fun and easy to do! I know because I have reupholstered these  babies four different times! Today, I thought it might be fun to have a look back at all of the different looks these bamboo stools have taken on over the years. 

 I bought these stools at a yard sale years ago and even though I knew they needed some major work, I fell in love with their potential.  There is just something about bamboo furniture that I can not live without. 

I sanded the flaky bamboo down really well with some sandpaper and then I removed the worn green vinyl that was covering the seats. I was surprised to see that the original fabric covering the stools was in a fun colorful tropical print.  I actually quite liked this fabric, but my husband did not. 

I painted the stools with a fresh white paint (which honestly, I regret now) and then I reupholstered the seats with a navy and white print fabric that Jake and I picked out at IKEA. 

You can find the full makeover of these stools inthis post. 

About a year later, I decided to recover the stools in this black and white plaid fabric that I found at Walmart. It was Fall and I wanted a more rustic look in our kitchen and this fabric was just the thing.

You can see more of our Kitchen in myFall Home Tour

And then a year after that, I painted our kitchen walls white and decided to switch out the fabric again on the stools for this blue and white stripe print that I believe I found at a yard sale.

See more of this look in my2017 Summer Home Tour

And now that brings us up to date with the current look of my stools which can be seen in THIS recent blog post. 

This is by far my favorite look for these stools.  I highly doubt that I will ever switch the fabric again! 

This gorgeous grey and white tropical print came from a fabric store in Hawaii. It was my most favorite souvenir that I brought home from our trip.  

Like I mentioned earlier, the reason why I have reupholstered these stools so many times is because it is So simple to do.  Here, let me just show you how.

First I flip the stool over and remove the screws that are holding the seat into place.

Next, I remove the latest layer of fabric using a pair of needle nose pliers. I didn’t find it necessary to remove all of the layers of fabric, although I would have if the underneath fabric were to show through but this one did not.  In some cases, I have added a layer of a thick white fabric to avoid underneath prints from showing through, so that is something to keep in mind.

I cut my new fabric to size and then using my awesome staple gun I begin attaching the fabric to the seat. 

It’s important to pull the fabric tight before you staple.  I staple the sides first and leave the corners for the end.  The corners are the most difficult, but if you pull tight and play around with it, it usually looks just fine in the end.  If not, it’s easy to remove staples and mess around with it some more until you get it right. I’m sure that there is another way to do the corners, but this way works fine for me.

After my fabric is all stapled on, I take the seat outdoors and give it a good spray down with some Scotch-Gard.  This is a fabric and upholstery protector and makes any spills or dirt clean up easier.

And the last step is to screw the seat back on to the stool.  It really is so simple to do. So if you have a set of stools or chairs that you would like reupholstered then I say Go for it!

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I’m really happy with the new look of my stools. They go so well with the rest of my kitchen and the color of the walls, which you can see more of HERE.

Which look is your favorite?

Thanks for stopping by today,

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Emily