How to Upholster a Round Stool

Round stools make for less-expensive and less-bulky seating in your dining room when compared with dining room chairs or more complicated bar stools. You can save even more money on your seating by picking up round stools at thrift shops and garage sales to upholster yourself. You don't need to be a professional seamstress to add an upholstered cushion seat to your stools for a more decorative touch and comfortable place to take a load off.

Things You'll Need

• Freezer paper
• Tape measure
• Iron
• 3/4 yard fabric
• Ruler
• Cutting mat
• Rotary cutter
• Tailor's chalk
• 24-inch-square piece 2-inch-thick high-density foam
• Electric knife
• Spray adhesive
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Staple gun

Instructions

1. Flip the stool upside down on a piece of freezer paper and trace the outline of the seat with a pencil. Cut the circular outline out with scissors.

2. Iron your fabric to remove all wrinkles.

3. Measure the circumference of the stool's seat with a tape measure. Cut a strip of fabric 4 inches wide and 1 inch longer than the circumference of the seat using a cutting mat, rotary cutter and ruler to guide the cutter.

4. Trace the circular pattern piece onto the fabric with tailor's chalk, leaving a half inch between the line you draw and the edge of the pattern to account for seam allowance. Cut the circle out.

5. Trace the circular pattern piece onto the foam square with tailor's chalk. Cut the circle out using an electric knife.

6. Spray the seat of the stool with spray adhesive and place the circle of foam on the adhesive-covered seat. Press it down with your hands to ensure it adheres.

7. Pin the 4-inch ends of your 4-inch-wide strip of fabric together -- with the right sides of the fabric facing each other -- using straight pins. Sew the 4-inch ends together with a 1/2-inch inseam. Remove the pins as you sew to avoid breaking your machine's needle. Trim the seam allowance down to 1/4 inch.

8. Line up the top edge of your ring of fabric with the perimeter of your circle of fabric, pinning as you go. The top edge of your ring of fabric is the edge you want on top when it is turned right side out. Pin the two pieces of fabric together with the right sides facing each other.

9. Sew the ring and circle of fabric together with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Trim the seam allowance to 1/4 inch. Turn the whole seat cover right side out.

10. Slide the seat cover down over the foam-covered seat of the stool. Flip the stool upside down on your work surface.

11. Pull the edges of the fabric seat cover up and over the edge of the stool's seat. Staple the fabric in place on the underside of the seat, using a staple gun. Pull and staple the fabric oriented at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock first. Then, work on stapling the rest of the fabric. Pull the fabric taut, but not so tight that it compresses the seat's foam.

12. Trim down any excess fabric under the seat after you staple all the way around, so none is hanging down or visible from a distance.

Tips & Warnings

• Add a decorative fabric trim such as pom-pom, ruffles or beaded fringe in the seam between the ring and circle of fabric for an added decorative touch.

• Pay attention to the direction of the fabric when cutting and pinning if you are working with a directional fabric such as plaid or stripes.

• You may want to make a sample seat cover with a less-expensive piece of muslin if you plan to make the final seat cover from an expensive upholstery fabric to avoid a costly mistake. You don't have to use an upholstery fabric, however; you can use an inexpensive fabric such as a quilter's cotton to upholster the stool.

• To reupholster a round stool, remove the staples from the underside of the stool with a flat head screwdriver and needle nose pliers before going forth as you would a never-upholstered round stool. Scrape any foam stuck to the seat off with a paint scraper.

• Keep your fingers clear of the staple gun when stapling the fabric to the underside of the seat.

• Keep your hands out of the way when cutting the foam with the electric knife.