Footstool Makeover using a Drop Cloth

How I gave an antique footstool a fresh update and a new life with a pretty duck egg blue paint and canvas drop cloth


drop cloth covered footstool

I so so so wish I had a before picture of this little footstool...but I can't find one 😟

I bought this antique footstool off Craigslist to use in my shabby craft room when we lived in Florida, in my pre-blogger days. The stool didn't look anything like this!

Picture this...orangey-brown legs...and a big pillow on top, in a vintage pink chenille pillowcase with a ruffled edge. I really think I bought it for that pillowcase, LOL. Vintage chenille is so shabby chic!

That pretty pink pillowcase was hiding a dirty little secret.

The actual footrest of this little stool was completely rotted. Yes, rotted. I was dumb enough to not even check that before I purchased it...I was so swayed by that pink chenille.

The fabric and wood were actually disintegrating, as was whatever was inside. YUCK!


pleats and trim

After living with it for a little while, even that pretty pink chenille pillow didn't make me feel better. I cringed every time I saw this footstool, knowing what was hiding underneath! I had to give this stool a makeover. I had to fix the problem.

This stool was my first big furniture fix.

I single-handedly tore all the old square nails out, the horsehair, every disintegrating, disgusting bit of it (yes, I know it's an antique but I'm sorry, there comes a time when stuff has to go!). I took it down to the frame, which was basically the legs. The top was rotten, like I said, and it went it the trash.

Mr. DIY bought me a new plywood top, cut to fit and I nailed it on all by myself. It took two tries (we won't go into that, it's a bit of an embarrassing story, 😄).

Here's a really old (bad) phone pic of the footstool shortly after refinishing it. Note the drop cloth covered wing chair, created by following Miss Mustard Seed's tutorial.


drop cloth to recover wing chair and footstool

I painted the base of the footstool with a custom duck egg blue chalk paint color (see similar here) and then added a thick layer of foam, polyester batting and finally, a canvas drop cloth cover.
 
I stapled the drop cloth to the wood footstool with a heavy duty staple gun, and then finished it off (and hid the staples) with some white gimp braid trim that I hot glued around the edge.

antique footstool with pleated drop cloth cover

I think what really makes it stand out though are the little pleats (another Miss Mustard Seed tutorial).

The recovered drop cloth footstool is such an improvement over the 'ugly sins' that were hiding under that pink chenille pillow!! 

I'm happy that it's no longer a health hazard 😍

This little footstool is good to go for another hundred years or so!

LONG LIVE THE FOOTSTOOL :)


bringing beauty to the ordinary,


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Comments

  1. Adorable! Nothing beats drop-cloths for being rustic but very durable, and yours looks great with the beautiful, soft color of the base.

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    1. Thanks Cassie - your comments are so sweet and I agree with you - drop cloths are the best!!

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  2. I love what you've done with the drop-cloth -- this footstool is so adorable!

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    1. Thank you Marcie!! It's so comfortable too :) I just love working with drop cloths; they are workhorses!!

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  3. Wow! This looks great and seems to fit your style perfectly. It is sad but true that some old things just have to be made over.

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    1. Thank you, you are sweet to say so! I was not sorry in the least to see the old stuff go; someone else might have just pitched the whole thing! At least I saved it from that fate :)

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  4. Great makeover--love the ruffle!

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    1. Thank you - once I saw those pleated ruffles by Miss Mustard Seed, I had to replicate them! They're flirty but not too girly if ya know what I mean :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. The pleated ruffle is the perfect finishing touch to your darling footstool!

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    1. Thanks Sharon...these are my new favorite ruffles to make :) Appreciate your comments!! Happy Spring to you ;)

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  6. Love it! I love drop cloth. To me, it's rustic linen. Thanks for sharing it with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. I agree Jann, and it's so great to work with! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  7. Your ruffles are wonderful! I pretty much love anything with ruffles!

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    1. Thanks Cynthia, these pleated ruffles are easier to sew than gathered ones (my thread always seems to break!) so I switched! Thank you for stopping by, have a great weekend!!

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