Don't you just love these sad old bar stools. They looked pretty miserable in the OP shop when I was browsing through the furniture section . They were pretty dated with some seriously dark stain on the legs and dark leather seats.

They weren't in terrible condition and someone may of been happy with them as they were. However I wanted to French-ify them and give them a extreme makeover. They didn't need to lose weight, get their hair or teeth done. They did need a bit of a new wardrobe on the cushions and maybe a bit of a "spray tan" with some white spray paint.

This isn't the first time I have done up a set of bar stools. My first set probably look very similar to the end result of these here stools. I just loved the look of the first set that I thought I would stay on a good thing and do something similar. The first set were probably in more of a sadder state these ones but they both turned out pretty good if I don't say so myself.

To spray the base I gave it a light sand and used Rust-Oleums Universal Spray Paint in Gloss White.

I really really love this product to make a quick job of painting a piece of furniture. No undercoat is needed and only a light sand is required to prep the piece. This paint can be used on glass, metal, plastic and masonary. I love the ergonomic spray handle which stops a stiff hand and it dries really quickly. I have used this spray paint on my French Clock Table and my French Chic Cane Chairs.

After removing a few staples from the base of the chair to remove the original vinyl upholstery I checked the condition of the original foam cushion. As you can see it is pretty tired looking with it looking pretty droopy around the edges of it. I would always replace the foam in these type of makeovers as you will give yourself another 5 years out of chair by putting new foam in before re-upholstering. This will give a nicer finish in the long run. I generally go for a 2 inch thick foam base as this will stop you sinking down and hitting the base board underneath the foam. Attach the foam to the wooden base with wood glue and let it dry for a couple of hours before going ahead and re-upholstering it.

You can read how I upholstered the first set of bar stools here as it was the same process to do these. I am in the middle of writing a E-book at the moment on the finer details of renovating and rejuvenating furniture and I will be including a chapter on basic upholstery. So I can give a bit more of a detailed account on how I did these in the book. I am also working on a chic arm chair at the moment. If you follow me on Instagram you will be seeing sneak peeks of it popping up there. I hope to get it finished soon.....

I fell in love with this fabric when I was browsing for a fabric to use on this chair. I love the wider strips and the latte colour. I actually went and bought some more to make some cushion covers out of it for home.

Sorry this is a short account of how I went about making the stools over. I just run out of time to write an in depth account before we go away for holidays. I am sure you don't mind and I hope that when I launch the E-book you will be biting at the bit to learn more about upholstery and buy a copy! :-)