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Ok, so I thought I would venture into furniture re-finishing as a summer project.  I made sure to start small and work my way up from there.  Enjoy my step-by-step stool-refinishing instructions.  :-)

First, here is a list of products I needed for the transformation:

Stool (got for $15 from a friend who is moving), sandpaper (coarse and fine), flathead screwdriver, staple gun, electric sander, spray paint, gloves, plastic gloves, mask, packaging tape/plastic bags, staple gun, heavy duty staples, fabric of your choice

• STEP ONE: I took off the current fabric by wedging a flathead screwdriver underneath all the staples that held on the fabric.  This step was really easy.

• STEP TWO:  Time to get all that paint off.  I probably could have just spray painted right over the top, but this had about three different paint colors on it, so I decided to sand er all down, plus, the paint would “stick” a little better to the sanded wood.  I started with a variety pack of sandpaper I got at Target…it said “Sands Fast”, so I thought I could do it by hand.  That was mistake #1!  After using one sheet from the variety pack, I went right back to the store and bought some paper for my electric sander…MUCH FASTER!!!!

• STEP THREE:  Home Depot for paint…on a Saturday…mistake #2.  Holy cow, we had to park in another parking lot, it was like Disneyland.  So, I called up my sister, Kristin, to get her advice on what kind of paint to get…she said “get the good stuff”.  Well, OK, whatever.  There are only about 100 different kinds of paint in the $4 – $6 range.  So, I picked out the one with a picture of furniture on the front, I mean, that’s what I was painting, so be it!  Before painting, I grabbed some packaging tape and old Target bags to cover up the top…those worked like a champ!

• STEP FOUR: Time to paint!  Oh boy, this was frustrating.  I am impatient.  I just wanted to get the darn paint on without any drips, blotches or grass sticking to the stool (I painted in the middle of our yard…mistake #3…get a piece of plywood).  It took me about 3 coats, with some sanding in between, to finally get a smooth surface.  When they tell you to stand 10-12″ away when painting, do it.  I also used proper safety and used a mask and plastic gloves for this process.
• STEP FIVE:  Once the stool was painted, it was time to cut out the fabric…I used the old fabric as a template and cut away!

• STEP SIX:  I gave the fabric a quick iron and then it was time to re-upholster.  Mistake #3 – I started by using out christmas light staple gun and soon found out that that wasn’t going to work, so off to Home Depot I go (again).  I upgraded to a heavy duty staple gun (which are quite fun BTW) and 3/8″ heavy duty staples that worked just fine.  I made sure to pull the fabric nice and tight around the edge and gave er a quick staple, bam!  THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!!  Next project – I am upgrade my level of difficulty to a chair, keep ya posted!