Give Your Stools a Quick Makeover

Try a flashy fabric for a pop of fun!

I'm still loving these stools 7 years later, but after moving with us to a new house, they needed a new look. I'm no longer in a beach neighborhood, and while I loved how they looked when we were there, the colors and patterns don't work with my new space.

BUT the old post is still the best place to find the tutorial -- here's the link to their original makeover (with directions): Beachy Bar Stools.

All you need is spray paint, fabric, a screwdriver, and a staple-gun!

There's a bit of a rustic, metallic theme going on in my kitchen, so I needed more muted colors. For the metal portion of the chair (the part I painted), I used a Rustoleum spray paint; I got it at a big box store, but this is the product line I used (if you're looking to shop for it online).

The main problem I ran into with the previous fabric I used was cleaning them. Since four kids typically doesn't equal "clean," (and I think mine are particularly sloppy!), it was hard to stay on top of wiping them down, even though I did use an upholstery-type fabric the first time (I also didn't want to have to keep spraying with a Scotchguard-like product since the chemicals in those kinda make me wary).

So this time I settled on a vinyl fabric, and for a little fun, I went with a faux-crocodile print (here's a similar one). I only needed about one yard to cover all four stools (although I did order more than that just in case, so be sure to measure and add in a half yard or so extra as a buffer).

When I told my kids the fabric was a faux crocodile print, they immediately responded with "No. That's not what crocodiles look like."

In any case, whether they look like real crocs or not, they're more practical and they match the space much better now. Most importantly, they're super easy to clean, and I can wipe them down quickly even if it's well after a spill has been made.

Here's a peek of what this space looked like when we bought the house:

And just in case you were wondering how the heck I keep my counters clean like that... I don't. Look to the left in the pic below to see where I shoved all the things that were on the counters before I took the pics :)