Bar None, This is the Easiest Refurbish Ever

Here's a secret I probably shouldn't share, but I'm going to anyway. Why? Because the more of us that do this one little thing, the less stuff that ends up in the landfill.

Secret: Most chairs and barstools are ridiculously easy to recover. I'm not kidding! 9/10 chairs, just flip them over, unscrew 4-5 screws, and off pops the seat. Then, with some fabric (something sturdy, preferably), a stapler, and a bit of finesse, you have a new look for an old seat!

The main thing to look out for is if there's too much fabric on the cushion to go cover it with the new fabric, in which case you just need to grab a flathead screwdriver and pry out the old staples and remove the upholstery. Heck, if you get that far, you could always add more foam to the seat if you need it to be cushier! 

When stapling on the new fabric, be sure to start by anchoring it on each side before moving around the entire perimeter. That way the fabric is pulled taut in every direction and you avoid a big bunch of material when you make it around the circle (or square).

Here's a barstool I recovered before it hit the floor in the ReStore. I timed myself refinishing it, and including the time it took me to track down my supplies, it took a mere fifteen minutes. 

​My favorite part of this project is that the new fabric came from a couch that wasn't up to ReStore standards. We had to let the couch go, but I squirreled the cushions away knowing that someday the perfectly-good-pleather would come in handy.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

I'm telling you, it's too simple! 
-Kali Brokaw