Stool Makeover

I love refinishing furniture and it's even more fun when it's something I haven't refinished before. I am a member of a local shop and swap group on Facebook. Someone posted an ISO for someone to recover some bar stools. A friend of mine (thanks Tanya) recommended me for the job. Yay! So, I met up with the lady and talked about what she was looking for.

Originally we talked about painting the stool bases black but I recently bought some new gel stain that I was dying to try out so I suggested this route to her and she loved the idea. I took apart the cushion from the base and gave the base a good sanding and some cleaning. I then started the gel stain process. I ended up using 3 coats which gave it a nice dark, even finish. The only downside is you need to wait at least 8-24 hours between coats. Once the stain was on, I gave each stool 3 coats of polyacrylic to help protect the finish. 

Here is the before:

The cushions themselves were in dire need of replacing. I started completely from scratch with fresh foam and batting. I sewed the cushion to give it a polished look. The fabric is a faux leather and will clean up well with a damp cloth.

This was a fun project because I got to do something a bit different and try out gel stain. I love how they turned out. They look so much better than the drab and dirty 90's look.

So, what do you think?

Shara