A fabric covered foam piece adds comfort to a foot stool.
It seems a shame to waste an old drawer simply because the piece of furniture it came from has been re-purposed. The rectangular box-like shape makes a solid form for a foot stool. A durable fabric that matches the decor of the room adds to the comfort and design of a utilitarian room accessory. Measure and adjust the project materials to the size of the old drawer you are using for a medium- to large-size foot stool. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Measure the bottom interior and top exterior of the drawer with measuring tape. If the bottom panel is thin, measure and use a circular saw to cut a piece of plywood to a size that is 1/4-inch smaller than the measurement of all sides of the drawer interior. Measure and cut a second piece of plywood to the same size as the top exterior portion of the drawer.
2. Mark the center of the smaller piece of 3/4-inch thick plywood. Mark four more spots on the wood that are at least 4 inches away from each of the corners. These marks are made on the diagonal, toward the center point of the wood piece. You can form an imaginary X with the center hole at the middle of the four points. Drill a 1/4-inch deep pilot hole in each mark with a power drill.
3. Squirt wood glue onto the opposite side of the piece of plywood. Place the plywood, glue side down, on the bottom of the interior of the drawer. Insert the pointed end of the 1- and 1/2-inch screws into the pilot holes. Secure the glued wood to the interior of the drawer bottom using the power drill to set the screws firmly into the wood.
4. Cut a piece of upholstery foam to the size of the larger piece of plywood using a utility knife. Spray one side of the foam with spray adhesive manufactured for fabric. Set the glued portion of the foam onto the top of the piece of plywood. Press it in place.
5. Place the foam-backed plywood piece onto a large piece of fabric. Mark the fabric with a pencil, adding a 4-inch wide excess on all sides. Cut out the fabric with fabric shears.
6. Lay the plywood foam side down onto the center of the fabric. Pull one side of the cloth up over the wood foam and wood. Secure the cloth to the plywood with a staple gun. Continue to firmly pull and secure the other side of the cloth to the wood, then pull and secure both ends of the cloth to the wood. Pay close attention to the corners, using the same wrapping technique on each one for a uniform look.
7. Turn the foot stool upside down. Hold one of the wooden or metal legs against the surface of the corner of the foot stool. Mark the area of the plywood where the wood screws will secure the leg in place. Some legs will have a pre-drilled hole for you to use as your marking guide. If a pencil will not fit into the hole, insert a nail and scratch the wood to mark it. You can lightly draw around the top of the leg form if there are no holes in it. Drill a starter hole for the leg screw in the drawer with the power drill.
8. Slowly turn each 3-inch screw to secure the first leg to the drawer with a power drill. If you apply too much pressure you can split the finish on the wood on the stool leg. Secure the other three matching legs to the foot stool with 3-inch long wood screws.
9. Turn the foot stool right-side up. If a wooden leg is not tightly secured to the drawer you can add another wood screw to add more stability to it. Drill a pilot hole into the area of the bottom of the drawer that is located over the center of the top of the wooden leg. Slowly drive a screw down through the wood panel and on into the center of the leg top.
10. Cover the top of the drawer footstool with the upholstered top.
Tags: foot stool, piece plywood, power drill, drawer with, with power
