How to Reupholster a Footstool with Flair
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A tired footstool is often one excellent fabric away from becoming the piece everyone comments on. It is also one of the friendliest places to begin learning upholstery: compact, manageable and brilliantly satisfying. Once you know how to reupholster a footstool, you can rescue a charity-shop find, revive an inherited piece or give a plain room a proper shot of pattern and colour.
The key is not rushing the preparation. A neat finish comes from a sound frame, even padding and fabric that has been pulled with care, rather than yanked into place at the last minute. Put the kettle on, clear a generous working area and treat the original cover as your pattern and reference guide.
How to reupholster a footstool: assess it first
Turn the footstool upside down and give it an honest once-over. Check that the legs are secure, the wooden frame is not split and the seat base has no serious cracks or sagging. Tighten loose screws before you cover anything. If the frame rocks, repair that first - fresh fabric cannot disguise a wobbly foundation.
Look at how it has been upholstered. Many modern footstools have a simple wooden board, foam, wadding and a stapled cover. These are ideal for a first project. Older stools may have webbing, coil springs, hessian, stitched edges and decorative piping. They can be lovely projects, but they ask for more time and a little more upholstery knowledge.
Take clear photographs from every angle before removing a staple. Photograph the corners, the underside and the order of layers. Those pictures will save you from the classic mid-project question: “Why did I take that bit off?”
Gather the right tools and materials
You do not need a workshop full of specialist equipment for a straightforward footstool, but poor tools make a small job unnecessarily frustrating. A sturdy hand staple gun can work for thinner fabrics and softwood frames; for dense timber or thicker upholstery fabric, an electric staple gun is often kinder on your hands.
You will usually need:
- A staple remover or flat screwdriver, plus pliers for stubborn staples
- A staple gun and suitable staples, commonly 8-12 mm depending on the frame
- Sharp fabric scissors, a tape measure and a marker or tailor’s chalk
- Upholstery foam if the old foam has flattened, plus polyester wadding
- New upholstery fabric and optional calico or dust cloth for the underside
Strip the old cover without destroying your template
Remove the dust cloth from the underside first, then prise out the staples holding the main fabric. Work steadily around the perimeter rather than attacking one corner. Wear gloves if the stool is old, as staples can snap or ping free with surprising enthusiasm.
Keep the old top fabric in one piece where possible. It shows you how much fabric you need and how the corners were folded. If the cover is badly torn, measure the widest length and width of the padded top, then add at least 10 cm on every side for wrapping and stapling. Add more for a thick cushion, large pattern repeat or any design you need to match.
Lift away the wadding and inspect the foam. Foam that springs back and is still evenly shaped can often stay. Foam that has gone brittle, lumpy or permanently compressed is ready for retirement. Replacing it is one of the quickest ways to make an old stool feel properly luxurious again.
If you uncover webbing or springs, pause before pulling everything apart. They may be perfectly serviceable, and rebuilding a traditional sprung seat is a different job from recovering a modern board. This is a good point to seek professional help or join a practical upholstery workshop if you want to understand the traditional methods rather than guess your way through them.
Build a comfortable, even seat
For a simple foam-topped stool, lay the base upside down on new foam and draw around it. Cut just outside the line with a serrated knife or electric carving knife, using long, smooth strokes. Avoid hacking at it with small scissors - that usually leaves an uneven edge that will show through the finished fabric.
Add a layer of polyester wadding over the foam. It softens the square edge, smooths minor imperfections and gives the finished stool a fuller, more inviting look. Cut it generously so it wraps underneath the base by several centimetres. Pull it taut, staple the centre of each side, then work outwards in alternating sections.
Keep checking the top as you go. The aim is gentle tension, not a pulled-in, overstuffed look. If the padding shifts or develops a ridge, remove a few staples and reset it now. Upholstery rewards small corrections made early.
Cut and position your fabric with intention
Press your fabric before cutting, especially if it has arrived folded with stubborn creases. Lay it face down on a clean floor or table, then place the padded footstool face down in the centre. Check the direction of the pattern before committing. Stripes should run straight, and motifs should sit where they look intentional when the stool is upright.
Cut around the stool, allowing a generous border. It is easy to trim excess later; it is impossible to create extra fabric once you have cut too close. If you are using a fabric with a large repeat, you may need more material than the basic measurements suggest. That is the trade-off for a beautifully centred design, and it is usually worth it.
Start by placing one staple in the middle of each side: front, back, left, then right. Turn the stool over after these first four staples to check that the pattern is straight and the fabric is evenly tensioned. This is your last easy chance to adjust the placement.
Staple in stages, not in a panic
With the stool upside down, add staples moving from the centre of one side towards the corner, then switch to the opposite side. Repeat with the remaining pair of sides. Working in this opposing order spreads tension evenly and prevents the fabric creeping to one side.
Pull the fabric firm enough to remove wrinkles, but not so hard that it distorts the weave or crushes the foam. Velvet, boucle and thick woven cloth all behave differently, so keep turning the stool right side up to inspect it. Your eyes are more useful than any exact staple spacing rule.
Leave the corners until last. For a tidy corner, trim away a little bulk if necessary, then fold the fabric in small, deliberate pleats underneath the stool. Aim for the folds to meet neatly without creating a fat lump at the edge. On a square stool, you can fold each corner like wrapping a present. On a round stool, make several small pleats and distribute them evenly.
Once you are happy, add a few extra staples near the corners and trim any excess fabric. Keep the scissors clear of the staple line so the cover cannot pull free later.
Finish the underside properly
A dust cloth is the small finishing detail that makes a home project look far more polished. Cut a piece of breathable black cambric or similar lining slightly larger than the underside. Fold the raw edge under as you staple it, working around the frame so it conceals the fabric edges and staples.
If the footstool has removable legs, refit them only after checking the base is neat and the stool sits level. Then place it where it can earn its keep: beside a favourite chair, at the end of a bed or tucked beneath a console until extra seating is needed.
When to call in an upholsterer
A straightforward foam footstool is a joyful DIY win. However, antique frames, damaged wood, sprung seats, deep buttoning and leather are all projects where an experienced upholsterer can protect the piece and deliver a finish built to last. The same goes for a treasured stool where a fabric mistake would be genuinely heartbreaking.
For beginners who would rather learn with guidance, a hands-on class can turn the unknown bits - staple choice, corner folds, fabric tension - into the enjoyable part. At Lakes & Fells, upholstery is treated as both a practical craft and a chance to make something far more personal than another beige box from the high street.
Choose a fabric that makes you smile every time you walk into the room, take your time over the corners, and let your newly reupholstered footstool be the small, bold detail that changes the whole feel of the space.