The Vintage Footstool a Makeover Production!

After staying at this gorgeous little cottage in February and cosying up on an evening with my feet propped on a footstool, I've been hankering after one all of my own. As you might realise, I'm not one for just popping out to the nearest overpriced, poor quality, new furniture emporium - oh no!

I prefer to wait and pop the desired item on the little list of desirables, which I keep in my head, to remind me to keep an eye out on forays to charity shops, car boot sales and their ilk.

Okay, you're not going to get instant gratification that way, but you will get something which is well made and generally different to the run of the mill offerings in the high street. Not only that but it will set you back a mere pittance in comparison. 

Besides I like the thrill of the chase. I love having a purpose when I trawl through the charity shops or wander round the car booty, it makes me happy. I think I get as much out of the search as I do from the purchase and any subsequent tinkering that is necessary - though maybe that's just me?

Back to the footstool.

I think my heart gave a little skip when I spied the item below tucked at the back of a charity shop on a day out to Whitby.

 

It looked as though it had been through a lot. It was scratched with lots of paint splashes on it's once pristine cover, but it was structurally sound and I have loved these little stools with their wooden turned legs since I was a child. (No idea why - I just do!) 

 

I knew I had found my footstool, but would it prove too costly? Well at £3.50 that would be a no!

So he was brought home, an unloved scraggy little thing, but with potential - oh yes - oodles of potential.

To realise that potential I took inspiration from an old Ebay purchase, the seemingly never ending Indian Wall Hanging, featured here and again here and then again here.

Yes! there is still some offcuts left.

The top just lifted off and after I'd removed it I sanded the wooden frame. I then refinished the frame with several coats of Danish Oil. While I like many of the painted finishes that I see around today, I still prefer a nice wood finish. Danish Oil is my finish of choice as it's fantastically easy to use, after sanding back the wood you simply rub it on using a soft cloth. Leave it to dry, when you will see that at first it appears to all sink into the wood. Repeat this several times until It no longer seems to sink in as it dries but leaves a lovely soft sheen on the surface. I used five coats on the footstool, but as I said because you just wipe it on with a cloth it's simple.

I then used an offcut of the aforementioned never ending Indian Wall Hanging, which I simply cut slightly larger than the top and wrapped it over pulling it tight to the rear of the pad and stapling it. Popped the top back on and...

...the finished article.

 The £3.50 footstool...

...I love it!