HOW TO GIVE A NEW LOOK TO AN OLD TABLE

THE $25.00 FAMILY FOOTREST!!  TIRED OF THAT OLD TABLE? GIVE IT A NEW LOOK. MAKE IT AN OTTOMAN, FOOT REST OR JUST CHANGE THE COLOR OF THE TOP. THIS ONE GOES DEDICATED TO MY STEP MOM WHO TEACH ME HOW TO UPHOLSTER FURNITURE :)

 THIS IS OUR FINAL RESULT FROM THIS SCRATCHY OLD TABLE

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        I STARTED WITH AN OLD TABLE THAT I LOVE AND DIDN'T WANT TO GET RID OF. IT WAS A STURDY TABLE WITH A SMALL DRAWER BUT WITH LOTS OF SCRATCHES. I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THE TRADITIONAL STAINED METHOD SO I DECIDE TO MAKE IT A FAMILY FOOT REST FOR MY BIG SECTIONAL IN MY LIVING ROOM.  I START WITH TWO YARDS OF FABRIC AND  1 1/2 YARD OF 1" FOAM FROM JOANS AT 50% OFF. 

I CUT THE EDGES OF THE FOAM BASED ON THE EDGES THE TABLE

 (THIS PART IS OPTIONAL. DO NOT DO THIS PART WITH THIN FABRICS. )

MEASURE AND MARK THE PLACES WHERE YOU NEED THE BUTTONS. PLACE A DOT OF GLUE IN EVERY X WHERE I WAS GOING TO PLACE A BUTTON.

THEN PLACE THE FABRIC NEATLY ON TOP OF IT. MOST OF THE GLUE WILL BE ABSORBED BY THE FOAM BUT SOME OF IT WILL SEAL THE FABRIC TO THE FOAM ONLY IN THE AREA WHERE THE BUTTON GOES. THIS IS A QUICK WAY TO DO THE BOTTOM PLACEMENT. (MY WAY) THE REGULAR WAY IS TO DO IT WITHOUT THE GLUE. IF YOU ARE USING UPHOLSTERY FABRIC YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY SIGNS OF GLUE IN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FABRIC AT ALL BECAUSE OF THE THICKNESS OF THE FABRIC. THE GLUE 

WILL BE USED AS A GUIDE OF WHERE TO PUT THE BUTTONS. ONCE THE FABRIC IS ON TOP YOU WONT BE ABLE TO SEE THE MARKS. YOU WILL NEED TO CUT SIX SQUARES FROM ANY HARD  MATERIAL. I TOOK MINE FROM A CHRISTMAS PLASTIC BOX.

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IT CAN BE A SMALL PIECE OF CARDBOARD BOX OR ANY MATERIAL THAT YOU CAN PUT IN THE BACK OF YOUR FOAM AND UTILIZE TO GIVE YOUR THREAD SOME RESISTANCE WHEN YOU SEW FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER. .

THE FRONT SIDE OF YOUR FOAM WILL BE OK BECAUSE IT HAS FABRIC THAT THE THREAD WILL ATTACH TO; BUT THE BACK HAS NOTHING TO ATTACH TO AND IF YOU WANT YOUR BUTTONS TO LOOK LIKE THEY ARE MORE INSIDE THE FOAM YOU NEED SOMETHING TO GIVE SOME RESISTANCE TO THE THREAD. THAT WAY YOU CAN PULL THE THREAD

WHEN ALL THE BUTTONS ARE IN PLACE THEN IT IS TIME TO SECURE YOUR FABRIC TO THE TABLE. GRAB YOUR TOOLS AND FLIP YOUR TABLE. A GOOD STAPLER, A CHILDREN'S CRAYON (THEY ARE CHEAP AND THEY ARE ERASABLE!) THEY ARE MY BEST FRIEND IN ANY KIND OF PROJECT AND A GOOD PAR SCISSORS.

REMEMBER YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A PROFESSIONAL UPHOLSTER BUT YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT LOOK AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE. SO ONCE THE TABLE IS LAYING FLAT ON AN EVEN SURFACE. YOU WANT TO PULL ON ALL SIDES OF THE FABRIC AN MAKE SURE THE FABRIC IS NOT WRINKLED UNDERNEATH.  REMEMBER THE ONES WHO DID THE HOT GLUE TRICK? THEY HAVE AN ADVANTAGE... IF THEY PULL THE FABRIC AND NOTHING COMES OUT AND THE FOAM IS EVEN IN THE EDGES.....GUESS WHAT? YOUR FOAM AND YOUR TABLE ARE EVEN!!!! IT IS A NICE TRICK, BUT DOESN'T WORK WITH THIN FABRICS. NOW IT IS TIME TO MEASURE THE FABRIC. 

WHILE THE TABLE IS UPSIDE DOWN PULLING SNUGLY ON THE FABRIC MARK WITH YOUR WASHABLE CRAYON THE EDGE WHERE THE STAPLES SHOULD GO. NOT SURE WHERE TO PUT YOUR STAPLES? THEY SHOULD BE IN THE NON VISIBLE ROUGH AREA OF YOUR TABLE.WHEN IT IS UPSIDE DOWN. THAT WAY WHEN IT IT IS UPRIGHT, NO ONE WILL KNOW WHERE THE CLIPS ARE. WHEN YOU ARE DONE  MARKING YOUR FABRIC, CUT THE EXCESS MAKING SURE TO ADD ABOUT HALF AN INCH TO MAKE A FOLD.AND STAPLE IT TO THE WOOD. START FROM THE MIDDLE TO THE EDGES AVOIDING THE CORNERS OF THE TABLE.

THE CORNERS WILL LOOK LIKE THIS: PULL THEM UP AND CUT THE TIP TO MAKE THEM LOOK LIKE AN ENVELOPE LOOK AT THE IMAGE BELOW.

 FOLD THE TIP OF THE CORNER FABRIC AND STAPLE IT TO THE WOOD. PULL THE FABRIC NEXT TO IT AND STAPLE IT UNTIL ALL THE FABRIC IN THE CORNER IS TUCKED IN . 

 AND THIS IS THE FINAL RESULT OF OUR LOVELY FAMILY FOOT REST!!!