For a while now I’ve been wanting to add a footstool to the sofa area in our kitchen. When I looked at some that I liked online, they were £££! So I decided I would try and DIY a footstool for myself instead. I really like the look of a large furry or fluffy footstool, so here’s what I used to create my own.
Materials Needed For A DIY Footstool
- Piece of MDF or Hardboard cut to the size you want your footstool to be – I chose to use 18mm thickness MDF so that it would be strong enough to sit on.
- Piece of fire-retardant foam also cut to the right size.
- Batting / wadding fabric – enough to cover the foam and attach to the MDF
- Fabric to cover the footstool
- Footstool legs
- Heavy duty upholstery staple gun.
- A drill / screwdriver
First Step: Attach the Legs to the Footstool
I chose these hairpin style legs from Amazon and attached them in each corner of the MDF sheet. First I marked the screw holes on the wood with a pencil, then I drew pilot holes where I had marked and screwed the legs on. I left a little bit of space (approximately 2.5cm / 1 inch) between the edge of the MDF and the legs to allow for the batting and covering fabric to be attached. When selecting legs for my footstool, I decided what height I wanted the footstool to sit at – in my case I wanted it to be roughly the same height as my sofa seat, so that I could use it as a foot rest and also as an occasional seat.
Now Make The Cushioned Top
Once I had the legs attached, I then sat the foam pad on top of the MDF. You could use some spray adhesive to help hold the foam in position here, but as my piece of foam was quite substantial I felt that it wasn’t going to move anyway, so I didn’t need it. I then took the wadding, which I had cut roughly to size and pulled it around the foam and attached it to the underside of the MDF using the staple gun. I trimmed away the wadding at the corners to help keep everything as smooth as possible. My DIY footstool was starting to take shape!
Finally Add Your Top Fabric to The Footstool
I wanted my DIY footstool to have a furry texture, and I found a throw on Amazon that I thought would fit the bill – and it also was very reasonably priced – I have to say it is amazing quality and I’m tempted to buy another one! Again, I cut the throw down to size so that it was spread evenly over the cushion pad.
To attach the top cover, I first pulled the fabric firm across the foam pad. Then using the stapler, attached the fabric at each corner. Next I trimmed the excess fabric from the corners, and then made a ‘hospital corner’ style fold on each side, before working my way down each side of the footstool with the stapler, attaching the fabric.
And that’s it! My DIY footstool is complete! As my footstool is quite heavy and substantial, I didn’t feel that it was necessary to add any fabric to the underneath of the stool to cover any messy edges, however this is something that you could do as an additional step to give that truly professional finish to your footstool if you wanted to.
