Before and After : Antique Spool Leg Vanity Refinish with Upholstery Tutorial

I'm so excited to share this refinish!! I had a bit of Annie Sloan Florence Chalk Paint left over, not enough for a whole project, and decided to blend it out with some Aubusson for a custom shade. It created this *perfect* jade or peacock blue that I am simply in love with! I recently picked up a gorgeous antique bedroom set with stunning spool leg details, and had previously seen a peacock feather upholstery fabric that was just made for this project. You'll see!

I gently distressed the edges and details, then sealed the whole thing with a matte Diamond Coat by Pure Earth Paint. The knobs were an unusual size / shape, so instead of changing them out I sprayed them with a hammered metal look Rustoleum paint.

Here is the Before and After. Isn't it stunning?

The caning on the bench seat had worn through and been previously covered with a board, but the upholstery foam was thin, and the material fraying. So we decided to build a new top seat that would be much more comfortable! Read on for the full tutorial:


We cut a board to size to just fit along the edges of the bench. I think this is a more comfortable option than just covering the inset where the cane used to be! It also gives a little bit more of a sleek, put-together look. 

I cut thick upholstery padding to exactly match the board (I traced the board edge onto the padding with a pen to give myself a guide). I used super sharp shears for as clean a line as possible, but I have also seen a carving knife used for this step. It is not easy! But get it as close to exact as possible, and know that tiny ridges will be smoothed out by your batting.

I cut the batting to fit over all of the foam, and just overlap the board by about 1/4 - 1/2 inch when pulled snugly. Watch out to not pull it too tight, or you will end up with bulges and ripples in your foam. The upholstery material was cut a little wider, so that I could fold over the edge and end with a neat, clean line that would not fray. Make sure to lay it wrong side up, so that the pattern you want to see is against the floor, and will be on top of your final cushion.

 Time for the power tools! We used an air compressor with a trim gun attachment to first attach the batting, stapling the middles of the long sides first, then pulling the batting straight and tight as we moved toward the edges. Then we repeated with the upholstery fabric, folding under along the edges and making clean, neat folds at the ends - much like gift wrapping.

Et voila! We used a screw gun to attach this to the lower frame, and just adore the end result! A chic, modern update to this beautiful classic style bench seat / stool.

Here's another view!

What's your favorite color blend? I'd love to hear your inspiration!