How to Upholster a Barstool

X-HT-200697

Wooden barstools are common in home bars and at kitchen counters. Give your wooden stools a little more personality and a softer seat by upholstering the top. We're going to show you how to add upholstery to the top of a plain stool. If you have an already upholstered stool, you can remove the fabric and then follow these same instructions. This is a great entry-level project if you're interested in trying out upholstery but don't feel quite ready to take apart a big chair yet.
Video Chapters:
  • Patterning Foam & Fabric – 0:21 min.
  • Making Piping – 4:57 min.
  • Sewing Piping & Boxing to Top – 8:54 min.
  • Stapling Cover on Stool – 13:12 min.
  • Adding Bottom Piping – 16:28 min.
  • Materials List – 18:48 min.
Materials List:
  • Indoor/Outdoor Upholstery Fabric
  • Polyester batting layered to equal 2" thick #100158
  • Medium 5/32" Welting Cord #122444
  • Tex 70 Nylon Thread (we used #106130)
  • Cardboard Upholstery Tack Strip 1/2" #106420
  • Staples #8012GZ
Tools List:
  • Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LS Walking Foot Sewing Machine #311502
  • Sailrite® Long Nose Upholstery Staple Gun #121411 or Heavy Duty Hand Stapler
  • Multiuse Pins 1-1/2" #102985
  • Gingher® 8" Scissors Right Handed #19104
  • Sailrite® Canvas Patterning Ruler #107040
  • Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24" #102400
  • Cutting Mat 18" x 24" #102990
  • Comfort Grip Rotary Cutter 60mm #9655
  • Tape Measure, Marker, Pencil

How to Upholster a Bar Stool

How to Upholster a Bar Stool Video 2

To start this project, we did a little thinking about how we’d like the finished stools to look. We decided to run a row of piping on both the top and bottom of the chair to create a really professional and polished look. This piping is an optional step and can be left out if that’s your preference.

Our stools were going to be for a kitchen counter, so we chose an indoor/outdoor fabric because it’s durable and easy to clean. Any home upholstery fabric could be used for this project, so the choices are wide open. For the foam, we went with a foam batting, which is an economical option for occasional seating like this. If your stools are high-traffic seats in your home, you might want to opt for using polyurethane foam, which is less likely to compress over time. We have several options of antimicrobial polyurethane foam.

If you master this project and want to move on to larger upholstery projects, check out our "How to Reupholster an Armchair" video.

Materials List:

Polyester Batting 55"

#124305

Polyester Batting 55"

Medium 5/32" Welting Cord

#107035

Medium 5/32" Welting Cord

Tex 70 (V-69) Platinum White UV Bonded Nylon Thread 4 oz. (1,500 yds.)

#106130

Tex 70 (V-69) Platinum White UV Bonded Nylon Thread 4 oz. (1,500 yds.)

Cardboard Upholstery Tack Strip 1/2" (495 Feet)

#106420

Cardboard Upholstery Tack Strip 1/2" (495 Feet)

21 Gauge 1/2" (12mm) Staples 10,000/Box(Galvanized)

#8012GZ

21 Gauge 1/2" (12mm) Staples 10,000/Box (Galvanized)

Tools List:

Sailrite Ultrafeed LS Walking Foot Sewing Machine (110V)

#311502

Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LS Walking Foot Sewing Machine (110V)

Sailrite Long Nose Upholstery Staple Gun

#121411

Sailrite® Long Nose Upholstery Staple Gun

Multiuse Pins 1-1/2" (250 pack)

#102985

Multiuse Pins 1-1/2" (250 pack)

Gingher 8" Scissors Right Handed

#19104

Gingher® 8" Scissors Right Handed

Sailrite Canvas Patterning Ruler

#107040

Sailrite® Canvas Patterning Ruler

Sailrite Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24"

#102400

Sailrite® Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24"

Sailrite Self Healing Double-Sided Cutting Mat 18" x 24"

#123112

Sailrite® Self Healing Double-Sided Cutting Mat 18" x 24"

Comfort Grip Rotary Cutter 60mm

#965511

Comfort Grip Rotary Cutter 60mm

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