Project Ottoman
8:52 PMSo this post has been a long time coming. Ever since we moved into our house back in January I wanted a big ottoman for the living room. BUT if you have priced big ottomans at any store you would see that they range in price from $150 up. And considering there are many other things I want as well to fill my house up with, I didn't really fill like spending all my decorating money on the ottoman. SO in my daily blog stalking and pinterest addiction, I came across a trend where people were converting coffee tables into ottomans. I researched several different styles and searched and searched for a table to start with. One Saturday we were out and came across a big yardsale someone was having and of course my thrifting side wouldn't allow us to just drive on by. So we stopped and there was this base of a coffee table. It was in good shape structurally but it was missing two glass pieces that used to go on the top of it. Well that was no issue to me since I was going to cover it. So i asked the lady how much she wanted for it and she said well maybe $6. My face lit up and I got a big smile and said ok I'll take it, even though I had no cash to buy it with. We had to run to the ATM so I could get it!
Here is a before picture:
Here are the supplies needed:
3 1/2 - 4 yards of fabric
Spray adhesive
Staple gun
Knife ( I used my husband's wire cutting knife but any sharp tool will work)
Old coffee table
Piece of plywood
Large piece of foam
2 yards of batting
Buttons of your choice
Upholstery needles
Upholstery thread (or as I used braiding cord, any think thread will work)
1/2” Wood Screws
Here are a few pictures of my supplies:
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| Fabric |
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| Foam |
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| Batting |
So to begin with you will first want to cut the pieces of plywood cover the table. We decided to box in the table after the fact but to save you from having to pull out the saw two times I would suggest to go ahead and cut it out at the same time. We did this so that the ottoman would have a definite structure to the bottom of it. If you wanted instead of it having a definite structure you could make a pleated skirt to go around the bottom. For this tutorial though: Cut one piece into the size of the top of the table. Cut 4 other pieces into the size of the 4 sides. I don't have a picture of the cutting step but I do have a picture of the top piece cut for you.
It should fit perfectly on top of the table. Now it would be a good time to attach the sides. Simply use the wood screws to attach the plywood to the sides. I believe we did several down each leg and across the top just to make sure it was sturdily attached.
The next step is to attach the foam to the plywood. First cut the foam to the size of the top piece of the plywood. This is where I used the wire cutting knife but any thing would suffice here to cut it. I laid my foam out on the floor and then with a Sharpie outline what I needed to cut. My foam was not wide enough to cover it so I had to cut it into pieces to make it cover the entire piece. Of course this would vary based on how big your table is.
Then you will use the spray adhesive to attach the foam to the plywood. I would take this step outside if you can or make sure to cover the floor with a big piece of plastic because the spray adhesive goes everywhere. Simply spray one coat on the plywood and another coat on the foam and adhere it to the wood. Let it dry for a few minutes.
Next you will want to place your holes for your tufting. Pick out a pattern you like and mark on the plywood side with the Sharpie where they should be. I chose a 3 x 3 pattern here. As you can see I marked on the foam side and drilled through that way and that tore the foam a little so I would drill through the other side to keep from doing this.
Once you have it marked where you want the tufting to be, simply drill a hole in that spot. This is so that when go to do the tufting no drilling has to be done through fabric or anything. Just simply use the upholstery needle, but more on that later.
Now you can attach the batting to the plywood. Cut the batting the necessary size to cover the plywood and then cover it by stapling it to the underside of the wood. Try to make the corners as neat as possible as this is the last layer before the fabric. Ignore the foam on the side as that was another mistake I learned from.
Next you can attach the fabric. Here you will do the same thing you did with the batting. Be sure to have the fabric pulled tight and that the corners are folded neatly.
Now comes the hard part, making the skirt for the bottom. Now if you are already a pro at sewing then this will come as a breeze for you and you will have no issue here. For me and any other beginner sewers, this will be a little challenging. I really have no idea how to describe how I made the skirt. Let’s just say after sewing it together and tearing it apart 4 times and finally getting it right on my 5th time, needless to say I was happy to be done with this part. So the basic thing I did was take 4 rectangles of fabric a little wider and longer than the sides of the table and I sewed them all together with the seams on the inside. Afterwards I was left with basically a ring of fabric.
Next you can attach that to your table. We applied spray adhesive to the plywood again and then slide the fabric down over the box making sure that seams are lined up on all of the corners. Next you will want to pull the edges around the bottom and top and staple them down. This will help the fabric to look like a boxed ottoman. I called in reinforcement on this step as I began to get frustrated and needed some extra assistance. (Thanks wonderful hubby!)
Next comes the tufting of the top piece. To do the tufting simply take the buttons and thread them with upholstery thread or cord/etc.
Next you will put the thread onto the upholstery needle as if you were sewing. Then you will stick the needle through the plywood side of the top. You will want to make sure the button is on one side of the piece and the thread is out the other side. Then you will need to pull the cord as very very hard so that o n the other side it will pinch the fabric down. Once you have it pulled extremely tight you will want to staple it down to the plywood. I stapled it twice just for the extra support. Flip it over to make sure all the buttons are pulled equally and that it looks ok.
AND FINALLY you are ready assemble the top piece to the table. We put the top piece we made with the fabric side down onto the ground. Then we flipped the table over and lined it up with the piece of plywood. Once you feel it is lined up and perfect, attach the two pieces together with the wood screws.
Now it is time to sit back and admire your hard work and thrifty savings. You now have a brand new designer ottoman without the high price tags you will find in stores.
Feel free to ask any questions should you have any.
Also I’m thinking of selling this piece so if you feel that you like the look but don’t have the time or want to put the effort into making it, let me know and we can see about working out a deal.
Thanks!!! XOXO
4 comments
It looks great Whitney, I have a couple of ottomans in my basement looking for a home, they are in good shape but would look better with a new fabric. If you want them, they are yours.
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Thanks Grandma Ruth! Keep them aside for me because I would love to redo them as well!! I'll just have to figure out how I can get them from you! Thanks though!
DeleteThis looks great! I've been thinking of doing the same thing with our coffee table, except not the boxed look. Where do you prefer to get your fabrics? Sorry if you mentioned that and I missed it!
ReplyDeleteCari thanks! I want to try one that way too! I looked at several places for this fabric. Joanns, hobby lobby, and hancocks. I got this at Hancocks on sale for around $8/yd. it was actually indoor outdoor fabric instead of upholstery fabric but I figured that would be durable just the same and it has been thus far. They have good prices there for the most part too!
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