An ottoman, a kind of footstool, tends to suffer a lot of abuse. It makes watching television or reading a book so comfortable that you hate to throw it away, no matter how worn out it looks. Do not go out and buy a new ottoman. Instead, go to the fabric store, buy some fabric that coordinates with the décor of your living room and reupholster the ottoman yourself. It will save you a lot of money and give your ottoman many more years of use.
Things You'll Need:
- Pliers
- Measuring tape
- Fabric
- String
- Chalk
- Scissors
- Foam
- Electric knife
- Pins
- Staple gun with staples
Pull off all of the old fabric. Work from the bottom of the round ottoman. Use pliers to pull out any staples. Toss away the old fabric and foam.
Use the measuring tape to measure the ottoman. Measure the diameter for round ottomans. Do this by placing the beginning of the measuring tape 3 inches underneath one side of the ottoman. Measure up and over the ottoman to 3 inches under the opposite side.
Cut your fabric in a circle to this measurement. To easily cut out a perfect circle, take half of the diameter and cut a piece of string to this size plus 1 inch. Tie one end of the string to a piece of chalk. Pin the free end of the string to the middle of the fabric. Draw a complete circle by pulling the string taut and moving around in a circle.
Measure just the top of the ottoman. Use an electric knife to cut out a piece of foam that fits exactly on the top of the ottoman.
Lay the fabric out, face down on a large work surface. Center the foam in the middle of the fabric. Place the ottoman, upside down, on top of that.
Pull the fabric up on one section of the ottoman and hold in place with a staple. Go to the opposite side of the ottoman and do the same. Work on the two opposite sides to form the round ottoman into quarters. Make sure to pull the fabric tightly.
Work one quarter of the ottoman at a time. Make pleats by folding the fabric to help it fit nicely over the round ottoman. Make the pleats as even as possible all the way around the ottoman. Use plenty of staples to hold the fabric in place.
Trim off any excess fabric and flip the ottoman back over.
