Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

It’s time again for the Power Tool Challenge – a monthly challenge with some of my favorite power-tool-wielding friends! This month’s theme for the challenge is “Your Favorite Power Tool,” and we had to make a project with that tool. It was a tough call, but if you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know: I love my drill.

My drill is so easy to use that even my daughter used it at age 7 (with supervision)! You can find proof HERE.

Plus, I wanted to highlight this power tool because it’s a great “gateway” power tool. In other words, it’s a great power tool to start with for a beginner DIYer. But then you’ll be bitten by the bug and crave a miter saw or circular saw next. (Trust me.)

What did I build with my trusty-dusty drill? Well, let me start with what I saw recently at HomeGoods:

OK – how cute is that?!? I don’t do real fur (only the kind that comes with rescue dogs!), but this faux fur stool was so cute…and so fuzzy!! But $79.99 seemed a bit steep for a footstool, am I right?

I remembered that I had a bench that might work for me to make one just like the one at HomeGoods for much less!

A friend of mine sold this old piano bench to me at a yard sale for $10.

I figured it would be the perfect candidate for my DIY faux fur foot stool (say that ten times fast!).

Here’s how it turned out…then I’ll show you how I made it!

So cute! And so fuzzy!

And, at about $25 for the total cost, it was much less expensive than the smaller one at HomeGoods! Score!

How to make a DIY faux fur foot stool:

Materials:

(This list contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy here.)

Piano bench or other bench with a removable seat. Or, you could use a bench where the seat isn’t removable and just staple over it. But I liked this because (a) I could remove the faux fur if I wanted to later and (b) the bench seat has wooden sides that come up and I wanted them to show.

Drill – I have THIS ONE and love it.

Faux fur cover for the cushion: I used the TEJN faux fur “rug” from IKEA (you can find it HERE). It’s $14.99.

Damp rag to clean bench

Vacuum to clean cushion

Electric stapler – An electric stapler is better for this project because of the thickness of the faux fur cover. I have THIS ONE.

NOTE: If your bench cushion is in bad shape, then you might also need foam and batting for the seat. The cushion on this bench was in great shape – I didn’t even remove the existing fabric there! Just gave it a good vacuum and we were off! If you need batting and foam, though, you can find them at fabric or craft stores.

Instructions:

FYI/Bonus: these instructions are pretty much the same instructions you’d follow if you were recovering a dining chair with a removable seat cushion.

And, if you’d rather see the tutorial in video form, I’ve got you covered! You can see all the steps (and Hank makes a special appearance) here:

First, wipe down the frame of the bench with a damp cloth.

Vacuum the cushion if you are using it as is (not removing the existing fabric).

Next, remove the cushion. The cushion is usually held onto the frame with screws in the corners on the underside of the bench. Remove those screws using your drill on a low setting (you don’t usually need much power for this).

Next, take the TEJN/faux fur cover and lay it face down on the floor. Put the cushion face down on top of it, making sure that the faux fur will cover the cushion.

To attach the faux fur rug to the cushion, take the electric stapler and staple the rug around the edge of the cushion. I used the edge of the existing fabric as a guide.

Trim any excess faux fur before stapling.

The corners are a little tricky. Here’s how to make sure you end up with tight corners: first, cut the corner pocket of fabric in half, cutting only until just above the height of the cushion.

Next, fold one side under the other and staple in place.

Then fold the other side down over the first side and staple it.

The video shows exactly how I did this.

Once you’ve done all four corners, then replace the cushion on the bench and replace the screws.

Voila!

Remember the before?

And now the chic after:

Check out all the fabulous Power Tool Challenge projects this month:

H2OBungalow – DIY Horizontal Wood Slat Address Plaque

My Love 2 Create – Triangle Hexagon Tray

My Repurposed Life – DIY Cutting Board

The Kim Six Fix – Scroll Saw Book Letters

Create and Babble – Cut Wood Slices

The Interior Frugalista – Small Portable Rolling Multi Purpose Table

Designed Decor – Ornate Oval Wood Frame Update

Pin this project for later:

And all of the Power Tool Challenge projects:

What’s your favorite power tool? Share in the comments!