Six Bar Stools on the Cheap – Final Cost $121
Makeover School – Transform Upholstered Seats
Bar stools are Un-American. Seriously. Before prohibition, you could only find bar stools at soda fountains. Here I am, an American who wanted bar stools without the normal $400+ price tag.
THE FIND : I picked up these iron and wood bar stools with vinyl cushions at a garage sale. They were price at $25 each and I picked them up for $20 each. I only needed four bar stools and they wanted to sell these as a set of six which was perfect.
Insider tip: When you’re buying a used set of items it’s always nice to snag an extra–especially if you want a matching set and you’re purchasing furniture. For example, there was one bar stool that was wobbly. Now I have extra hardware (from the extra bar stool) that I can use to make sure all the stools are in working order.
Another insider tip: Look for cushions that can be recovered easily without having to remove the original fabric. The cushions will keep their shape better, and you don’t have to pay for professional re-upholstery.
Prior to purchasing the bar stools, I inspected them and made sure that the seats detached easily so that I could recover the cushions myself. The other thing I noticed is that they were DIRTY!
I love neutral colored furniture with easy-to-recover cushions because then you can change them out multiple times depending on where you’re using the piece.
Reality Check: When you re-do garage sale finds, you have to be okay with vintage finishes. No matter how hard you try, there will be signs of wear that can’t be erased.
Although my plan is to repaint the iron, a lot of finish had been rubbed off and I wasn’t sure how well the paint would adhere in the long run. Also, we had to try several finishes to find a stain that would adhere to the back of the stools where the stain had been rubbed off, so it’s not perfect and I have to be okay with that.
Bar Stools Ready for Makeover
Removed Bar Stool Cushions and Ready for Paint
Recovered the Cushions. Finished Project!
