Re-Upholstering Bar Stools

Recently I decided I hated the seats on our bar stools and wanted something a little more fun.  There was nothing wrong with the seats, they just looked like a dingy color and I wanted something with a fun pattern. 

I stopped in at a nearby fabric store and bought a yard of regular cotton fabric (I would have preferred upholstery fabric but they didn't have any... and I was impatient to get going on the project!).  The cotton fabric may not stand up to wear and tear for years and years, but I'm sure I'll be sick of the pattern and ready to recover them again in something new in a year or two anyways.

This is a super simple project.  All you need is a chair or stool with a removable seat cushion (look underneath, there are usually screws holding it in place), a screwdriver, some fabric, and a staple gun. 

Then just remove the seats...

Lay the seat on top of your new fabric, making sure it's centered...

... and start stapling, making sure it's pulled tight, and you're wrapping the corners carefully.

Then screw the seat back on and compare to the uncovered one and make sure you like it...

Then 20 minutes later you will have this...

This was a super easy and inexpensive way to make the barstools more fun.  The thing I love most about this project is that it's no risk... if you ever decide you don't like the pattern anymore, you can remove the covers easily or re-cover with a different fabric!