Give stained stools new life

There's an expression that goes something like this, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Well, necessity is definitely the mother of this craft. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought white canvas-covered stools for our kitchen table. With two younger children (one, affectionately nicknamed Pigpen by family members), the chairs were stained after only one or two meals.

I thought about recovering them, but I'm not very handy with a sewing machine. I briefly thought about somehow wrapping them in plastic, but rejected that idea. Then, it came to me -- dimensional fabric paint was the answer.

This paint is permanent on fabric and dries rubbery, which would make the chairs easy to clean in the future. Not only did the paint work, it turned our stained kitchen chairs into works of art and painting the chairs was a great activity. I had the children decorate all the chairs while I supervised.

If you've got fabric covered stools in need of a coat of paint, or if you'd like to have some colourful, comfortable works of art, give this project a try.

What you need:
-  Fabric covered stools
-  Garbage bags
-  Masking tape
-  Dimensional fabric paint
-  Paintbrush
-  Paint tray
-  Paper towel
-  Container with water

 
Colourful kitchen stools

Collecting your materials: Obviously, you'll need some stools with fabric covered seats. These can be found at department stores, furniture stores and even some building supplies and grocery stores. Dimensional fabric paint comes in squeeze bottles and can be bought at most stores that sell arts and crafts supplies. This paint comes in every colour imaginable and glitters, too. Pick up a few large bottles to avoid running out of paint.

Step One: Wrap a garbage bag around the legs of the stool to protect it from splattering paint. Hold the bag in place with masking tape. If possible, take this craft outdoors. Wherever you paint, cover the floor with a couple more garbage bags or a plastic table cloth. Don a smock to protect your clothes and pour dimensional fabric paint onto a paint tray.

Step Two: For this project it's best to brush the paint onto the seat. Dimensional fabric paint comes in squeeze bottles, but you'll get a smoother finish and use less paint by brushing. Paint the entire fabric surface. I challenged my children to cover the seat so that no white showed. My older daughter made a funny face while my younger painter used a more abstract technique. Let your children experiment with colour or choose colours that complement your decor. 

Step Three: Follow drying times indicated on the bottle of paint. To clean the seat, simply wipe with a damp cloth.