Duct Tape Upholstery – The Easiest Way to Recover Bar Stools

You are not going to believe how easy this was! I still can’t believe it worked! Let me show you what I did.

The first thing I always do with any thrift store find is to clean it thoroughly. I wiped the metal frame with straight alcohol and vacuumed the seat cushions. The cushions came off by removing the 3 screws that attached them to the frame. Now for the fun part! Spray paint! I love the power of paint!

I took the frames outside and sprayed them with 2 light coats of Rust-oleum Metallic Spray Paint in Champagne Mist. *Affiliate Link* It is the most beautiful gold color.

I started my “Duct Tape” upholstery job while those were drying. I decided against ripping off the current fabric. I left it on because the fabric I chose is a light weight dress fabric and not an upholstery fabric. Leaving it on gave it some strength. Normally, you would put the fabric on and pull it to the back and staple it on. Which is very easy to do too. I knew I would need to wash these. Especially with college age boys in the house. 😉 I didn’t want to pull staples out each time they got dirty.

My first thought was to just pull the fabric around and tie it on. When I did that the fabric hung down too low on the bottom. That’s when the Duct Tape idea came to me. I just used the Duct Tape to secure the middle after it was tied on. So easy! I put the 3 screws back in to secure the seat to the frame to keep it sturdy.

Now, when I need to wash the fabric, all I need to do is remove the 3 screws and the Duct Tape and throw the fabric in the washer and dryer. Then put them right back on with fresh Duct Tape. You don’t really need to tie the fabric on either. You can cut it down just enough to pull to the back and then Duct Tape all sides. I used silver Duct Tape that I already had on hand, but you could get creative and use any color you like. I think gold would be pretty for these.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you, you should always prewash and dry your fabric in case it shrinks.

Tag me on Instagram if you try this so I can celebrate with you! What unusual thing have you used Duct Tape for? Let me know what you think in the comments.