DIY - Rustic Rope Footstool

By Chelsea



Hi friends! I'm back with another DIY project today that I really enjoyed seeing come together. There are many reasons to take a project on yourself versus buy new or hire someone to do for you. Sometimes budget is the driving force to DIY, sometimes it's an itch for creativity, and sometimes it's simply seeing something inspiring and wanting to make it your own. Inspiration was the reason behind today's project!

Long story short, I noticed a particular footstool at my parents' beautiful home while visiting for dinner the other week with my family. It's quite a simple stool, but the rustic effect it had in their living room really caught my eye. I love seeing natural elements mixed into home decor, and this particular footstool is such a perfect example of something small that creates that natural bit of warmth.

I couldn't help but snap a photo:

And after a little fun, here's mine:

Want to see what it started as?

Not a bad deal, eh?! Let me show you how!

Supplies needed: 

Stool, preferably unpainted

Rope

Hot glue gun

Electric saw, (I used a circular saw)

Sandpaper, (120 grit)

Stain, (I used Ash)

White paint

(To note: I only included the price of the stool, $5, and the price of the rope, $8, in the overall cost of this project, since the rest of the supplies are either common household items, (hot glue gun, sandpaper), optional, (stain and white paint), or easy to borrow, (the saw).

The Low-down

1. Measure each leg accurately, (I used 9" from the seat), and mark where you want to make your cuts, then cut. Be sure to sand the legs at the cuts so they're smooth. 120 grit sandpaper would be ideal.

 At this point, because my legs were painted, I had to remove the paint. If I wanted to remove every bit of it I would have used Citistrip, but because I was going for a salvaged look, I just sanded it off and left bits of the paint here and there.

2. Stain the legs using a clean cloth or staining sponge

3. Dry brush a bit of white paint on the legs once the stain is dry, (which should only take a few minutes). Dry brushing gives a lovely, multi-dimensional effect to a piece so it isn't so flat, but it takes a smidgen of practice. First, I set the can of paint aside and use just the lid. Dab the brush into the paint collected on the lid.

Then wipe it off on a clean cloth, and brush quickly over your surface back and forth with the grain of the wood.

4. Now it's time to rope your seat. Start in the very middle, (best to measure so it's accurate), and stick a big glob of hot glue in that spot. Place the rope firmly into the glue and start gluing around a few inches at a time, followed by placing the rope over the glue. The middle is the toughest spot to get started, but once you get a few rows in, it gets much easier to handle the glue and the rope.

Finished product!

That's it! This stool would make an adorable child's step stool, plant base, or use it just as a footstool! You decide, that's the best part. I actually have a second one of these which I plan to refinish a little differently. Stay tuned! If you try this or any other projects you've found inspiring on Chelsea's Garage please tag them as #chelseasgarage on Instagram or share on Facebook. We love seeing your handiwork! In fact, check out this Swiss Cross rug, (inspired from this post), that a dear reader, Beth, made for her classroom:

So awesome! Thank you so much for sharing on Facebook, Beth - it's perfect in your room. Best of luck in the new school year!

Thank you all for stopping by!

~Chelsea