DIY Projects: Fun with a Staple Gun
I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst, and a stay-at-home mom.
I'm a design and food-obsessed freelance writer and market research analyst,... More »
My mother-in-law got a great birthday present this year - a super heavy-duty staple gun. As she started lining her furniture up for reupholstery, I started looking around my own house for great staple gun projects (I have one of my own, but it's not nearly as powerful as hers).
It's amazing how many things you can do at home with little more than scissors, a staple gun and some fabric. Here are just a few simple projects to get you started:
1. Recover dining room chair cushions. It's as simple as cutting fabric to size (or finding the right-sized linen napkins), adding some batting and stapling the fabric to the back of the seat cushion.
2. Cover shelves. Add a little pizzazz to plain (cheap) shelving by covering them with thin, textured fabric.
3. Turn a coffee table into a great bench. A boring coffee table will get a lot more use as a fun bench - and it only takes some paint and fabric to get it there. Check out these guidelines for help.
4. Tufting a chair. When you add tufted upholstery to a chair, the end result looks complicated - but getting there doesn't have to be (check out these guidelines.)
5. Upholster that headboard. Upholstered headboards are totally retro chic - and a perfect staple gun project. This headboard from Apartment Therapy is a great example of how to create something great at home.
6. Skirt that table. Little girls dream about skirted vanity tables in grownup bedrooms. So do some big girls. Adding a skirt to a makeup table is as simple as careful pleating and attention with that staple gun.
7. Covered cork. Covering a cork board with fabric might be the easiest thing to do with a staple gun - and one of the most rewarding, as it transforms something boring but functional into something cute, but equally functional.
8. Dress up the dresser. A boring, simple dresser becomes something fun and unique with the addition of a little batting and fabric (guidelines here).
Add your own tips in the comments, or take the discussion over to the buzz board – each month, the best design tip or story (related to this or any other home design project) will win a $50 gift card to a one of several home design stores (more details here). October's contest just began and is on until the 31st. Good luck!
It's amazing how many things you can do at home with little more than scissors, a staple gun and some fabric. Here are just a few simple projects to get you started:
1. Recover dining room chair cushions. It's as simple as cutting fabric to size (or finding the right-sized linen napkins), adding some batting and stapling the fabric to the back of the seat cushion.
2. Cover shelves. Add a little pizzazz to plain (cheap) shelving by covering them with thin, textured fabric.
3. Turn a coffee table into a great bench. A boring coffee table will get a lot more use as a fun bench - and it only takes some paint and fabric to get it there. Check out these guidelines for help.
4. Tufting a chair. When you add tufted upholstery to a chair, the end result looks complicated - but getting there doesn't have to be (check out these guidelines.)
5. Upholster that headboard. Upholstered headboards are totally retro chic - and a perfect staple gun project. This headboard from Apartment Therapy is a great example of how to create something great at home.
6. Skirt that table. Little girls dream about skirted vanity tables in grownup bedrooms. So do some big girls. Adding a skirt to a makeup table is as simple as careful pleating and attention with that staple gun.
7. Covered cork. Covering a cork board with fabric might be the easiest thing to do with a staple gun - and one of the most rewarding, as it transforms something boring but functional into something cute, but equally functional.
8. Dress up the dresser. A boring, simple dresser becomes something fun and unique with the addition of a little batting and fabric (guidelines here).
Add your own tips in the comments, or take the discussion over to the buzz board – each month, the best design tip or story (related to this or any other home design project) will win a $50 gift card to a one of several home design stores (more details here). October's contest just began and is on until the 31st. Good luck!
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| Recovering dining room chair cushions is a snap. |
The Design*Spongers covered these IKEA shelves with grasscloth to create a cool textured display space.
This bench was originally a boring, beat-up wooden coffee table.
This upholstery looks complicated, but it's not terribly difficult to do at home.
This DIY tufted headboard was inspired by Betty and Don Draper's bed on Mad Men. SWOON.
Skirted dressing tables are the epitome of femininity both in function and style.
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| These fabric-covered cork squares are in my own kitchen - and took about 2 seconds with the help of my staple gun. |
A plain old dresser gets a new lease on life with fabric-covered drawers.
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The gold chairs photo was uploaded by D Swift- a company based in LEICS, UK.
You can see their profile here:
http://www.houzz.com/photos/professionals/3792/D-Swift
And, I just recently bought a chair on Craig's List (for $5). I spray painted it white and recovered the cushions in a darling pink and green floral print fabric. It's now the focal point in my hallway office...very stylish and very inexpensive!