So after removing the hardware, painting and measuring a piece of foam for the seat, I went to work with my fabric and upholstery nails (available at most hardware stores: cost 97 cents), starting at the back of the bench. I folded over the edge the material to have a smooth edge, and nailed upholstery nails at each end and in the center. I used a yard of fabric at a cost of $3.97.
Because the upholstery nails are short (probably ¾ inch), it
was easier to make a pilot hole for the upholstery nail using a regular nail,
which was a lot easier to hold onto and hammer into the wood. Don’t make the
pilot hole too deep…stop hammering just after the nail begins to hold.
After the pilot hole was made, I simply removed the nail,
gathered up my fabric, poked the upholstery nail through the fabric, then lined
it up with my pilot hole and tapped it in.
I repeated this process around all the inside of the bench seat, making
sure the nails were set well inside the lip of the bench to be sure the lid
would close smoothly.
As I was working, I realized I would have to change the
color of the hardware because I didn’t feel the brass was going to go well with
the new color. Since I was going for a
beachy look, I decided to paint the hardware white, which would add a nice pop
on the sides and tie in to the white in the fabric. I probably used 25 cents worth of spray paint
on the hardware. I even painted the
faces of the screws by pushing them through the newspaper so they would be
upright.
When the paint finally dried (takes a while here in
Florida!), I reattached the hardware are stood back to admire my latest
project!
Total cost of this project was $29.94. I feel the need to add a little something to
this project, so you may see this bench again!
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