I wanted a pair of stools to put at the end of my kitchen counter, where there’s room for one or two people to sit and chat while I’m fixing dinner. However, I was not about to pay furniture-store prices for such a thing.

Instead, I decided to paint an inexpensive pine stool. A vision of brightly painted sunflowers came to mind (I was on a Provençal kick). Right now, bare-bones bar stools are on sale at Linens and Things for $14.99, marked down from $19.99. With some leftover house paint and a little craft paint, you can turn those into designer furniture that will go with any decor. If your taste runs to the postmodern, for example, you could ditch the kitsch and use one or two plain enamels―black and white, for example, or steel gray or (better yet!) flame red.

Here’s what you need:

1. • cheap wooden stool (yard sale find? or try World Market, Linens Plus, dollar stores, thrift shops)
   

2. • leftover water-based house paint in desired colors (or purchase a pint in an inexpensive brand at the local hardware store)
   

3. • sandpaper
   

4. • clean lint-free rag(s)
   

5. • paint glazing liquid (optional)
   

6. • craft paints (water-based) in desired colors
   

7. • small house painter’s brush
   

8. • one or more artist’s brushes, tapered for fine lines and fluffy for stippling
   

9. • lead pencil
   

10. • water
    

11. • old, clean cans or plastic containers for mixing colors
    

12. • matte, clear spray-on varnish (but see note below!)
    

If your stool has an existing finish, sand it lightly and wipe it down well with a damp cloth. Then wipe dry with a clean cloth.

Decide if you want the wood grain to show through on the seat. If so, select the paint you will use as the background color and thin it with a liberal amount of glazing liquid. Test this on a piece of cardboard. Paint the glaze on in a thin coat, carefully applying until you achieve the degree of coverage and show-through that appeals to you

If you prefer an opaque coat, simply paint the surface with your selected color, omitting the paint glaze step. If you plan to paint the entire stool one color, now is the time to paint the legs and footrails, also. In either event, allow the paint to dry thoroughly before proceeding. If the seat is to be a different color from the other parts of the chair, allow each color to dry before applying a color to the next part. As you finish each stage, wash your paint brush with soap and water and set that to dry, too.

When the surface is dry, use a soft pencil to lightly sketch your design. Simpler seems to work better, unless you’re a skilled artist.

Now use your artist’s brushes to color in and embellish the designs. I painted the sunflowers and their leaves with an ordinary tapered artist’s brush and used a stippling brush to create the centers. The yellow was a transparent craft paint that I bought without realizing what that meant. As I applied it, I decided I liked the see-through effect (fortunately)―but my original intent was to make bright, solidly colored sunflowers.

Allow your designs to dry thoroughly, at least overnight. If you live in a humid climate, this could take several days. When the paint is firmly set, you can spray on a protective coat of a clear, matte varnish or shellac. But ☛ BE AWARE that spray-on polyurethane will yellow the paint a bit, even if the can says it will not. Use matte, not high-gloss, because gloss spray paints are difficult (IMHO “impossible”!) to apply evenly.

Let the paint dry for several days before allowing people to sit on the stools. Water-based paint can seem to be dry without being fully set, and so don’t trust what your fingertips tell you.

frugal crafts