...because home doesn't happen overnight.
10.05.12 / I’ll Take It

So you know how I’ve been searching for a stool for my desk in the kitchen? Well, it found me this week.

It’s eerily similar to these but with metal legs instead. Total coincidence. It was dirty, rusting and not in the best condition but I sat on it and it felt comfy and sturdy. I wasn’t sure if it was ‘the one’ but for $10 how could I not buy it? So I told the seller, “I’ll take it.”

I did have to put a little money and elbow grease into it.

The rubber feet protectors were dry rotted.

I removed them with a utility knife and pliers.

I found these 3/4″ rubber protectors {oy, that came out wrong!} at Home Depot for $2. I wasn’t feeling the elderly cane rubber tip look but, hey, at least they weren’t tennis balls. I had a plan to make them blend in a little better.

You see, the metal was showing signs of rust so I knew I was going to spray paint it right off the bat. I figured I could paint the rubber tips to match.

Upon careful inspection {i.e. sitting on the stool and noticing a slight lean to my left}, I discovered a screw that had rusted through and broken. I replaced it with a new one.

Then I wiped the stool down and rounded up some plastic bags, painters tape and gloss black spray paint to remedy the rusting metal frame.

I wrangled the stool into submission with the suffocating bags and tape. I covered the wood seat and back. I also taped off the bottom of the feet.

Then I sprayed the entire frame gloss black. I thought about taping off the chrome square support and spraying it chrome but decided that would be too tedious. Mabrey was napping so I was working on borrowed time.

I let the stool air out in the garage for a few days and finally brought it into the kitchen this morning. Oooh. Shiny. The rubber tips are already scuffed up. Turns out, spray paint doesn’t stick to rubber so well. But I’m still happy with the results. Especially since I only have $16 total {$10 stool + $2 rubber tips + $4 spray paint = $16} invested in the stool.

Here’s a better picture of the worn seat. I love the patina. And it won’t bother me one bit when the kids accidentally scratch it or draw on it.

The wood tone plays well with the island’s walnut countertop.

The size and shape of the stool fit me to a T.

Did I mention it swivels? This is a great little feature that will allow me to keep an eye on my kids in the kitchen or family room while I’m working. You know, when the eyes in the back of my head get tired.

I don’t know if the stool will better my blogging but it makes me smile when I sit in it.

Wanna know what else makes me smile? Being in the running for Apartment Therapy’s Room for Color! I submitted Mabrey’s room in the dark category a week or so ago on a whim. I wasn’t looking to win. I had no idea there was even a prize involved. But now that I’m in the running and I discovered there is a fabulous prize involved {$200 to Sherwin-Williams + $1000 to Thrive Home Furnishings!!}, I WANT TO WIN. If you like Mabrey’s nursery or if you want to see what I would do with that prize stash {let’s see, that would be equivalent to 75 of these stool makeovers – HA!}, please vote for Mabrey’s room right here. Thank you for your vote in advance!

Tackling the fabric circles mobile and the stool makeover this week has my momentum going again. Funny how all it took was making time for two easy projects to get me back on track.

Happy weekend! I hope you find the time to do something that makes you smile.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

70 Comments

05.October.2012

Love the stool! you did a great job making it look good.

It is gorgeous! Good find!

05.October.2012

great stool! Any luck yet fining a woven blind for your kitchen sink window? I am looking for my window as well.

05.October.2012

Love how things work out and you find the perfect thing for that perfect spot for the perfect price. It’s like serendipity when it happens. And the paint spray job takes it from thrift to chic. Love it so much. I want that whole spot, it’s just perfect for blogging.

05.October.2012

Its perfect! So happy for you and your great find. Maybe look and see if they make black caps for the feet. I didnt think about the paint not sticking to it.

05.October.2012

Very nice! I was just taking a break today from errand running… the boring kind… groceries, the bank… now I have a couple of hours til the kids come home from school so I think you have inspired me to stop by my favorite local thrift store. BTW, I also love the coffee mug you’re holding in this post. good to see you are doing well. Love your blog. Have a great weekend!

05.October.2012

Cute! That is very similar to the stools they just put in their kitchen on Young House Love.

Good luck with the contest!

05.October.2012

As soon as I saw it I immediately thought maybe you bought one form YHL. LOL. It is perfect! If I found one I’d buy it too!

05.October.2012

The stool is a great addition. And it looks like you’re in the lead with Mabrey’s pretty little space! But I have to ask — what is with all the negative nellies on design blogs? Yours is one of many beautiful nurseries that I’ve seen nitpicked apart and accused of being hazardous to the well-being of the tiny inhabitant.

05.October.2012

I couldn’t find any black ones at Home Depot. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere.

05.October.2012

This stool is very nice. I have seen a few here and there on Craigslist. A very nice find, and fix, indeed! Love that you are sharing the little things that make life easier for you, in both time and function.

I wonder if you could use a sharpie to maybe blend in the black paint that is chipping on the floor protectors. I wouldn’t suggest it for a huge area, but if you were having company over and that bothered you it might be a quick temporary fix.

LOVE that stool!! It looks so good after a little spray paint. It fits your home perfectly and was such a wonderful price! Woohoo!

05.October.2012

Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I knew Mabrey’s room would get a lot of criticism on AT for not being bright, for the ‘babykiller’ art above the crib and for the lack of baby/kid stuff. If the naysayers read H*T they’d know the reasoning behind all those things: 1) I like a nursery conducive to sleeping/resting. Mabrey gets plenty of stimulation while she’s awake with her two feisty brothers. 2) the DIY art above the crib isn’t heavy at all – just big. And it’s screwed into a stud for support. If Mabrey ever gets to the point where she’s able to play with it, I’ll probably take it down. Shoot. If everyone was afraid of potential babycrushing stuff on the walls, then no one would have anything on their walls in any room. 3) We are lacking baby stuff since we weren’t expecting a third child and gave away/sold most of our baby/little kid items. We just downsized so I’m happy having not enough stuff rather than too much. As Mabrey grows and is able to play and move around more, I’m sure age appropriate items will make their way into her room. But for now, she’s really happy just talking to her brothers and rolling around on the floor.

05.October.2012

I love how it turned out! How come I can never find cool stuff like this where I live?
I love Mabrey’s room. I really hate nurseries that are way cutesy.

05.October.2012

What a great find! It looks great in the kitchen and looks pretty comfy. I picked up some black feet for my metal chairs at Harry’s Ace Hardware. They have beacoup sizes.

05.October.2012

I have a very similar stool that I plucked from my parents house. We used to have it by the phone in the kitchen when I was growing up. The only difference is the back is a woven/wrapped sorta grass material, everything else is identical. I had to replace the caps on mine too this year. Ended up buying black ones online to get the perfect fit and match. Also I had no idea that counter desk was that height. I always pictured it being lower for some reason.

05.October.2012

I was noticing that as well. Absolutely ridiculous comments.

05.October.2012

Hey, if people want to fill their kids’ rooms with tacky cutesy pink stuff, let ’em, they just don’t understand your amazing style, and how you’ve turned your little girl’s room into a modern, beautiful place that can grow with her. I absolutely LOVE it (and your blog) and find inspiration in how you find time within your busy life to create a beautiful & cozy home. You got my vote & hope you & Mabrey win!

05.October.2012

Yep, it’s counter height to stay consistent with the rest of the kitchen. I love that when we entertain {whenever that happens again!} I could use the counter space as a buffet.

05.October.2012

The stool looks great! Maybe you could find some black rubber nubs online. Oh, and I just came back from voting for Mabrey’s room, my fingers are crossed for ya!

Nikki Kelly @ the ambitious procrastinator

05.October.2012

Handsome stool–great style and great price. If you’d like the look and can fit in another small craft project (with Miss Mabrey’s nap-time cooperation, of course), perhaps you could wrap those rubber caps in twine or thin jute, fastened with Gorilla glue. That would add a tad more natural texture and interesting contrast next to your dark wood floors. Nice that your creative mojo is rising again!

05.October.2012

It looks wonderful in that spot. What a great find!

05.October.2012

My Home Depot has the rubber feet in both white and black. Maybe you can order them online if they’re out in your store. You know just in case the scuffed up painted ones start to drive you crazy!

05.October.2012

ok, voted on AT and I love this swiveling stool! Isn’t spray paint magic??

05.October.2012

that chair looks like it was meant to be there…you handy thing you!

Voted for your sweet baby’s room…best of luck!

05.October.2012

It’s amazing what a little TLC, and black spray paint can do. Great work!! I think anything would look good in your home :)

05.October.2012

I totally know what you mean about getting your momentum back.. Sometimes it takes doing a little project for me to feel like I want to start more. Funny. The stool looks great- I love the wood with the black! It really fits your home.

05.October.2012

What a fabulous addition to your kitchen! I’m also just coming out of the baby/moving/life weeds too. Isn’t it shocking how little time some of the projects you’ve been dreaming about for months can actually take! One nap’s worth of time can make quite an impact!

I just voted for the nursery. It is hands down one of the most gorgeous rooms I’ve ever seen online.

05.October.2012

Loooove the stool makeover! Looks fab!

05.October.2012

Love the stool. I actually like the metal legs much better than wood ones. Total steal for $16!

05.October.2012

Are the legs tubes with open ends? When I was looking for rubber feet for 50’s era chrome kitchen chairs with tubular legs, I found some online that went inside the tubing instead of capping it. It’s much more subtle.

If you search something like “rubber feet for tubular chair” you’ll find a lot. I remember, though, that it was hard to find them sold in small quantities (most are in bulk). I ended up buying some on an upholstery website and ordering some other hard-to-find furniture odds and ends to make the shipping cost worthwhile (things like welting or decorative tacks that I could use on future projects).

05.October.2012

Hey Dana- nice work! You didn’t mention where you found it–yard sale? Thrift? Flea market? I may be moving again soon (and downsizing from even a 1br apartment to a studio. Yikes!) and need to keep a list of places when I visit OH to find vintagey gems like these to fit a new space.
I also voted for Mabrey’s room even before reading this. A brave choice of dark color, and it works beautifully. Forget all the blog hatred. They can be so nasty. Good luck.

05.October.2012

The stool looks sooo good! …nice and clean in your wonderful new kitchen. I will vote for Mabrey’s nursery. I’ve yet to see the other contenders but this matters not; when you posted the makings of the mobile, I found it a very touching addition (handmade, thought out, from mother to daughter) and another wonderfully subtle place for anyone’s eyes to land. Be proud. Scew the prudes.

05.October.2012

Voted! And yeah, I don’t have direct experience, but I think having kids automatically guarantees stretch marks and the unwelcome criticism of strangers.

05.October.2012

I love this!!! You did an amazing job and I now want to go find a new chair to makeover for my desk!

05.October.2012

Love the stool! It’s perfect for ur house!!

05.October.2012

I love that you are giving something pretty cool a second lease on life. It looks like it was always meant to be there! and as for Apartment Therapy, they are known for having the nastiest commenters on the web. You just have to be like a celebrity and not read that stuff!

05.October.2012

Love it! And yes, eerily similar to YHL– I’ll admit I did a double-take when I read your post. Looks awesome with the spray paint.

Also, I didn’t get a chance to comment on Monday’s post, but wanted to send my support. Being a mom is already a full-time job; trying to do anything on top of that without outsourcing something is a tall order! I learned this the hard way after having my daughter and then working PT; I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t able to get extra “projects” done on my days off. I can only imagine having two rowdy boys and a newborn. Go easy on yourself. Your fans will hang in there!

05.October.2012

Wow! That stool is fabulous! It looks perfect in that space.

06.October.2012

Great looking stool- I’ve used a black “Sharpie” marker for touch ups on a bunch of black items in my house . Maybe that would work for your protectors too? Off to AT to vote for Maybrey’s room.

06.October.2012

Thank you Dee! I’ll give the black Sharpie a try.

06.October.2012

Thanks for your vote! One thing I’ve learned since having kids is that there are many different ways to be a parent. And the minute you criticize someone else is also the minute your kid throws a tantrum, pees their pants, wakes up in the middle of the night or pulls out every last Lego piece and leaves them. I’m not a perfect parent and neither is anyone else. I think we’re all learning as we go.

06.October.2012

I just went to AT this morning and looks like you are way ahead!!!! Congrats! I am inspired to enter one of their makeover contests since I closed in a porch, but boy did I learn when my house was on the “house tour” people can say some ouch comments. I also learned today that they use images from one’s house tour in many other of their posts that you didn’t even know about, which turns out to be kind of flattering and fun. I wish I could do that whole thing again. The photos I take of my house are way better than the ones the photographer took and I feel like my style has matured much more. Ahhhh, such is life!!

06.October.2012

Geesh. I was so excited to share it I totally forgot to mention that it was a craigslist find! I swear, I used to be smart.

I was browsing CL one night this week for ‘stool’ and it was the first one to pop up. The seller was 15 minutes away. I couldn’t pass it up!

06.October.2012

Thank you for your vote. I’m quite fond of Mabrey’s room as well but there’s probably some bias there. ;)

06.October.2012

Thanks for voting!

06.October.2012

Thank you for taking the time to vote! And, yes, spray paint should be called magic paint.

06.October.2012

Good to know!

06.October.2012

How creative are you?! I love that idea!!! Might just steal it…

06.October.2012

Thanks for clicking over to vote! I know it can be a hassle to vote online sometimes.

06.October.2012

Isn’t it curious how our homes change over time as we do? I think it would be fun and interesting to see how your home and other AT house tour homes have changed since being featured. Maybe a ‘house tour revisited’ series would be fun?

06.October.2012

Not as creative as I wish I were! But I’m loving many of the jute-wrapped DIY projects I see around the blogosphere. (I tried to wrap jute around an antique porcelain lamp base I’ll eventually sell; couldn’t make it stick since I couldn’t glue it directly on without permanently damaging a valuable lamp. So I took a nubbly sleeve from a sweater I’d made into a pillow cover–another copycat idea from the blog world–pulled it up around the lamp base, and secured it there with twine. A temporary fix I can live with for now.) Glad to see you’re racking up the AT votes! Add mine, cast as soon as I recognized Mabrey’s room on the site.

06.October.2012

I giggled with the “elderly cane rubber tip look” comment. If you do put tennis balls on it then at least Mabrey can use it as a push stool when she needs assistance when walking. :-) I think the stool looks great with a fresh coat of black paint. You are one clever, creative Mama!

07.October.2012

How about taping the rubber tips in black electrical tape? Just a thought.

07.October.2012

Hi Dana! Some Plastidip will cover the rubber ends. It is actually product that coats stuff with a rubber like texture so it won’t scratch your floors. You can often find it in the tool section as it is most often used to to create the rubber grippy parts on the end of hand tools.

Your chair looks amazing!

07.October.2012

Consider your awesome Mabrey room voted for! It is a beautiful room and deserves to win. Good Luck!

07.October.2012

I doubted this chair in the first picture, but the end product came out so beautiful!!

07.October.2012

They have them in all the Menard’s, Home Depots’, and smaller hardware stores around here.

08.October.2012

A Menard’s store just opened up near us. I’ll have to check it out!

08.October.2012

That could totally work!

Pretty sweet deal!!!! Love the upgrade :)

08.October.2012

Fantastic stool makeover. It look perfect in you’re kitchen.

08.October.2012

It looks awesome! It’s amazing how much the completion of a few small projects can inspire. I’d say that was a very productive use of nap time! PS- heading over to vote!

09.October.2012

Kinda jealous! Great find.

09.October.2012

Great job on the stool!

09.October.2012

I love “project posts” because they always inspire me to get going on my own projects!!!
Thanks Dana! Very cool chair, and super cute mobile..: )

11.October.2012

Perfect. Great look and feel for your room AND functional.

12.October.2012

Saw your post and thought your stool turned out great. I wanted to suggest AMACO’s Rub ‘n Buff for the rubber tips on the stool. This is a metallic wax paste that works on porous surfaces, and might be less susceptible to coming off of the rubber. We have 15 colors available through our website. I know lots of women have used this product to update lamp fixtures, door hardware, knobs, etc. (you can see projects on our Facebook page Rub ‘n Buff Metallic Wax Finishes). If you happen to give it a try, let me know how it works out for you.

I love the glossy black finish! Looks great!!