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DIY: Coffee Sack Ottoman

I’m always looking for something to update and I love finding ordinary things and changing their use to be a little more unusual.  Guess that’s what a DIYer is all about.  Yesterday, I shared some very creative ways to recycle and repurpose burlap coffee sacks.  A while ago, I scored some old coffee sacks from a local coffee shop and once my creative juices started to flow, I had just the idea – an ottoman for my living room.  It was a perfect way to show the coffee sack stamping and detailing!  After scoring an ottoman (which was in desperate need of a makeover) at a garage sale for $5, I gathered the rest of my supplies, and set off to begin the project.

Thankfully the ottoman was sturdy and overall, in good condition, so I knew with a little TLC, this little guy could look pretty again!

These are the burlap coffee sacks (or you can buy coffee sacks) that I picked up on my random Saturday morning excursion in downtown Saratoga Springs (and they were free!  The mister just asked for them, and all of a sudden we were the owner of 4 coffee sacks).

The legs of the ottoman screwed into the bottom frame, so I was able to easily remove them, along with the fabric.  The original ottoman legs were an orange-stained oak – not my cup of tea and a little different than the rest of the woods in my home.  I prefer a darker look, so I chose to use a Jacobean finish.

I first gave the legs a good standing ~

Then, it was time to apply the Jacobean stain.  I wanted to achieve a dark finish, so I did not wipe the stain off – I waited (a long time) for it to completely dry.  If you prefer the tone of the Jacobean stain, but desire a lighter, more transparent look, then you can rub the stain off with a soft cloth.  I applied 3 coats to get the look I wanted and it took about 3-4 days for the legs to completely dry.

Like my makeshift drying rack? I used the wire basket from our old refrigerator during the Kitchen Makeover.

In the meantime, I moved on to cutting the burlap coffee sacks to reupholster the ottoman top ~

Then reupholstered the top using a staple gun ~

Almost done…

After the legs dried (which took a loooong time), they were ready to reattach.  At that point, I was happy with the ottoman, but it still needed something.  Hmmm…  how about nail heads?  Yes, that would be the finishing touch that it needed!

It took me quite a long time to find upholstery nails.  Then this kind blogger helped me out and mentioned that Ace Hardware and Home Depot carry them.   Really?  AH and HD…never would have thought it, but she was right.  Thess upholstery nails were just what I needed to complete this makeover.  They were $1.37/pack and I used 3 packs.

To attach the upholstery nailheads, I started off at one corner and then gently nailed in each one into the wood base.  It’s important to keep them evenly separated and in-line, as much as possible.

Then I continued around the entire base~

One important part of this reupholstery project is how I finished the corners.  Especially because the burlap is very heavy, the corners were quite tricky.  I actually had finished the ottoman top, was unhappy with the result, and reworked them.

Here is my first attempt that I wasn’t happy with~

And here is the final, reworked look.  Instead of wrapping the fabric to the side (as seen above), I pulled it underneath, so the finished corner had a clean look. Like this~

And it’s complete!

One more picture of the before~

And here it is now… a comfy place to put my feet up!

Do you think it could be a Ballard Designs Knock-off?

Have you used burlap coffee sacks for any of your DIY projects?  Do you have any projects in mind using these found treasures?  If you want to check out more creative projects using coffee sacks, check out this post ~ Coffee Sack Creations and check out my pins on Pinterest.

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