I found this gem at the local Salvation army for $25! Pretty ugly, but lots of potential. So I went to work…

Materials Used: 3 cans, black spray paint; 1.5 yards of upholstery fabric; about an ounce of fabric glue; staple gun; needle nose pliers; masking tape. Total Cost: About $40.

Step 1 was to strip the horrendous grandma fabric from the wood. This pretty easy, but it requires some patience–you can rip the fabric off, but you still have to remove each staple. Your first step is to delicately remove the trim piece. Since the one on this couch was both in good condition and sufficiently gaudy, I’ll put it aside to use in Step 5. Be careful: you want to keep the fabric as a template for your new pieces. Also, you don’t want to damage the cushion foam, since you’ll likely reuse it. A pair of needle-nose pliers and an hour and a half does the trick.

Step 2 required cleaning the wood, sanding the rough edges, and applying 3 coats of flat black spray paint. Make sure you use your masking tape on the parts you don’t want to paint (the drawer handle in this case), and also be sure you’re outside for proper ventilation. It was about 70 degrees last week when I did this, gotta love San Francisco in February.

Step 3 involved using the grandma fabric as a template to cut pieces from your new fabric roll. Be sure to add a little extra fabric just in case.

Step 4 involved stretching the fabric over the foam and using the staple gun to set the new fabric. Don’t be afraid to be firm, the fabric needs to be stretched tightly.

Step 5 includes lining the edges of the cushions with fabric adhesive and reapplying the trim piece. Use masking tape to hold the trim in place while the glue dries. Depending on the adhesive, it should take no longer than an hour or so.