Bench Project: Success With Plan B

Happily, after experiencing a lack of success with Plan A, progress is being made with Plan B!

But before I show that, here's what I did with the legs. Sanding off the dark lacquer was not an easy job, but worth the effort.

Not wanting the new finish to get too dark, a layer of clear Briwax was rubbed into each leg with steel wool...

...followed by a layer of Briwax in Tudor Brown.

Keeping in mind the worn finish seen on the table, the goal was to create a similar look on these legs, as if they've already seen a long life.

Then it was on to dealing with the bench cushion, undoing the work done during Plan A. If you read this post, you know that plan called for covering the existing cushion with a layer of high density foam and batting, as seen above. The result: a cushion that looked bulky, bulky, bulky! Reviewing the progress I realized this wasn't headed in the right direction.

So I backtracked, undid those steps and started over with Plan B. The tufted buttons and material were removed to work with the original foam, for a sleeker profile.

Shredded foam was used to fill the holes and then I waited to see how much the foam would spring back, now that the buttons and material were not pressing down creating the creases.

A day later I was ecstatic to see it had sprung back to nearly a smooth surface! 

So the holes were filled a bit more and "plugged".

Wanting to make sure the filled holes didn't show through on the completed cushion top, I used two layers of batting. Afterwards, seeing slight shadows at some of the holes I decided to add one more layer, this time using a stronger canvas to create a firm foundation on which to drape the final fabric.

To avoid too much bulk forming at the corners, here the canvas was cut away. I know, I'm probably breaking every upholstery rule out there, but it is working! I have to tell you, throughout this whole process I keep thinking about the hard work upholsterers do. Wow, it does make me more fully appreciate the cost of a good upholstery job!

The next step will be to cover the bench with the fabulous faux ostrich, but first I'm giving my hands a break. All this stapling has been hard work!