Rita Hill gave some old leather bar stools a new lease of life. They were in good structural condition, so all they needed was a quick makeover.

Bar stool brush-up

1. Rita covered the rubber feet with masking tape, then spray painted the metal legs with a brilliant chrome fast dry acrylic. (Tip: if necessary, sand the legs before painting.)

2. The leather seat cushions were still supple, with no cracks or obvious wear, so all they needed was a coat of paint. Rita used a spray-on, all-purpose cleaner (Viponds Dissol) to remove any dirt and grease from the leather.

3. The seat cushions were then wiped over with Viponds Prep Vinyl, to remove any extra contaminants and leave the surface dry and ready for painting.

4. Finally Rita painted the leather seats black, to give the stools a contemporary look. She used Viponds Taut Flex, which gives a gloss finish, but you can add a matting agent if that's the look you're after.

Product costs

Brilliant Chrome Fast Dry Acrylic is made by plasti-kote. It's available from hardware and paint stores and costs about $19.65
Viponds Dissol - 200ml, $3.70
Viponds Prep Vinyl - 500ml, $7
Viponds Taut Flex - 500ml, $23.70
Viponds Taut Flex matting agent - 250ml, $5.60

Phone Viponds Paints on (02) 9709 3200 for product advice. They supply everything you need to clean and coat leather or vinyl.

Further information

This makeover is in the September 2002 issue of the Burke's Backyard Magazine, available at newsagents and supermarkets for $4.95.

Copyright CTC Productions 2002