Almost 3 years ago I had a vision of adding gold barstools to my kitchen. At the time there was only a couple of options that I found which cost well over $1500 per stool. As I knew I would most likely change my mind in 1-2 years I didn't want to invest a large amount so I decided to put my creative hat on and come up with a cost effective option.
Many Australian's would be aware that Kmart have a super affordable barstool for $25 each seen here which I planned to hack.
What you will require...
3 x Kmart Barstool in white
2 x can of White Knight gold Spray paint
1 x set of rubber gloves
1 x Phillips Head Screwdriver
1 x Butter Knife to remove sticker underneath wooden top
1 x tube of Superglue
STEP 1
STEP 2
The white powder coating on the legs will need to be removed by a professional sandblasting company. The existing paint is a high gloss coating which the gold spray paint or an undercoat won't stick to. It must be removed and yes this is an added cost.
A friend of a friend helped me out with the sandblasting so I can't provide details around this however if you Google 'sandblasting' you will easily locate a workshop within your area who I'm sure can assist you.
Side note: I often get asked if the legs need to be sandblasted. The answer is absolutely. If you don't sandblast the legs the gold paint won't stick to the metal. As a final note the metal legs will need respraying once every 12 months as the gold does darken over time.
STEP 3
For the wooden tops to have a finish that looks and feels professional it is best to get them professionally sprayed (also known as 2 pac).
Procoat Kitchens assisted me with this task and are happy and willing to assist anyone in Melbourne that would like the same done. Please note there is also a cost involved to have them sprayed white.
STEP 4
Once the legs have been returned from the sand blaster they will need to be sprayed gold. Apply a minimum of two coats and please note that every 12 months its wise to respray the gold as it does get a little dull over time.
STEP 5
Once the paint has fully dried glue to bottom cushions back on to the legs so as they won't scratch your floors.
Also screw the white timber tops to the gold frames.
Side note:
Allow your stools to sit for 24 hours after the DIY job before using them just to make sure the gold paint and glue on the rubber cushions is 100% dry..
TOTAL COST: Approximately $150 per stool.
Disclaimer: it's now been almost 3 years since I hacked the Kmart bar stools and I'm well aware there are now many gold bar stool options on the market and some under the price point it cost to hack these stools. I'm not encouraging anyone to undertake this hack to save money.
3 years ago it was the cheaper option however now it's more about the DIY task I undertook and giving others the encouragement to step out side their comfort zone and attempt to hack something that may save you a penny or two.