Upholstered Ottoman

Materials:

4 'x 4' piece of 3/4" plywood
12" decorative legs (4)
4 leg brackets with screws
10' decorative trim
circular saw
miter saw
drill
4d finish nails
220-grit sandpaper
gel stain
rags
wood putty
water-based polyurethane
decorative cloth
scissors
thread

Steps:

1. For the ottoman base, cut the plywood to 2' x 2' using a circular saw and a cutting edge. Attach decorative trim around the edges of the board. Cut a piece of trim to length at a 45-degree angle using a miter saw. Repeat for the other three pieces. To assemble, place the wood trim pieces so that they extend below the wood base 1/2 inch (this will hide the brackets that will hold the legs). Drill small pilot holes through the trim into the base, and then attach the pieces using finish nails. Sand the rough edges and remove the dust.
2. To attach the legs to the plywood, place a bracket in position at each corner 1/4 inch in from the edges. Drill pilot holes into the wood through the pre-drilled bracket holes and attach each with the screws provided.
3. Apply the stain that best matches the wood style or the fabric. It's easier to do this after construction so that the pieces are not touching the work surface. Once dry, fill all nail holes with wood putty that matches the stain color. Once dry, apply two to three coats of polyurethane.

Materials:

4" foam (cut to 24" x 26")
1 yard fabric
marker
9 button covers
plywood (cut to 24" x 26")
waxed upholsterer's thread
9 anchor buttons (small white shirt buttons work well)
spray adhesive (optional)
scissors
razor or sharp knife
hammer (for button covers)
staple gun or tacks
upholstery needle

Steps:

1. Cut plywood and foam to size. Determine the number of biscuits (square sections) desired for a button-tufted ottoman top. These sections should be of equal size to create a square pattern button-tufting design and can be determined by dividing both length and width of the foam by four (or any number more than three). Diamond patterns can be achieved by offsetting the outside line of buttons with those in the center sections.

3. Mark the same grid pattern on the plywood piece to match the spot where the button threads will come through the plywood to be anchored. Use a drill with a small bit (a nail and hammer will also work) to make holes in the plywood at each button location.

4. Cut material to size, allowing an extra one to two inches of material for EACH channel cut into the foam, both vertically and horizontally, for fabric tucking. Cover buttons according to the instructions. Thread button back with ample amount of upholstery thread (at least 24 inches doubled through the eye of the button back). The longer length of thread will ensure easier tightening and anchoring of buttons.

5. Place material right side up over the grid-marked foam piece. Keeping the fabric taut and aligned (take extra care if using a patterned material), wedge equal amounts of material into each channel of the foam both vertically and horizontally. Use an upholstering needle to pull button thread through foam at designated button location, and on through the hole in the plywood. Note: Spray adhesive can be used to attach plywood and foam for ease in anchoring buttons, but is not necessary. Repeat this step until all buttons have been placed at grid locations.

Note : Pulling the thread slightly deeper than the desired depth of the button will allow for the proper placement of the finished button once the anchor button is tied off and released. An extra hand can be very helpful at this point. Repeat this step on all remaining buttons, working from inside to outside of the ottoman top.

7. Neatly tuck fabric into all cut channels including those down the sides of the foam piece. When done, fold the excess material under the bottom of the plywood piece (fold and tuck it under like wrapping a gift box) and staple to bottom of plywood.

8. Place completed ottoman top onto the base and secure it with screws, adhesive or tacks.