Transform Your Space: DIY Tufted Ottoman Bench from an Old Coffee Table

Embark on an exciting journey to revitalize your living space with a custom-built, designer-inspired ottoman bench. This comprehensive DIY guide will walk you through transforming a humble thrift store coffee table into a luxurious, tufted centerpiece, complete with a beautifully crafted faux weathered wood finish. Get ready to unleash your inner interior designer and create a stunning piece that not only saves you money but also adds a unique touch of elegance to your home.

Have you ever experienced that magical moment at a thrift store when you’re “just browsing” and stumble upon a hidden gem? That’s precisely how this project began. Nestled among forgotten furniture, a sturdy, unassuming coffee table caught my eye. Priced at just $15, it was an undeniable diamond in the rough, practically begging for a second life. It’s often on these serendipitous days that the best finds appear, making you wonder why the truly dedicated hunting trips sometimes yield nothing! This particular score happened right before Thanksgiving, a time when many people in the Charlotte area seem to be seized by the urge to declutter, leading to an influx of fantastic items hitting the shelves.

From the moment I saw its robust frame, I knew its destiny was far grander than being a simple coffee table. It was destined to be a sophisticated ottoman bench, offering both comfort and style. With a little imagination and a lot of elbow grease, this vision came to life just in time for our monthly “Trash to Treasure Tuesday” reveal. It’s truly amazing what a bit of creativity can achieve when repurposing items that might otherwise end up in a landfill.

Gather Your Essentials: Supplies for Your Ottoman Transformation

Before diving into the makeover, ensure you have all the necessary tools and materials at hand. Having everything organized will make the process smoother and more enjoyable. While some affiliate links are provided for convenience, remember to check your local hardware and craft stores for these items.

• Coffee Table: The star of our show, ideally sturdy and a suitable size for an ottoman bench. (Cost: $15)
• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: French Linen (for the base coat).
• Annie Sloan Black Wax: To achieve that perfect weathered, aged look.
• Fusion Mineral Paint:Casement (for dry brushing).
• 2 Natural Bristle Brushes: Ideal for applying chalk paint and wax, allowing paint to penetrate carved details.
• Small Chip Brush: Perfect for the dry brushing technique.
• 3/4 Hardwood Plywood: Cut to the exact dimensions of your desired ottoman top.
• Paper Towels: Essential for dry brushing and cleaning.
• Dry Lint-Free Rags: For wiping excess wax and general cleanup.
• 3-inch High-Density Foam Sheet: Provides plush comfort for your tufted top.
• Twin Size Hi-Loft Batting: Adds extra softness and volume.
• Upholstery Button Making Kit: For creating custom fabric buttons.
• 3 Yards of Upholstery Fabric: Choose a durable and stylish fabric that complements your decor.
• Power Drill/Driver: For securing screws.
• Electric Knife (optional): Highly recommended for precise foam cutting.
• Sharpie Marker: For marking cutting and tufting lines.
• Tape Measure: For accurate measurements.
• Yard Stick: For creating straight lines.
• Loctite 300 Spray Adhesive: To bond foam to plywood.
• High Heat Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks: For attaching buttons.
• #8 3/4″ Wood Screws: To secure the tufting.
• #10 Flat Washers: To provide wider surface area for screws, preventing pull-through.
• Fabric Scissors: For clean cuts on fabric and batting.
• Manual Staple Gun and 3/8″ 10mm Staples: For securing fabric to the plywood base.
• Liquid Nails: For permanently attaching the upholstered top to the coffee table base.
• A Dose of Patience: Especially crucial for the tufting process!

The total cost for this project, assuming you already own basic tools and some paint, came in at approximately $174.32. This is a significant saving when you consider that similar designer-inspired ottoman benches, particularly those from high-end retailers like Restoration Hardware, can easily cost upwards of $600. It’s a testament to the value and satisfaction of a well-executed DIY furniture makeover!

Much of the inspiration and detailed techniques for diamond tufting for this project were drawn from the fantastic resources at Addicted 2 Decorating. If you’re keen to explore even more in-depth nuances of this craft, their tutorials are an excellent additional resource to check out here.

Step-by-Step DIY Ottoman Bench Transformation

This project is divided into two main parts: first, creating the unique faux weathered wood finish for the coffee table base, and then, constructing and upholstering the plush, tufted top. Take your time with each step, and enjoy the process!

Part 1: Crafting the Faux Weathered Wood Base

Achieving a beautiful, aged look for your furniture doesn’t require decades of waiting. With a few simple painting techniques, you can create a convincing weathered wood finish that adds character and charm to your ottoman’s base.

Step 1: Apply the Base Coat

To begin, I wanted to give the coffee table base that beloved weathered wood aesthetic that I’ve successfully used on other projects (see examples here and here). This look starts with a solid base coat. I painted the entire coffee table with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen. This neutral, earthy tone serves as the perfect foundation for our weathered effect. If you don’t have French Linen on hand, Fusion Mineral Paint in Algonquin is another excellent alternative that provides a similar depth. I find that using a natural bristle brush works best for this step, as its bristles help work the paint into all the intricate carved details and crevices of the coffee table, ensuring full coverage.

Step 2: Master the Dry Brush Technique

Once your French Linen base coat is completely dry, it’s time to introduce some subtle highlights and texture using the dry brushing technique. I lightly dry-brushed the entire piece with Fusion Mineral Paint in Casement. Any preferred white paint can be used here, but Casement’s soft off-white tone beautifully complements the French Linen. To dry brush effectively, dip only the very tip of a small chip brush into your paint. Then, vigorously wipe almost all the paint off onto a dry paper towel until the brush appears almost clean, leaving only a hint of pigment. This minimal amount of paint is then lightly brushed over your piece. The goal isn’t full coverage but rather to catch the raised edges and add a delicate, textured layer, mimicking the natural wear of aged wood. This technique is fantastic for bringing out the intricate details of the furniture’s carvings and edges, adding a sense of rustic authenticity.

Then, lightly brush it onto your piece where you want added texture.

The subtle contrast of the lighter paint catches the light, giving the surface a dimensional and worn appearance. It’s remarkable how this simple step enhances the character of the piece, making it look genuinely aged rather than just painted.

Step 3: Add Depth with Wax

The final touch for our weathered wood look is the application of wax, which seals the paint and adds incredible depth. I used Annie Sloan Black Wax, but a dark or espresso wax would also work, giving you more of a weathered brown tone if you prefer. Using another natural bristle brush, dip it only once into the wax. Work in small sections, brushing the wax onto the surface and working it into the wood and any remaining details with the bristles. Be careful not to apply it too thickly, as this can result in a sticky finish. A little wax goes a long way here. After about a minute, use a clean, dry rag to gently wipe away any excess wax. This process will highlight the raised details of the wood and the subtle textures created by the dry brushing, creating a beautifully aged and sophisticated finish. The black wax subtly darkens crevices and adds a layer of grime-like aging, perfecting the antique look.

Part 2: Building and Upholstering the Tufted Top

Now that your coffee table base has a stunning weathered finish, it’s time to create the plush, tufted top that will transform it into a luxurious ottoman. This section requires precision and a bit of patience, especially with the tufting, but the results are incredibly rewarding.

Step 4: Prepare the Plywood Base

For the ottoman top, you’ll need a sturdy base. I purchased a 3/4-inch hardwood plywood sheet from Home Depot and had them cut it down to the precise dimensions needed for my coffee table top. Accurate measurements at this stage are crucial to ensure your ottoman top fits perfectly and looks proportional to the base. Double-check your dimensions before making cuts or having them made.

Step 5: Lay Out the Foam

For the next few steps, I highly recommend using a folding table or a workbench. Working at a comfortable height will save your back significantly! Roll out your 3-inch high-density foam sheet, ensuring it lies flat and smooth. Place your pre-cut plywood on top of the foam. Using a Sharpie marker, carefully trace the outline of the plywood onto the foam. This ensures your foam will be the exact same shape and size as your wooden base, providing a clean edge for your upholstery.

Step 6: Precisely Cut the Foam

Cutting high-density foam can be tricky with regular scissors, but an electric carving knife makes the job incredibly easy and precise. I simply used an electric carving knife from my kitchen to cut the foam along the Sharpie lines, matching the size of the plywood piece. The electric knife glides through the foam, leaving a clean, smooth edge crucial for a professional-looking finish. If you don’t have one, sharp utility knives can work, but an electric knife is a game-changer for this task.

Step 7: Secure Foam to Plywood with Adhesive

To prevent the foam from shifting during the upholstery process, you need to bond it securely to the plywood base. Spray one side of the foam and the corresponding side of the plywood with Loctite 300 spray adhesive. This adhesive creates a strong, lasting bond, ensuring your foam stays in place. Make sure to work in a well-ventilated area and follow the product’s instructions for application and drying times.

Step 8: Bond Foam and Plywood

Carefully align the foam with the plywood base, making sure the edges match perfectly. Once aligned, firmly press the foam into place, creating a strong bond with the adhesive. Take your time with this step to avoid misalignments, as spray adhesive can bond quickly and permanently. Apply even pressure across the surface to ensure full contact.

Step 9: Mark for Tufting Grid

Now comes the detailed work of marking your tufting points. Using a tape measure and a yard stick as a straight edge, mark your foam piece into quarters horizontally and mark the precise middle vertical point. This initial grid helps ensure symmetry and even spacing for your tufts. Precise measurements here will lead to a professional-looking tufted pattern. Use your Sharpie marker for clear, visible lines on the foam.

Step 10: Pinpoint Button Locations

From your initial grid, use the tape measure again to accurately mark the exact locations where your buttons will eventually go. These marks should be evenly spaced and correspond to the desired diamond tufting pattern. Visualizing the final pattern at this stage helps confirm the aesthetic and ensures consistency across the ottoman top. Take your time to ensure all points are equidistant and aligned.

Step 11: Create Fabric Holes in Foam

To create the necessary indentations for the tufting, you need to cut small openings in the foam at each button marking. Using sharp fabric scissors, cut four one-inch lines around each button marking. These cuts don’t go all the way through the foam, but create a small “cross” shape that will allow the fabric to be pushed down and form the tuft. These small openings facilitate the deep dimples characteristic of tufting, allowing the fabric to gather beautifully.

Step 12: Layer Batting and Prep Holes

Once all your holes are cut into the foam, it’s time to add the batting. Lay down two layers of hi-loft batting over the foam. The batting adds extra softness, smoothness, and helps the tufting maintain its shape. After positioning the batting, use your thumb to press holes through the batting, aligning them with the holes you cut in the foam underneath. This ensures that the fabric will have a clear path to create the tufts and that your buttons will sit correctly.

Step 13: Initial Fabric Placement and First Tuft

Now for the exciting, yet slightly tricky, part: the fabric! Lay your upholstery fabric smoothly over the batting, ensuring you leave plenty of excess fabric hanging around all sides of the foam. This excess is crucial for later stapling and adjusting the tufts. Start at a bottom corner and carefully push fabric through the first hole, aiming to get out as many creases as possible around that first tuft. It might look a bit messy initially, but don’t worry – you’ll be able to smooth out the tufting and folds as you progress. The key is to start creating the initial dimple.

Step 14: Securing the First Tuft

To secure your first tuft, you’ll need a #8 screw and a #10 flat washer. The washer provides a broader surface area, preventing the screw from pulling through the fabric and foam. Drill the screw with the washer into the hole you just created, ensuring it goes firmly into the plywood base. This initial secured tuft acts as an anchor point from which you can start shaping the rest of your diamond pattern. Make sure it’s snug but not overly tight, allowing some give for fabric manipulation.

Step 15: Advancing to the Next Tuft

Now, move on to the next tuft directly beside the one you just secured. This is where strategic fabric management comes into play. When pulling fabric to create this new tuft, always pull excess fabric from the “slack” side – the side opposite the tuft you just secured. Avoid pulling fabric from an already secured tuft, as this can create unsightly puckers or uneven tension. The goal is to ensure the fabric between two tufts remains smooth and un-pulled, allowing for natural, graceful folds to form later. Think about distributing the fabric evenly as you go.

Step 16: Tufting the Outer Rows

Continue working your way down the line, systematically pulling fabric and securing your loose tufts with screws and washers. Maintain even tension and pay attention to how the fabric is gathering. For the best results in diamond tufting, it’s often easiest to secure the outer rows of tufts first. Temporarily skip your middle row of holes and save them for last. This allows you to establish the overall perimeter and structure of your tufting before tackling the more intricate diamond folds in the center.

Step 17: Crafting Diamond Folds in the Middle Row

The middle row is often the trickiest, as this is where you truly start forming those crisp, clean diamond creases in the fabric. This step requires a good deal of patience and a gentle touch. The process is much like wrapping a present: tuck and pinch your fabric at the corners of your tufts to create a defined “seam.” Visualize the diamond shape you want to achieve. Once you have a straight, clean line in your fabric on all four corners leading into the tuft, screw it into place. You’ll be manipulating the fabric to create distinct folds that radiate from each tuft, giving it that classic upholstered diamond pattern. Don’t be afraid to adjust and re-tuck until you’re satisfied with the look.

Step 18: Wrapping and Stapling the Edges

Once all your tufts are secured, it’s time to finish the edges of the ottoman top. Continue tucking and making creases on the edges and corners of the fabric all the way around the plywood, treating it again like you’re expertly wrapping a present. Pull the fabric taut but not so tight that it distorts the tufting. As you tuck and fold, use your manual staple gun to staple sections of the fabric into place on the back of the plywood. Start from the middle of each side and work your way towards the corners, ensuring even tension. You might find a goofy assistant helpful for holding the fabric taut while you staple! This step secures all the loose fabric, giving your ottoman top a clean and professional finish.

Step 19: Trimming Excess Fabric

After all the fabric has been stapled securely to the back of the plywood, finish the upholstery by trimming any excess batting and fabric. Use sharp fabric scissors to cut close to the staple line, but be careful not to cut the staples themselves. A neat and tidy underside reflects the overall quality of your craftsmanship and ensures a cleaner look if the underside is ever visible. This step provides a professional edge to your finished piece.

Step 20: Fabric Button Creation

To conceal the exposed screws within your tufts and add a decorative touch, you’ll create custom fabric buttons. Use an upholstery button-making kit with your chosen upholstery fabric. The kit typically involves a small metal shell and a back piece. Because upholstery fabric can be quite thick, I found that the back of the fabric button wouldn’t always snap perfectly into place with the metal shell. A simple solution is to press the fabric-covered button into the cup of the kit, and then secure the fabric on the back with a dab of hot glue. This ensures a durable and clean finish for each button.

Step 21: Attaching Decorative Buttons

With your custom fabric buttons ready, it’s time to attach them. Apply a dab more of high-heat hot glue to the back of each button. Carefully press each button directly on top of the exposed screw in each tuft. Hold it in place for a few seconds to allow the glue to set. Repeat this process until all the screws are elegantly covered with your beautiful, self-made buttons. This step not only hides the hardware but also adds that quintessential finishing touch to the tufted design.

Step 22: Final Assembly: Attaching the Top to the Base

The final step is to permanently attach your beautifully upholstered and tufted top to the weathered coffee table base. Apply a generous amount of Liquid Nails adhesive to the top surface of the coffee table. Carefully center the upholstered ottoman top on the coffee table base and press it firmly into place. Follow the Liquid Nails manufacturing directions for optimal drying and curing time. It’s crucial to allow the adhesive to fully set before putting any weight or pressure on the ottoman. And just like that, your designer-inspired ottoman bench is complete!

The Grand Reveal: Your Designer-Inspired Ottoman Bench

And with that final adhesive step… done! Whew! After all that hard work, the first order of business was to prop our feet up on this magnificent creation, and let me tell you, that payoff was immediate and deeply satisfying. This transformed coffee table now serves as the perfect spot to relax and unwind.

I did notice after photographing it that the edge where the ottoman top meets the base could benefit from some decorative piping or trim. However, after investing so much time and effort into the main build, I decided to defer that minor detail for another day. For now, let’s just pretend it’s absolutely perfect, shall we? It’s quite impressive for only our second upholstery attempt ever, especially considering our first was a set of Restoration Hardware knock-off dining chairs three years ago. It’s surprising how smoothly this one turned out, despite our rustiness!

The height of this ottoman is absolutely ideal for propping up our feet, making it a favorite spot for lazy afternoons by the fire during these chilly winter days. We put it through a rigorous test drive this past weekend, and it passed with flying colors. It truly feels as if this coffee table was always destined to be an ottoman, fulfilling its true purpose in our home.

Initially, I imagined this ottoman might eventually find its home in our guest room, perhaps serving as a charming dressing bench at the foot of the bed. However, I’m increasingly convinced that it needs to stay right here in our living room. I adore its versatility; it can easily be pulled aside to serve as extra seating when we host guests, offering both functionality and a touch of sophistication to our main living area. (By the way, if you missed our seasonal Christmas living room tour, you can catch it here for more decor inspiration!)

Explore More “Trash to Treasure” Transformations

If you’ve enjoyed this coffee table to ottoman bench transformation, you’ll love seeing what other creative bloggers have done with their “Trash to Treasure” projects! Get inspired by clicking on their amazing makeovers below:

Clockwise from top left:

Prodigal Pieces: Repurposed Christmas Tree | Girl in the Garage: End Table Makeover | Artsy Chicks Rule: Repurposed Christmas Cards | Confessions of a Do-It-Yourselfer: Repurposed Skis

Pin It for Later!

Loved this DIY project? Don’t forget to save it for future inspiration! You can easily pin this post to your favorite home decor or DIY boards on Pinterest using the image below: