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Build A Beautiful DIY Upholstered Ottoman from Scratch – Wood Build Plans

Easy To Follow Steps to Build, Finish, and Upholster a DIY Upholstered Ottoman from Scratch. You can build this low ottoman in a weekend.

DIY Upholstered Ottoman Build Plan

Today, I’ve got a quick build for you guys!

You can build, finish and upholster with these DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans in just a weekend. And it’s such a versatile piece of furniture.

You can use this ottoman as a footstool, extra seating, or as a low coffee table for your next family game night.

Image of a DIY Upholstered Ottoman or Footstool on a post with build plans for woodworkers that want to make their own.

Just pick your favorite fabric by the yard and quick drying wood finish to get this ottoman built quickly!

I absolutely love this little ottoman. It’s the perfect height for our newly reupholstered wingback chairs.

And, our kids love this DIY Ottoman as extra seating in front of the TV.

How to Build, Finish, and Upholster a DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans from Scratch. Step by step guide. You can build this in a weekend.
Don’t forget to save this DIY on Pinterest.

What you Need to Make An Upholstered Ottoman

Build this in less than a day! Square DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans from Scratch, with full tutorial and pictures to help you build a beautiful wood and fabric ottoman in less than a day. Easy build for woodworking beginners. #AbbottsAtHome #DIYFurniture #Ottoman #Velvet #Footstool

Tools Needed

DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans from Scratch – Build Steps

Step One

Cut all of your wood to size, except the 1/2″ x 3/4″ Moulding.

Step Two

Put 2 Kreg Jig Pocket Holes at each end of the 4 – 21″ 1×4 boards.

Step Three

Glue and Screw the 4 – 1×4 boards to the 2×2’s, with a 1/4″ setback from the front of the 2×2. I usually use a 1/4″ thick piece of scrap wood as a spacer (see picture below). Build the complete square frame with the 2×2’s as the corners.

I use this handy Kreg Clamp to hold the boards in place while screwing the first screw in. You can see the 1/4″ thick board under the 1×4 here too.
I’ve attached the trim all along the bottom edge here. Make sure the pocket holes to attach the seat are facing down, like mine.

Step Four

Measure and cut the 1/2″ x 3/4″ Moulding to attach along the bottom of the square frame. For 45-degree miter cuts, I like to double check the measurements before cutting. They should be 24″. I used glue and my brad nailer to attach the dowel even with the 2×2’s.

On the opposite side of the dowels (top of the frame), add 6 pocket holes that will be used to attach the seat later. I put 2 near the corners of 2 opposite sides, then 2 near the center of the other 2 sides.

Step Five

Attach the 4 Top Leg Plates, over a 1/2″ thick piece of board or plywood, tightly into the corners of the bottom of the square frame. That’s it. Now you’re ready to apply the finish to your DIY Upholstered Ottoman. 🙂

I used 1/2″ thick plywood to raise the bracket. Keeping the brackets 1/4″ below the bottom edge keeps the hardware hidden.

Finishing Steps

Start by giving everything a light sanding. I have found that 180-grit is all you really need for Select Pine and these feet. If you’re using different wood, you may need to use different grits and/or wood conditioner.

I love using Watco’s Danish Oil, lately. It is super easy to apply. You just pour some on the wood and spread it around. And it dries so much faster than most finishes.

I used 2 coats of Watco’s Danish Oil in Medium Walnut for this build. It doesn’t require another topcoat, but I did apply Varathane Satin Polyurethane to the feet, just to give them a shinier look.

I applied the finish to the feet and square frame before attaching the feet. Once everything is dry, the next step on my DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans is to screw the feet on.

How to Upholster this DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans

Step One

Cut a 24″ x 24″ piece of the 3″ foam. Then cut 2 layers of the high loft batting and 1 layer of fabric about 30″ x 30″.

Step Two

Lay the upholstery fabric upside down on a clean flat surface. Then spread the 2 layers of batting over the fabric. Making sure that the batting is centered and spread smooth. Place the upholstery foam in the center.

Then the 24″ x 24″ plywood board on top of the foam. Lift up the fabric on each of the 4 sides just to make sure it is centered and will cover at least an inch of the bottom of the plywood. Re-center, if needed.

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Step Three

Now, pull the fabric and batting tight in the center of 1 side and staple about 1″ or 1 1/2″ from the edge. Switch to the opposite side and pull the fabric and batting tight and staple again.

Move to a third side and pull the fabric and batting tight and staple in the center. Then do the same on the fourth side.

Lift up the seat to make sure it looks tight enough across the surface of the seat. You can always remove staples and adjust, if needed. Even after tons of upholstery projects, I always end up removing staples and adjusting at some point. 🙂

Once you think everything looks nice and tight, staple each of the 4 sides while pulling tightly on the fabric and batting. Start with 1 side, move to the opposite side, then do the last 2 sides.

Keep the staples close together (see picture). Leave 2 ” of unstapled fabric on each side of the 4 corners.

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Build this in less than a day! Square DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans from Scratch, with full tutorial and pictures to help you build a beautiful wood and fabric ottoman in less than a day. Easy build for woodworking beginners. #AbbottsAtHome #DIYFurniture #Ottoman #Velvet #Footstool

Step Four

The corners can be done in a few different ways on my DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans. First, you could have pinned and sewed them before attaching the fabric.

For this ottoman, I folded the fabric under 1 corner to make a straight line, that wasn’t pulled too tightly.

But first, trim away the excess batting at the corners. You just want the batting to meet at the corners, any more than that will look lumpy.

Once the extra batting is cut away, fold the fabric under one side to create a straight line in the corner. Then staple the fabric in place. I didn’t pull as tight at the corners as I did on the sides. I wanted to keep a squarer look on the corners.

I sometimes go for 2 straight lines at the corners by folding the fabric under on each side, but that wasn’t looking great with this thick velvet fabric.

Play around with your corners to find a look you like. Once the corners are finished and look good, cut away the excess fabric and batting.

Build this in less than a day! Square DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans from Scratch, with full tutorial and pictures to help you build a beautiful wood and fabric ottoman in less than a day. Easy build for woodworking beginners. #AbbottsAtHome #DIYFurniture #Ottoman #Velvet #Footstool

Step Five

Then I made some matching cording wrapped in the same fabric and attached it to the bottom of the seat. This just adds a polished look and isn’t hard to make, at all. 🙂

Build this in less than a day! Square DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans from Scratch, with full tutorial and pictures to help you build a beautiful wood and fabric ottoman in less than a day. Easy build for woodworking beginners. #AbbottsAtHome #DIYFurniture #Ottoman #Velvet #Footstool
Cut a 1 1/2″ to 2″ wide strip of fabric to sew over small cording. I am not a very experienced sewer, but this is totally easy, guys. And, the sewing machines these days are super simple to use. This Brother sewing machine does most of the work and comes with a fully illustrated instruction book. Yea!
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At the corners, cut 5 or 6 strips in the fabric to make the cording bend easily. Be sure to stop before the stitching.
Build this in less than a day! Square DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans from Scratch, with full tutorial and pictures to help you build a beautiful wood and fabric ottoman in less than a day. Easy build for woodworking beginners. #AbbottsAtHome #DIYFurniture #Ottoman #Velvet #Footstool

Step Six

Attach the seat to the frame by flipping the seat upside-down, then centering the frame on it. Use the 6 pocket holes to attach the frame tightly to the seat. Pat yourself on the back, you’ve built your own DIY Upholstered Ottoman. 🙂

How to Build, Finish, and Upholster a DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans from Scratch. Step by step guide. You can build this in a weekend.

RECOMMENDED: 28 Best Small Scrap Wood Projects With Easy To Follow DIY Steps & Videos

More Photos of this DIY Wood Ottoman

I love this sweet low ottoman. And, that amazing blue velvet!
How to Build, Finish, and Upholster a DIY Upholstered Ottoman Plans from Scratch. Step by step guide. You can build this in a weekend.
Don’t forget to Save this DIY on Pinterest

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Feeling inspired? Now you’re ready to follow these DIY Upholstered Ottoman from Scratch. Let me know if you have questions.

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Sarah @ The DIY Mommy

Friday 27th of March 2020

This is a great project! It turned out absolutely fantastic!

Stephanie

Saturday 28th of March 2020

Thank you, Sarah!

Arrow Fastener

Thursday 29th of November 2018

Nice shot of the T50 staple gun! Thanks for sharing, Stephanie, and great job on this ottoman!

Debrashoppeno5

Monday 12th of November 2018

You did a fantastic job. I love the detail of the cording. Thanks for sharing at the Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Party.

Stephanie

Monday 12th of November 2018

Thanks, Debra!

vrmm26

Sunday 11th of November 2018

So pretty, great job! Love the addition of the cording; makes it look custom and pricey! Visiting from Happiness Is Homemade party.

Stephanie

Sunday 11th of November 2018

Thanks so much. The cording does add such a nice touch to projects. :)

Chas Greener

Wednesday 7th of November 2018

The ottoman turned out beautifully, I like the color and I love your chair to go with it. Thanks for sharing on To Grandma's House We Go!

Stephanie

Wednesday 7th of November 2018

Thanks so much, Chas!

Comments are closed.