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    Home Ā» reclaimed wood Ā» How To Make Oversized Stepstool

    How To Make Oversized Stepstool

    Published by Gail | Published November 6, 2018 | Updated May 16, 2021
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    I was cleaning out the garage this past week and came across the old top to my kitchen island. As I was taking the boards apart I knew it was the perfect specimen for an oversized stepstool for the bedroom closet.

     

    old table top to oversized step stool

    After one board was removed, it was the perfect size to make a stepstool—well almost.

     

    *this post contains affiliate links, read more here*

     

    Cut tabletop on miter saw

    cut table top on compound miter saw

    I turned the tabletop over so that I could keep an eye on the location of the screws and proceeded to cut it on the compound miter saw.

     

    2x4 planks for stepstool

    These are the two pieces I was left with after sawing off the stained ends. It looks like two stepstools just waiting to happen, right?

     

    Look for suitable lumber for oversized stepstool legs

    lumber pile

    Looking in my lumber pile I found a 2x2 perfect for the legs of this oversized stepstool.

     

    antique stepstool

    This is my inspiration for this stepstool project. It was my Nana’s stool that my Grandad probably made for her. Why is is hanging out in the garage? That’s a good question. It really needs to have a place of honor.

     

    Cut legs for stepstool

    cut legs on iter saw

    I cut the 2x2 in sections to make 4 legs and the brace pieces.

    Dry fit stepstool legs

    design stage for oversized stool

    You can see I chose the larger section of the former tabletop for this stepstool project.

     

    Mark legs for pocket holes

    mark pocket holes on stepstool legs

    Drilling pocket holes can be somewhat confusing. I prefer to mark the areas so I don’t mess up.

     

    Drill pocket holes

    drill pocket holes

    Drilling pocket holes into the tops of the legs seemed like the best way to make this project really sturdy.

    Need more details on using a Kreg Jig? See my article How to use a Kreg Jig Pocket Hole System

     

    Attach legs to stepstool

    directions to make oversized stepstool

    I used 1 ½” pocket hole screws to attach each of the legs to the stepstool. I recommend using Gorilla Wood Glue along with the screws. The best way to do this brace step is to clamp the cross board in place, drill a pilot hole through the leg into the long cross board. Do this on each side using wood screws and glue.

    Offset screws slightly so that you have room to add screws going through the leg into the shorter cross board. (not pictured)

     

    Orbital sander for  rough boards

    orbital sander smooths rough corners on oversized stepstool

    I prefer to sort of round over the sharp edges on projects like these with my orbital sander with 150-220 grit sandpaper.

     

    Paint oversized step stool

    latex paint chip brush

    Time to paint! I use regular ole latex wall paint for my projects. Most of the time I use a diy chalky paint primer made with Plaster of Paris. However, this time I just used a satin paint—Simply White. Of course I used my favorite cheap chip brush to apply the paint. These brushes clean up quickly and waste very little paint.

     

    paint underneath side of stepstool

    It’s best to pour paint into a cup, instead of dipping your paintbrush into the full can of paint. I painted a couple of light coats of paint on the stool.

     

     

    Do you use spackling to patch furniture projects?

    putty holes

    Most of the time I reach for my bucket of drywall mud or spackling to patch small holes. I only patch them when I have to, and generally wait till after I put on the first couple of coats of paint. As in this case—I simply grabbed my small putty knife and a load of mud to patch the holes. It was rainy outside so I worked on the new stepstool right in the kitchen.

    NOTE: the stepstool is made from the old kitchen island, and here it is resting on the new island table top! Smile

     

    small screw holes need patching

    I filled the screw holes and some random holes that were left from the original pocket hole screws that held the island tabletop together.

     

    Using a damp rag instead of sandpaper

    wipe away spackling with damp rag

    Because I was working on this project in the kitchen, I used a damp rag for “sanding” instead of sandpaper. Since the step stool is white, I didn’t have to touch up the paint.

     

     

    holes patched with spackling

    See? good enough for me! Small holes patched and wiped away with a damp rag.

     

    Protect your floors

    felt furniture pads

    Add felt furniture pads to the bottom of the step stool legs to protect your wooden floors. I like to buy them by bulk in various sizes.

    Short over sized step stool for master closet

    short oversized stepstool for master closet MyRepurposedLife

    This short over sized stepstool will really come in handy in my master bedroom closet. It’s been about 6 months and I’ve worked really hard to keep my bedroom and closet neat and tidy. That’s not easy to do in a small house.

     

    short over sized step stool for master closet MyRepurposedLifeThe oversized stool is perfect for me to reach the upper shelves in the closet! It’s a good height for sitting, and definitely wide enough for me to step to one side to reach even further. I love the fact that it’s made from reclaimed lumber from my old kitchen island.

    The overall size of this stool is:

    • Top 11" x 19"
    • Legs 11"

    I still need to rescue my Nana’s step stool from the garage . . .

    gail

    see more stepstool projects here

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    Gail Wilson
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    Hi, there! I’m Gail, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

    • Gail Wilson
      https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/author/gail/
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    About Gail Wilson

    Hi, there! I’m Gail, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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    1. LeeAnne Pichette

      November 16, 2018 at 6:39 am

      Do you have rough size of the top and length of legs?

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        November 19, 2018 at 11:01 am

        LeeAnne,

        The top is 19x11, and the legs are 11" tall. I hope that answers all of your questions. I really should have put this in the post. I will be editing it, thank you!!!

        gail

    2. Karen

      November 07, 2018 at 5:04 pm

      Thanks Gail! I don’t always comment, but I love each and every post. How did you know I was needing a step stool for my recent Master Closet makeover! Hoping to make one this weekend! Pinned and waiting for me 😊

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        November 07, 2018 at 5:14 pm

        Hey Karen!

        How did I know? Because we all need one, don't we? I can't wait to see yours, I best it will be awesome!

        Thanks so much for pinning!

        gail

    3. Jennie

      November 06, 2018 at 2:36 pm

      It’s wonderful. If you cut the legs a few degrees slanted it would make the stool more stable. I made a stool for the grand baby with straight legs and it tipped over. You know I can’t use power saws. So had my husband cut 5-10 degrees off top and bottom and it worked much better.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        November 06, 2018 at 5:48 pm

        Great point Jennie! This stool is quite sturdy and won't tip over because of it's size. But if someone makes a smaller on, your advice should definitely be taken. Thanks for sharing!
        gail

    4. Bonnie Edwards

      November 06, 2018 at 9:41 am

      Love ther oversized step stool. Being 5'2" it is always a struggle to reach things up high. Being over 60 and over 200 lbs.(working on that) I always check for sturdiness before use. Now, down to my creative center (basement-where we have a workshop, my sewing and crafts, etc...Basically it is where we can make a mess without worries.) Wish I could come up with a solution for climbing stairs.
      Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        November 06, 2018 at 5:51 pm

        Thanks so much Bonnie! I know this over sized step stool is going to be so handy at reaching the items in the top of closet. I think the answer/solution to climbing stairs is to "keep climbing stairs" I think it's when we stop doing that we find it harder TO do those things. Just take it easy and never give up!
        gail

      • Bonnie J Edwards

        April 19, 2021 at 2:58 pm

        I just read through this. It is 3 years later and I still am climbing the stairs, all though not as frequently. I would make one recommendation to this stool. As I have made some stools and tend to carry them to where I need to use them, I like to have a small opening in the center of the seat to be able to reach my hand in to grab and carry. On a bench I already had that my dad made I drilled a hole in the board (the seat) and then used a jigsaw to cut an oval about 3- 4 inches by 1 inch wide. If you are putting 2 boards together to make the seat, it could easily be done before attaching.

      • Gail Wilson

        April 23, 2021 at 10:09 pm

        Awesome idea Bonnie to have a handle in an oversized stepstool. I have one in my garage that my grandad probably made 50 years ago, and it is like you describe.

        Thanks for reminding me that I should have done this.

        gail

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

    More about me →

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