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    Home » Repurposed Items » Miscellaneous Household Items » Milk Crate Storage Ottoman

    Milk Crate Storage Ottoman

    Published by Gail | Published September 30, 2016 | Updated April 9, 2019
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Happy fall, MRL friends! It's Angie from Knick of Time, here with a tutorial to turn a vintage milk crate into a padded storage ottoman.

    I made one a few years ago, and it was one of my favorite projects (seen here), but I didn't make a tutorial for it at the time. I brought home another vintage milk crate last week, so  this time I remembered to take step by step photos while I made another ottoman.

    How to turn a milk crate into a padded storage ottoman

    The crate I found is a bit unusual. The edges and bottom are metal, but I I think the sides are made of fiberglass.

    vintage-milk-crate

    There were marks on the fiberglass, and I wasn't crazy about how it looked, so I taped off the metal edges and painted all of the fiberglass sides white. Many old milk crates have metal bars on the sides, so those don't need to be painted.

    To make the padded top, cut plywood exactly the same size as the crate top.

    You'll also 2 pieces of scrap wood the same length as the board, foam padding, fabric, a staple gun and a few short wood screws.

    how-to-create-a-padded-storage-ottoman-with-a-vintage-milk-crate-tutorial-www-knickoftime-nett

    Lay the cut plywood top on your foam and trace around it, then cut on the line to remove excess.

    foam-cushion-for-padded-seat-milk-crate

    Lay your fabric out, and position the foam on it, then the plywood on top.

    If your fabric has an obvious directional print, make sure it's lined up straight.

     

    upholster-seat-cushion-milk-crate

    Start on one side and gently pull the fabric around the foam and plywood. You want the fabric to be snug, but not pulled so tight that pulls "dents" into the foam. Staple the fabric close to the edge of the plywood. Don't worry about excess fabric - we'll trim that off later. Staple all four sides the same way.

    upholster-seat-cushion-with-staple-gun

    Fold the corners of the fabric as if you are wrapping a present, making sure the fabric is as smooth as possible.

    how-to-upholster-a-padded-crate-footstool

    Trim off the excess fabric, and add more staples on any loose parts of the fabric, if needed.

    how-to-make-a-milk-crate-storage-ottoman-knick-of-time

    The last step is to position the two pieces of scrap wood along opposite sides of the plywood and screw them into place. I countersunk my screws, because they were a little too short.

    Now, just flip it over and put it on your crate. The scrap wood pieces keep the finished padded top from sliding off the milk crate.

    how-to-make-a-repurposed-crate-padded-storage-ottoman

    I used sandpaper to add some distressing to the painted fiberglass sides, which made it look more like wood.

    repurposed-milk-crate-foot-stool-knick-of-time

    Stash magazines or books inside and use it as a footstool by your favorite chair!

    how to turn a milk crate into an ottoman with storage

    I hope you'll pop over and visit me at Knick of Time, and see the fun little video I made about my farmhouse pallet wood window box dressed up for fall (seen here).

    See you next month!

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    See more of Angie's projects below:

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    About Angie

    Angie loves celebrating farmhouse style! She shares easy DIY project ideas, repurposed vintage decor and printable antique graphics and more at knickoftime.net

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    1. Gail Wilson

      September 30, 2016 at 10:29 am

      Angie,

      I've never come across a milk crate like this, how awesome it is! You did a great job making it so useful as a storage ottoman!

      Thanks for a super tutorial!

      gail

      Reply

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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!

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