It can be hard to find a vintage laundry basket in the right colour or even in good condition so why not upcyle your own and add a seat top too. Here I have created a distressed look basket and covered the lid in a vintage tablecloth that had a large stain on it. Now it has a pretty feel, perfect for your bathroom or bedroom.
Please note that i wouldn’t do this to a glorious Lloyd Loom one, only one that is tired like this!
MATERIALS USED:
- Vintage laundry basket
- Annie Sloan chalk paint in Greek Blue
- Annie Sloan gilding wax in copper
- A vintage table cloth which was beyond repair.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
- Seat foam, 1inch thick
- Staple gun and staples
- Piece of thin wood, the same size as the laundry basket lid
- Paint brush
- Clean lint free cloth
- Strong glue
- Scissors
- Saw
HOW TO MAKE THIS PROJECT
Step 1: Clean the laundry basket all over to remove any surface dust.
Step 2: Paint all over the basket and underneath the lid using the paint of your choice. Leave to dry. I didn’t paint inside.
TOP TIP
As I wanted the finished affect to look a little distressed, I chose to paint it. If you want a perfect finish I would spray paint it, using a chalk paint spray.
Step 3: Apply a second coat of paint and leave to dry
Step 4: Apply a small amount of the gilding wax to the cloth and slowly rub into the paint. A small amount goes a long way so use it sparingly.
Step 5: Cut out a piece of ply wood the size of the lid of the laundry basket using the saw.
Step 6: Cut the seat foam into the same shape, using the wood as a template. I used 1 inch thick foam.
Step 7: Glue these two together using a strong glue. Leave to dry.
Step 8: Cut out a piece of material, 3 inches larger than the seat pad. I used an old table cloth but you could of course use any material, even oil cloth.
Step 9: Lay the foam onto the back of the material in a central position. Wrap the sides of the material over the foam and wood and pull tightly so the fabric below is not wrinkled. Staple this into position along each side, positioning the staple as near to the edge as possible.
Step 10: Fold the corners over and gently pull in the side edges to cover the foam without forming large folds. This takes a bit of patience. Staple all of this into position.
Step 11. Cut off any excess fabric using the scissors.
TOP TIP:
I would have folded the material around the whole lid and stapled inside but my laundry basket had a handle so did it this way for ease.
Step 12: Glue the seat pad to the top of the laundry basket
I also used the excess table cloth fabric to create a wall hanging using an embroidery hoop.
Suppliers: Annie Sloan and Silverline tools
