Frog Stool Designed for a client who collects frogs, this stool is a really fun accent. Contact Me about This Picture

    Old stools are commonly found at flea markets and garage sales, but it’s also easy to obtain brand new unfinished stools at craft stores, like AC Moore and Michaels. They are often described as barstools, although they obviously can be used in many other ways. There are lots of advantages to the new stools-they don’t require stripping, or too much sanding, and they usually are available in several heights, ranging from 18” to 42”. If you are using them at a counter or bar, I recommend that you find a chair or another stool that is a comfortable height for that place, and measure it. You probably will want to be able to rest your arms on the counter, but not lean over to eat, and even 4” of difference in the stool height will make a huge difference in comfort.
    Unfinished furniture needs a little sanding, just for a really smooth starting surface, and then needs to be wiped down with a damp cloth or a tackcloth, to be sure you remove all the wood dust. Let it dry for about an hour before beginning any painting, because the damp cloth will raise the wood fibers, and it needs some time for them to get flat again. You will need to paint on a wood primer coat, so the fibers remain flat, and you get a surface that stays smooth, while allowing your next paint layers to really adhere well.I use a flat paint for furniture whenever possible, because that is the surface that is easiest to paint a design on. If you have a gloss on the furniture surface, the acrylic paints tend to slip and slide too much, making it difficult to get the effect you want.
    After your design is completed and dry, you can use any level of gloss you like for the protective polyurethane or acrylic sealer coat. I recommend at least two coats of the sealer, making sure to very lightly sand and then clean between coats for the best adhesion. A spray sealer is really convenient to paint something like a stool, and I often just use the clear glossy spray paint, which is generally much cheaper than a special sealer.The frogs were taken from pictures of frogs I found online. I usually like to add a bit of design to one of the legs of the stool, just to integrate it with the seat design, and make it interesting even when someone is sitting on it!