apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Good Questions: How Can You Make Bar Stools into Regular Chairs?

4.13barstool.jpgHello AT,

I have two bar stools, but I'm moving into an apartment without a bar! I'm thinking of buying a bar table, but I think a regular table would be more useful. Has anyone ever cut down bar stools to make them regular chairs? How would I do it? The legs are metal.

Thanks! Melissa

(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.
Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to:
editor(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)
Link To All Good Questions
 
 

Anyone?

Tags

Good Questions

Related Links

Share

Comments (10)

Sounds a *little* like one of the projects they do in one-day makeover shows... you know, the moment when many viewers at home mutter, "Oh, not such a great idea."

Unless they have extreme sentimental value, I vote for selling the stools on Craigslist and using the cash to buy chiars you really want.

If committed to the truncation, any hacksaw that cuts metal will do it. Measure the height, tape off the leg above the cut line, and have some plan for capping or sanding down the cut.

Watch the metal dust and be prepared for a fairly horrendous sound.

posted by patrick (the other one) on April 13th 2007 at 8:39am
view patrick (the other one)'s profile

I think patrick has it spot on, if that's the way you decide to go. One problem might be the lower perpendicular support that runs around the legs. It may end up too close to the floor depending on how much you lop off.....
My votes for dumping them and getting new chairs.

posted by DaveD on April 13th 2007 at 8:49am
view DaveD's profile

I'd either get the bar height tables (aren't the new tables the higher height anyone?) or just get rid of them. I mean, you aren't married to these chairs, let them go to a new partner.

posted by Jaie on April 13th 2007 at 8:53am
view Jaie's profile

Don't do it. I've seen cut-down bar chairs before and they're awful.

Unless you remove it, the footrest bar is only a couple of inches above the floor which both looks funny and gets in the way (especially when you try to get out of the chair). The legs also end up looking wrong because they don't spread out far enough.

posted by Michelle of Montreal on April 13th 2007 at 8:54am
view Michelle of Montreal's profile

Yes, legs that don't spread out far enough, never good.

posted by patrick (the other one) on April 13th 2007 at 8:58am
view patrick (the other one)'s profile

Ha!

posted by beamish on April 13th 2007 at 9:18am
view beamish's profile

P2 is going to be responsible for my death one of these days, and the coroner will say, "busted a gut laughing" and that won't be funny.

Meanwhile, he's also right, because seriously you do NOT want to accidentally cut one of the four legs shorter than the others, which seems fairly inevitable with that particular little operation.

posted by Curtis on April 13th 2007 at 9:19am
view Curtis's profile

Take them to a metal shop, you'll find them in the Yellow Pages, because they can do it evenly and make sure the chair is stable. They can also shift that footrest or remove it entirely and add other stabilizing supports. Still, chairs are relatively inexpensive these days, so you might want to consider new...

posted by Rucy on April 13th 2007 at 9:28am
view Rucy's profile

A metal shop simply cannot cost less than new chairs. The only way you should have them do it is if those bar-stools were hand-wrought by your very favorite late parent, or parent-substitute figure. They don't appear to be like that.

posted by Curtis on April 13th 2007 at 9:36am
view Curtis's profile

Thanks!!!

-- Melissa

posted by Schwartzy on April 13th 2007 at 5:38pm
view Schwartzy's profile

Feeds

RSS icon New York

+ City Feeds