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Intro
Step 1: Assemble the Box
Step 2: Attach the Batting
Step 3: Upholster the Box
Step 4: Build the Top
Step 5: Install the Buttons
Step 6: Secure the Buttons
From expensive, oversize, tufted-leather styles to modern, molded-plastic cube versions, an ottoman is just a credit-card -payment away. But where's the fun in that? DIYers know the satisfaction that comes from building -furniture with their two hands. We're not just talking bragging rights here. It's about creating a one-of-a-kind, signature piece, where you're both designer and master craftsperson.
Still feeling skittish? Puh-lease! This ottoman is basically a simple box built from medium density fiberboard (MDF), covered with a bit of batting and fabric. You can even ask your local home center to cut the MDF for you. Just bring a list of the dimensions. Too easy, right?
Use MDF glue and screws to secure the sides of the box to one another as shown. Then install the bottom. Predrill holes to prevent splitting. Install the four leg brackets, then screw the legs in place.
Cut the batting to size, then position it along the sides of the box, letting batting extend 2 in. over the top and below the bottom. Hold the batting square and flat while using staples to secure it to the edges, inside and -bottom of the box.
Cut a 17-in.-wide strip of fabric long enough to wrap around the entire box. Sew the ends together. Slip this over the box and staple the overhanging material on the inside and bottom to hold everything in place.
Drill a 3/16-in. hole for each button according to the diagram. Layer the fabric, batting and foam, then spray the MDF lid with contact adhesive and set it in place. Fold the material over the edges of the lid and staple it in place. You can hold the top in place using a 28-in. piano hinge, short strips of hook-and-loop material, or four wooden cleats secured to the -underside of the top near the perimeter.
Cover the buttons with fabric if desired. Use a long upholstery needle to thread 12-in. lengths of cord up through the holes in the MDF, through the layered materials, through the button loops, then back down through the holes.
Pull the cord tightly from the -underside of the lid so the buttons make deep indentations in the foam. Knot the cord over short pieces of fabric to prevent the knots from slipping through the holes.