Welcome 2021 with year-end savings - see the deals here

Remodelaholic

DIY tutorials, Woodworking plans and more.

FREE BONUS: Kitchen Organization Boot Camp
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About US
    • Contributors
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Disclosure and Advertising
    • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Project Ideas
    • Our Houses
      • Birch House (current projects)
      • Canyon House
      • Park House
      • Downing House
      • Logan House
    • DIY Project Plans
    • All projects
    • Barn Door Baby Gate
    • Dutch Door
    • Framing A Wall Mounted TV
    • Indoor Playhouse
    • Beach Themed Living Room Design
    • Chicken Coop Building!
    • Computer Desk
    • Computer Desk Plans
    • Custom Newel Posts and Stair Remodel
    • Family Room Sneak Peek
    • Headboard Tutorial
    • Living Room Progress
    • Mood Boards
    • Scrabbled Family Names
    • Pets
  • Design By Room
    • Bathrooms
    • Landscape
    • Kids Bedrooms
    • Kitchen
    • Living Rooms
    • Laundry Rooms
    • Master Bedrooms
    • Mood Boards
    • Office
  • Holiday
    • Christmas
    • Halloween
    • Patriotic
    • Easter
    • Fall
    • Saint Patrick’s Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Spring
    • Valentines Day
    • Winter
  • Crafts
    • Printable
    • Art
    • Paper Crafts
    • Kids
    • Fabric Crafts
    • Decorate
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beef
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast
    • Chicken
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Healthy
    • Holiday
    • Lunch
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces
    • Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
    • Vegetables
  • Videos

DIY Bar Stools with Metal Bar Accents

Written by Amy Baesler

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Hi, it’s Amy from Hertoolbelt back with another build project for you.  Since we have the perfect corbel for your kitchen island, we better build some easy bar stools too.  The inspiration for the bar stool design is from Better Homes and Gardens.  I love the bright pop of color in the white kitchen, stunning!

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

(Note: this picture is the inspiration not the actual build)

We are going to simplify the bar stools by removing the flair in the legs, and these stools become a super easy DIY and very inexpensive.  The plans are for a 24″ bar stool, if you need a taller version, just add length to the legs.

How to Build a Bar Stool

Click Here to Get a Free Printable Version of This Building Plan

*All Remodelaholic building plans and tutorials are for personal, non-commercial use only. Use this printable plan as you build, but don’t sell the PDF plan or otherwise distribute the file. (Items built following this tutorial may be sold, but the instructions and PDF file may not.) Thanks!

Materials Needed

  • 1 – 2″ x 2″ x 8′ board
  • 1 – 1″ x 2″ x 8′ board
  • 1 – 1″ x 4″ x 8′ board or 15″ x 15″ of 3/4″ plywood
  • 1/2″ metallic tube conduit
  • 1 1/4″ pocket screws
  • wood glue
  • wood filler
  • sand paper
  • primer and paint

Cut List

Quantity Length Width Thickness Material
4 23 1/4″ 1 1/2″ 1 1/2″ 2×2
6 10″ 1 1/2″ 3/4″ 1×2
1 10 3/4″ 1 1/2″ 3/4″ 1/2
2 11″ 1/2″ diam   1/2″ metal conduit
5 15″ 3″ 3/4″ 1×4*

*can be replaced with 15″ x 15″ x 3/4″ plywood or any material.

Step 1

Cut 6 pieces of the 1 x 2 that are 10″ x 1 1/2″ x 3/4″.  Cut 1 piece that is 10 3/4″ x 1 1/2″ x 3/4″.  Use a pocket jig and make pocket holes in each end of the back face of all 7 pieces.  Cut 4 legs 23 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″.

Use wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket screws to assemble the back legs.  Attach one of the 10″ pieces flush with the top and a second 10″ piece 7 1/2″ from the bottom, centering on the leg width.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

Attach 2 10″ pieces for the sides flush with the top, again centered on the leg width.  Attach the 10 3/4″ piece in the center of the lower back piece.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

Step 2

Cut 2 pieces of 1/2″ conduit to about 11″.  You can easily cut metal conduit with a hack saw or a grinder with a cut off wheel.  1/2″ conduit has an inside diameter of 1/2″ and the outside is just under 3/4″ diameter.  In both front legs, drill 3/4″ holes about 1/2″ deep – 6 1/4″ from the top and 9 1/2″ from the bottom, centered on the leg width.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

Use wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket screws to assemble the front legs.  Attach one of the 10″ pieces flush with the top and a second 10″ piece 7 1/2″ from the bottom, centering on the leg width.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

 

Insert the 2 conduit pieces in the holes and attach the other leg.  If you are planning on painting the conduit, it may be easier to paint it before installing.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com Attach the front legs to the back legs and sides, again with wood glue and 1 1/4″ screws.  Add pocket holes to the upper 10″ pieces to attach the seat later.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

 Step 3

If you are using the 1×4 for the seat, cut the 1×4 into5 – 15″ lengths.  Trim the long edges to make sure they are straight.  Join the boards with wood glue and pocket holes and screws, or your preferred method.  Let the glue dry, then sand smooth.  Cut the board down to 15″ x 15″.  If you want, add a 30 deg chamfer on the bottom of the seat.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

If you would like to add a ‘handle’.  Mark the center line of the seat and drill 2 – 1″ diameter holes about 6″ apart and 4 9/16″ from one side.  Use a jig saw or similar to cut a straight line connecting the tops and bottoms of both circles.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

Center the seat on the leg/base and attach the seat with wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket screws.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

Note:  the handle and conduit are totally optional and purely for looks.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

Step 4

Remove any excess glue, apply wood filler to nail holes, cracks and blemishes and allow to dry.  Sand the wood filler and bar stool until smooth finishing with 120-150 grit sand paper.  Stain or paint and prime as you like.

Here is my finished bar stool.  I painted the conduit Rustoleum Anodized Bronze and the wood Rustoleum Robins Egg.

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

 

Cost Breakdown – according to my local Home Depot

  • 2″ x 2″ x 8′ board – $1.99
  • 1″ x 2″ x 8′ board – $1.07
  • 1″ x 4″ x 8′ board – $2.18
  • 1/2″ x 10′ electric metal conduit – $2.48 (enough for 5 bar stools)
    • Total – $7.72 + paint or stain

Easily build your own DIY bar stools with these free plans on Remodelaholic.com

———————————————

Itching to build something else? Try our other building plans such as:

Small Open Shelf

Rustic towel shelf

Rotating Shoe RackDIY rotating shoe rack on Remodelaholic.com

Wall-Mount Dry Erase Message Boardglass message board frame plan

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Remodelaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Please see our full disclosure here.

Published: October 11, 2014Filed Under: Contributor, DIY Project Plans, Kitchen, Seating, Sketches/Renderings Tagged: building plans, Kitchen, seating, Tutorials

About Amy Baesler

Amy is the tool lover at Hertoolbelt. On Hertoolbelt, Amy shares DIY furniture plans, handyman tutorials, and craft patterns. She has two pint sized 'helpers' that help fix things around the house and build fun projects.


free email bonus

Kitchen Organization Boot Camp

Is your kitchen a zen paradise? It can be. I'll show you how.

Previous Post
Remodelaholic in Review: September 2014
Next Post
38 Inspiring Ideas for Family Command Centers

Comments

  1. Crystal says

    October 14, 2014 at 9:13 pm

    I love the bar stools especially since you painted them red (my favorite color). It’s hard finding bar stools that fit the criteria of your kitchen. Thanks for the plans 🙂

    Reply
  2. Jack Edmunds says

    August 5, 2015 at 8:53 am

    The pictures of the red stools shows the legs at an angle & not perpendicular to the top. The top cross pieces would have to be shorter than the bottom cross pieces, longer than 10″.

    Reply
    • Ed says

      February 22, 2016 at 8:14 pm

      (Note: this picture is the inspiration not the actual build)

      Reply
      • Cass says

        February 23, 2016 at 4:18 pm

        Yes, thanks, Ed! Jack, you are absolutely correct, but we simplified it and made the legs straight to make them easier to build. Thanks for the comment!

        Reply
  3. Anna says

    June 4, 2017 at 8:23 pm

    I love these Amy!! You are so talented. Would you (or Cassity) mind if I used an image from this post and put it in a little round up I’m doing? Thank girls <3

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

We love hearing from fellow Remodelaholics, so let us know what you like about this and leave any questions below in the comments. If you have followed a tutorial or been inspired by something you have seen here, we would love to see pictures! Submit pictures here or by messaging us over on Facebook.
Recipe Rating




Hey there, I am Cassity! Nice to virtually meet you!

This blog is about DIY at its finest. We are obsessed with it and so are you, so while we're working and have nothing to show you of our own projects we show off yours. So submit your projects! More About Us…

Categories

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Meet The Team

Privacy Policy

Remodelaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Please see our full disclosure here.

© 2005-2016 Remodelaholic LLC, All Rights Reserved

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 · Remodelaholic

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter