*This post is sponsored by Arrow Fastener. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product or payment in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Remember 2013 and how everyone had to have a tufted headboard? That was back when I was building custom furniture for other people and I got a lot of practice making them. I wrote a Easy Tufting Tutorial years ago (I was a baby blogger back then. Don't judge the horrible photography!) but figured it was time to finally publish a video.
Even though styles seem to be moving more into contemporary waves, I think tufting is classic and still has a place. I built a simple, modern upholstered bench from some leftover plywood and was able to incorporate a tufted cushion. Check out the video below for the full process or to see the pretty photos and get more info, keep scrolling.
You can definitely upholster a seat cushion with a less expensive staple gun, but if you want to save yourself a major headache, I HIGHLY recommend a pneumatic or electric stapler. Before starting this project I headed to Home Depot and picked up an Arrow T50DCD Cordless Electric Stapler. I'm in LOVE!
I've used a couple other brands of staplers before and they ALL SUCKED! Every one of them. This thing is a whole new animal.
The T50DCD uses the same, classic T50 heavy duty staples that your dad probably used to hang the Christmas lights, so there's no confusion in the hardware aisle. I used 3/8" x 3/8" galvanized steel staples on my bench.
It comes with a rechargeable lithium ion battery that can fire up to 500 staples on a single charge! I typically work on the floor for bigger projects like this, so I can't overstate how convenient it was to not have a cord get wrapped around my ankles and get in the way.
The other staplers I've used did okay with 1/4" staples, but struggled to fully sink the 3/8" or 1/2" lengths, especially in something as dense as MDF. The T50DCD Electric Stapler had no trouble! I was able to drive every staple fully and tightly through the thick upholstery fabric and batting.
Ready to see the finished project?
If you want to know the secret to the super easy tufting, you gotta watch the video above (or head over to this blog post).
After looking around at lots of examples, I noticed more minimal, shallower tufting works best for modern designs. If you want that deeper, more traditional diamond tufting, I've got a tutorial for that right here. Don't worry, my hack works for that technique too.
I had a bench that I upholstered and tufted this way five years ago and it's still going strong! Not a single button has come loose.
I had a scrap piece of Europly maple plywood leftover from when I built my boys' bunk bends. It's so pretty I couldn't bare to part with it. I'm glad I was finally able to incorporate it into another piece of furniture.
This is a great, simple project that would be easy for a beginner to tackle. If you're curious about more specs on the Arrow T50DCD or the rest of their line of fasteners, make sure to check out their website.
Ready to make your own? Feel free to pin the image below to save the idea for later.
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