How to Make Bar Stools Taller: Your Next DIY Project

After a long hard day, a drink at your home bar can enlighten your mood. However, if your bar stool is too short for your table, it can be quite uncomfortable and awkward. So can you make your bar stool taller? And if you can, how would you do it? In this article, I’ll help you with that. 

Yes, you can make your bar stool taller. You can do that using leg extenders, adding seat cushions, or joining casters. You can also use some DIY methods to make your bar stool taller. Since making the bar itself tall isn’t really an option, increasing the height of the seat can make your time at the kitchen table a lot better. 

Knowing the right methods and applying them correctly can help you increase the height of your bar stool. However, it is important to keep the type and build quality of your bar stool in consideration. 

What’s The Ideal Height For Your Bar Stool?

Before we get into increasing the height of your bar stool, it’s important to know what the ideal height of the stool is. The market has many types of bar stools available. They come in different designs and also at different heights. To achieve maximum comfort, you should buy a bar stool that complements the counter perfectly.

picture of some bar stools

Now let’s talk numbers. The difference in height between the counter and the stool should be around 12 inches. If the counter’s height is around 41-43 inches, the height of your bar stool should be 29-32 inches. For counters as tall as 45-47 inches, extra tall bar stools are ideal as they range from 35-38 inches. 

Don’t be nervous if the barstool you bought doesn’t meet these requirements. Because you can still increase the height of your stool and ensure they meet these requirements. Later on in this article, these measurements will come in handy, so hang tight!  

Purchase Bar Stool Leg Extenders

Attaching leg extenders is the most common way of increasing the height of your bar stool. You can buy leg extenders from most furniture stores or you can buy them from amazon and they are pretty easy to attach. They are usually made out of both wood and plastic and come with attachable screws. These screws are used to lock in the extenders to the barstool. 

So, you have bought the leg extenders and now it’s time to attach them to your bar stool. Follow these steps to make your bar stool all tall and high in no time :

• Insert the spacer pieces inside the leg extenders: Insert the pieces on each leg. Spacer pieces boost the height of your bar stool. Some extenders come with parts that fit in the leg tubes. 

• Attach the extenders: Properly attach the leg extenders on each leg of the bar stool. You must ensure that the fitting is done perfectly or the extenders may fall off. 

picture of a classic bar that has antique stools

How to Make and Use DIY Leg Extenders

Probably the cheapest and most practical way of increasing the height of your bar stool is using DIY leg extenders. Making leg extenders by yourself might sound hard but it is quite simple and all you need is a PVC pipe. Follow these steps correctly to make your DIY leg extenders : 

• Measure the height you want to increase: Use a measuring tape and measure the distance between the bottom of the crossbar and the preferred height you want the stool to raise. This process only works if there are crossbars in your stool since the crossbars are placed on top of the extenders. 

• Measure the length of the extenders: Time for some simple math. First, measure the distance between the floor and the lowest edge of the crossbar. Now, measure from the floor to the seat of your bar stool and subtract it from the height you want to increase. 

Add the difference to the first measurement and the results will be the length of your DIY leg extenders. 

• Cut the PVC pipe: Take a hacksaw and cut four PVC pipes to the length we calculated. Make sure the bottom surface of the cutouts is smooth and even. 

• Attach the pipes to the legs: Now to finish off, simply attach the pipes to the legs of your bar stool. 

Making your own leg extenders can save you money while being quite effective in increasing the height of your bar stool. This process can also be very fun if you do it properly. All in all, an old-fashioned DIY can never go wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. How to use the hydraulic adjustments of a bar stool? 

Ans: To use the hydraulic adjustments, first you have to locate the adjustment lever of your bar stool. The lever helps you control the height of your bar stool. 

Q. Can you use a seat cushion to increase the seat height? 

Ans: Yes! You can gain a couple of inches of height for your bar stool using a cushion. 

Q. How to make your bar stools shorter? 

Ans: You can use the height adjustment lever to make your bar stool shorter. 

Q. What’s the general counter height? 

Ans: The general counter height is around 34-36 inches.

Making your bar stool taller isn’t as complicated as it might sound. Whether you purchase leg extenders or make them by yourself, following all the steps correctly can make this process a lot easier.