Reinforcing the kneeling stool

The stool is sound in structure, but I am going to replace some of the wood parts and reinforce it with braces to err on the side of caution. The top boards and padding need totally replacing as are worn with age/ use.

After stripping the frame,  I cleaned and sanded it lightly. I also removed all the nails I could and knocked in the ones that I couldn't.

I've used thick MDF to replace the top boards and 2 x 4 to brace the corners and nail in a lip around the top edge for the kneeling board to rest on. I screwed and glued them in place and then weighted and clamped the whole unit. I will fill all the nail holes around the edges with wood filler to try and reinforce the areas where I will attach the new cross stitch. And I will use high density foam I've reclaimed from a friend's re-upholstery project in their van as the new padding.