Bench Makeover

Bench makeover

Bench makeover

(This post has affiliate links)

I may have a slight obsession with benches. So when I saw this bench at a yard sale and found that it had storage space, I was sold! It was very solid, but a little too red for our decor. The top was sort of like wicker and had some some holes in it which I knew would lead to no more wicker within a week. Once the kids were in bed for the night, I got to work. (Sorry, the pictures are not amazing because they were taken at night)

Here is the before picture: bench-redo-before

Here are the holes in top. Just the right size for little fingers to pick at and ruin the cushion underneath!bench-redo-top

Because the bench was in such great condition and the outside had a bit of a rough texture already, I didn’t sand it down or anything. I used an old rag and rubbed on my very favorite Minwax Dark Walnut Stain.

I have used this before on a few projects and I love it! I had a hard time paying $15 for such a small can, but I still have half the can left and this is the third bench that I have used it with (I told you I had a bit of a bench obsession!)

Because of the finish on the bench, it wasn’t really for a soaking in stain, it was more just a darkening the color that was already there. I did 3 quick coats to get it the color I was looking for. I debated spray painting it, but I liked the bamboo texture and didn’t want to completely cover that up.

While I waited for the stain to dry, I worked on the top cushion part. First step was to cut the wicker off. I just used some good old fashioned scissors and got as close to the decorative edge as possible.

Bench Redo

The cushion underneath was a bit stained and flatter than I wanted, so I decided to take that off too. As always, I used super high tech tools. This one called for a butter knife! I just lifted the edge of the foam cushion and gently scraped it off the board underneath where it was connected with adhesive.

bench-redo-wood-top

I knew the for the top I wanted a cushion, but I wanted it to be something that I could easily take off and wash. I decided to wrap the old cushion in some batting that I had on hand to make it just a little bit more cushiony.

bench-redo-cushion

I also had a large scrap of a drop cloth left over from another project, that I sewed into an envelope pillow cover.

bench-redo-envelope-pillow

And for the after picture: Tah-Dah! I love it!

Bench Redo After

The bench has become the favorite reading spot and nicely stores all the cuddle blankets for movie night.

Here’s the before and after picture together:bench-before-and-afterBetween the stain and the fresher looking cushion on top, it looks SO much better!

What furniture have you redone lately?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top