I teased you all with the bench refinishing process yesterday. You’ve waited long enough. Feast your eyes on a sanded, stained, sealed, upholstered bench that nearly required more labor than my kids.
The fabrics are from Joann, so nothing crazy or expensive. This way, when I change my mind, I won’t feel bad. Though, I did choose a neutral fabric for the seat so I could change the pillows out to go with a different color scheme.
I found the ceramic stool at Ross a few weeks ago for $30.99, marked down from $45, but originally $95. Score for a 68% discount.
The seat is a few inches taller than the cushions, because I used a 3/4 inch thick plywood and added another inch of foam. One long cushion makes the piece look more like an outdoor bench than a couch, in my opinion. And, the plywood base is much more sturdy than the sagging canvas.
Surprisingly, the trellis pattern wasn’t difficult to keep straight. Perhaps because it is a small-scale? Speaking of small-scale, I want to add another set of larger pillows to beef things up and add comfort. Maybe 18 inch square ones?
Overall, I think this was a great transformation. A little time-consuming, not too expensive, but I worth it. Last night, Ben finally admitted he said he thought the bench was ugly so he wouldn’t have to help with it. He thinks it looks cute now and said he saw the potential from the beginning.
Just after I finished upholstering the seat and setting it in place, I plopped down to enjoy it. Then, Vincent sat down with a bag of tortilla chips.
For a more dramatic before and after, how about a side by side?
Now, for a cost breakdown:
Bench: Free
Sander and paper: Already owned
Stain: Left over from another project
Clear Protective Finish: $19.99 for a quart, with tons left over for another project
Cushions: Reused from original bench
Mattress Topper: $12.49
Fabric: $25.79, including two yards for the seat, two yards of vinyl, and one yard for pillows
Pillow forms: Living room forms displaced by new World Market pillows
Grand Total: $58.27
Not bad, especially when I checked prices of similar benches I liked. Like this one for $289.00 or this teak Smith and Hawken bench for $649.00. That is a savings between $230.73 to $590.73.
The process was fairly simple, but time-consuming. Nothing a patient DIYer couldn’t handle, though. What do you think of the change? Was it worth the time, effort and money?
ourhumbleabodeblog.com 
looks awesome, of course. so talented.
Looks fabulous! Great job all around, and a great deal too!
Looks amazing mama!! LOVE IT!! What a score 🙂
It’s perfect! Love your fabric choice. It was WELL worth the time and effort. Major props, lady!
Thanks so much for your sweet encouragement, ladies! I’m thrilled with the change and I’m so happy you are, too. 🙂
This looks amazing!!!!
Great job! I had been waiting for the reveal all day 🙂
Great job!
LOVE it! Absolutely love it! What a great find and great job breathing new life into it!
Looks amazing! I love the trellis fabric you used for the seat!
repurposedlifedesigns.blogspot.com
I love it! What great lines the original bench had, it’s so great you had the eye to see beyond the ugly. I can see some cushier pillows to make it a cozy outdoor hangout, but it’s an awesome transformation as-is.
Thanks!! Julie, I agree about the cushier pillows. I found one down insert for $3 at the thrift store this week, now I need one more and fabric to make covers. Then, it will be even better. 🙂
Looks fabulous.
Gorgeous!! Amazing job!!
That looks so much better! I love the bench seat print a lot! Great job!
Wow – it looks great!!!
Looks fabulous! Well worth the wait.
I love the fabric! Do you remember the name of it (or the designer/brand)?
I love it! It’s so MCM looking and you can’t beat the price 🙂 Thanks for sharing your newest treasure!
Looks great, well done. I agree that the extra pillows will really make it wonderful. The ceramic stool is fabulous. I am so jealous! I am seeing them everywhere…on all the design blogs and magazines. And remember…it isn’t just a cost savings (terrific as that is) it also is a savings from the landfill! Way to go.
Looks great! Love the fabric you chose for the seat, it looks so nice with the colors outside/around the house. Pretty impressive transformation for a free bench and under $60 in materials! xo
absolutely LOVE it lady! Nice job!!!! 🙂 Totally looks outdoor chic now!
Aww, you guys! You’re so amazing and encouraging! Thank you so much for your kind comments!
Tempest, I don’t know the brand, but it’s in stock at our Joann with the home decor fabrics. They also have green, blue, black, pink and I think a few more colors.
Suzanne, I’ve been coveting a ceramic stool forever now. I finally broke down and bought one. And, I love that it was re-purposed.
Kristen, I think the same thing! I actually picked up a blue patterned shower curtain on clearance from Target that I considered using, but these colors go better with the rest of the space. I might use the curtain to sew some water resistant pillow covers.
Thanks again for being so sweet! You guys rock my socks.
Wow! I everything: The bench, the stool, the fabric choices, etc! Great job as always 🙂
Okay – not to sound cuh-razy, but THAT BRICK!!!! It’s uniform color and lack of paint has me absolutely green with envy. Apparently I’ve got brick stripping on the brain.
Love it! Nice job!
It looks ADORABLE!!! You did a great job! And OMG I NEED THAT STOOL! I’m totally going to Ross tomorrow on the off chance that there will be one in my store.
Love it! And the green stool …. drool!! I was just eyeing one like it a couple weeks ago (of course it had the much higher price tag)
So cute!!! Love it!
I am about to start on my own bench re do, but its very different and will be for my bathroom. I’d love to do something similar for our front porch.
What a great result with that bench! Good work, it looks great!
-Chris
Totally worth every penny! Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Um, wow! This would be perfect on our front porch. I can’t believe it’s the same bench as the “before”. I’m going to start following you….love your blog!
It turned out so great! Thank you so much for sharing your project! I now remember the sofa you found, so good to see the after!! 🙂