Category: Furniture Building & Makeovers

Ways to update old furniture and build something new.

Warmer, No, Hot Bench

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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?

Top Projects of 2010

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Even though we’ve only been blogging since May, we’re here to share our top projects of the year. 

By far, our most viewed posts, thanks to Young House Love, are about building and the completion of our DIY welded steel and marble dining table. 

I have to say, it’s one of our proudest DIY projects, too. 

Another fan favorite is the coffee filter pendant that is in our guest room. 

A simple, affordable art from magazines is another favorite.

Our painted rug was an affordable solution to join the chevron craze. 

Rounding out our top five is how to update brass using Blue Magic cream. 

Did any of your favorite projects crack the top five?  What is your proudest DIY?  If you have an idea you’d like us to tackle, please send an e-mail to ourhumbleabowed@gmail.com for consideration.

Refinished Bookshelf: Reveal

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Last week I shared how I refinished an old wooden bookshelf for our boys’ room.  It wasn’t quite done then, but it is now and we love it.  Ben was skeptical when I started sanding, but he does admit that it’s pretty now.  I really love that we’ve brought new life into an old, seen-better-days piece of furniture, without paint.  Well, there is some paint.  The back panel had a little damage.

I knew I couldn’t fix the back and keep it stained, so I filled the damaged area with putty, let it dry, sanded, primed and painted everything.  After three coats of plain white paint, hours of drying, and a vacation in Minnesota, I was ready to finish what I had started.  Using a pin nailer, I carefully attached the 1/4 inch plywood back to the bookshelf.  I chose the pin nailer because it shoots nails that are literally the size of pins, without a head.  It’s great for small pieces that might split if larger nails were used. 

Once the back was secured, all that was left was to bring the shelf back inside.

Have you refinished a piece of furniture to give it a new lease on life?  Do you have any tricks or tips to share?

Young House Love Feature!

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My favorite bloggers, YHL, featured our dining table today as a Reader Redesign!  You seriously have no friggin’ idea how very excited I am right now!  If I weren’t holding a baby I think I would  have jumped about three feet off my chair, really.  If you haven’t seen it already, head on over to Young House Love and check it, check it, check it ouuut. 

Dining Table Update

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You may recall that we’ve recently built a new dining table.   

After using it for a few weeks, I’m happy to report that it is still as fantastic as I hoped it would be.  Most visitors don’t believe it was a DIY project, either.  Score! 

We were a little hesitant to get a marble top because marble can stain easily, but we haven’t had any problems so far.  We actually poured a little grape juice on the sample and let it sit for a good 20 minutes.  Then we wiped it off and we couldn’t see a stain or any sort of discoloration.  A few coats of a nice quality wax will help prevent stains, too.

Our son also loves his new fort.  He couldn’t play under our old table due to the pedestal design.  Another benefit when dealing with small children: the steel was spray painted, so it will be super cheap and easy to touch up down the road.  Simply remove the top, haul the base outside and give the table a coat or two of plain ol’ spray paint.  Heck, we could change the color if we wanted to.

The World Market chairs we picked up are comfortable, too.  The size is perfect for our table.  I love the color and the slightly rustic finish is a great way to disguise future wear.  The stacking Target chairs are so convenient to carry up and down the stairs and are easy to store. 

When we planned to build a table, we knew we would not have the option to expand the table to add leaves, but most often, our old table was at the smallest size.  Over the weekend, we had several guests and missed the larger table.  Only for a minute, though.  This table looks so much better than our old table and all the options we could find locally.  We plan to buy a card table or two for future large gatherings. 

Overall, we love the table, chairs and usability of the set.  With that said, I’m curious to know what piece of furniture made your lives easier?