Monday, November 15, 2010

The $16 Bench

What do you get when you have a handy guy and a $16 sheet of plywood?
A new bench for the porch!

He whipped it up one evening with a sheet of plywood and some leftover trim pieces.




It was a little rough, but with some sanding, silicone, plaster and a couple of coats of primer and paint, it now looks like this!


I added a bench seat. The fabric is Waverly Cross-section from fabric.com:



I was inspired by Megan's mudroom bench seat from Honey We're Home. So, I pretty much just followed her directions!
I attached the foam to a piece of plywood using spray adhesive. Then, we wrapped the plywood and foam with cotton batting and stapled on the fabric.



I'll be honest, the seat cost at least twice what the bench cost. The foam itself was $30, and that was a deal because I scored a leftover piece. Why is foam so expensive?
I already had the black baskets and they fit perfectly in the boxes, hiding the shoes that were piling up at the door.
I guess, all in all, the bench cost about $60 and a little bit of work. I think it's cute and it gives a bit of storage!

So, for the porch makeover, I've checked many things off the list:
  • Repaint cabinet - done!
  • Put in a bench - done!
  • Make seat - done!
  • Replace trim around new door - done!
  • Paint all trim and wainscotting - done!
  • Paint walls - next on the agenda.
I hope to post the finished room soon!

I'm linking over to The Shabby Nest!

19 comments:

  1. Girl!!! It looks so good!!! I've And perfect timing, I'm going to show what I did with the fabric on my blog tomorrow- I'll post a link to your bench too to show how you used your fabric.

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  2. That looks amazing! And I love that fabric. I have throw pillows with it. So fun!

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  3. Looks awesome Jane!! You fooled me though. I thought you had learned how to sew. Love the fabric.

    Pam

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  4. Oh my goodness this bench is fabulous!!!! I love it!

    Luvs!

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  5. This is so fabulous! I love that fabric too. I really could use a bench like that...too bad hubby is not handy...I guess I'll have to give it a go. Thanks for sharing your project.
    Holly
    504 Main

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  6. Looks great! and functional too!

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  7. I love it! You did a great job! What a perfect use for that fabric :)

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  8. wow, it looks incredible. i can't believe it was only $16.00!!!

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  9. Are there any handy-husband workshops I can send mine to? I'm pretty sure hammering a nail is too much for the man. I guess I'll have to get handy with the drill if I want sweet benches like this one! It looks great!

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  10. What a fun project - looks great with that beautiful fabric.

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  11. STUNNING!!! What a glorious little place to plop down and unbuckle some fabulous shoes. I wish my DH were oh so handy. You are one lucky girl. {Off to explore more of your little corner of blog world.}

    Cheers~
    e

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  12. amazing Jane! Love the fabric too!!

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  13. love the bench and the fabric you chose!

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  14. I love the bench! You did a great job!

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  15. it looks great! I wish I had an area to make stuff like that like a garage or a basement

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  16. Just saw your home posted on 6th street design! So beautiful! I love how you made your on bench and seat cover!! I am going to do the same tutorial for the bench seat!!

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  17. this looks amazing
    where did you buy the foam?

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  18. Foam rubber is super expensive because it is a petroleum product. Getting remnants or even reusing old pieces saves a little money.

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Love hearing from you! Thanks so much :)