I started playing around with picmonkey.com today...yep, I know I am behind the times.
I'm going to have lots of fun with this new-to-me site! Notice the B & A collage picture...well it's more like A & B because I'm new to this collage making business. I'll get the hang of it...eventually.
Anywhoodles, today I am sharing a little bench makeover.
This little guy was a yard sale find. It belonged to a little old man, and he used it as his work bench. As you can tell from the top, it got lots and lots of use. He passed away, and his wife had no use for it, so she sold it to me for $1.
I'm really digging the painted furniture with the wooden tops, so this bench seemed like the perfect piece to try out that technique.
The top & sides of the bench seat had a thin veneer surrounding MDF. The seat had to go because, well, just look at it. It has seen better days. The 90's ivy green paint was definitely an eye sore as well.
But there were good bones, and lots of hidden potential.
Since I wanted the base to be white, I primed it with Valspar Primer from Lowes. Between coats, I had to rush the bench back inside because the humidity in the South is at 1000% right now. Terrible conditions for spray painting.
After the primer dried, I sprayed 2 coats of Valspar flat white paint. The reason I used flat was because that was what was sitting in the spray paint basket:o)
While the paint was drying, I worked on the bench seat. We had some leftover 2x6's from a previous project, and I cut them down to size.
Then I used pressure treated 1x2's to brace the underside of the seat. No reason for pressure treat..just had that in the scrap stash.
The top was stained with a walnut stain.
To keep from having to apply multiple coats of stain and waiting 3-4 hours in between coats, I let the stain sit on the boards for about 5 minutes before wiping away the excess.
That technique worked perfectly for me. I've never been known for my patience;o)
Once the stain had dried, I attached the base to the new seat. The power drill wouldn't reach inside the tiny holes for the screws, so I HAND screwed it to the seat....good thing I don't have carpal tunnel...yeesh!
I'm so pleased with the results, and I love how the wood grain pops on the seat.
This bench will reside on our very miniature front porch. I can't wait to dress it up for fall. I have some really fun decorating projects in the works for fall decorating.
Here's a sneak peak of one of. Make sure to come back to get inspired for your fall decorating!
Partying Here:
