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    Home » Repurposed Furniture » Table » Children's Bench With Storage

    Children's Bench With Storage

    Published by Gail | Published March 17, 2020 | Updated April 13, 2020
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Wow! When you have a free over sized coffee table, wouldn't you cut it in half to make 2 benches? The first bench is perfect for a kid's storage bench.  Room for toys, books and more.  The shiny white semi-gloss paint will go with any decor. Complete directions on how to cut a cheap coffee table and make it strong enough to sit on. #MyRepurposedLife #repurposed #furniture #kids #bench #storage #organization  via @repurposedlife

    Would you believe this children’s bench with storage was made from an over sized coffee table? Yep, I’ve had the very large table for months—it was free from Cousin Terry. Because the table was so large, I didn’t think it would sell very well in my area. This thing was about four feet by three feet.

    Children’s Bench with Storage

    kids storage bench made from coffee table MyRepurposedLife

    Isn’t it the perfect children’s storage bench? I won’t say it was an easy transformation because it took three different saws to cut the thing in half. With a little patience and perseverance I won out!

    Repurposed Coffee Table

    storing a large table on end to save space

    The over sized coffee table was stored on end to take up less room in the garage. It’s identical on both sides, each have two drawers.

     

    large beat up coffee table

    You wouldn’t believe how heavy this table is! The poor thing has seen better days for sure!

     

    remove drawers from coffee table to make children's storage bench

    To begin, I removed all four drawers.

    remove necessary hardware and screws

    It’s very important to examine the underside and remove any screws or hardware that me impede the sawing process.

    Cutting a Coffee Table in Half

    saw coffee table in half to make children's storage bench

    Begin by using a straight edge and a circular saw to cut the top of the coffee table | children’s bench with storage. This was definitely the easiest part of this project.

    *this post contains affiliate links, read more here*

    use jigsaw to cut coffee table

    Going over the top to the side, a jigsaw was used. Your coffee table may very, depending on it’s style.

     

     

    reciprocating saw cuts coffee tableFinally, I used a reciprocating saw for the lower portion of the table.Notice—the drawers have been removed in order to cut the shelf of the coffee table.

    Did you notice I have it resting on commercial wallpaper to keep from damaging the top anymore than it already was. Prepare yourself, this isn’t pretty!

    One Half of an Over Sized Coffee Table

    one half of over sized coffee table cut in half

    So, is it making sense now? I replaced the drawers so that I could configure where 2x4 braces would be placed for extra support on the children’s storage bench. Since the coffee table is mostly a “shell”, I have no idea why this thing is so heavy.

    Notice the middle (lower) 2x4 brace doesn’t have any support or a way to hold it in place.

    Add Support to Coffee Table Bench

    drill pocket holes

    Next up, figuring out a way to support that middle brace. I drilled pocket holes with my Kreg Jig so the board can be joined to the back of the children’s storage bench.

     

    pocket hole screws and gorilla wood glue

    Using pocket hole screws and Gorilla Wood Glue I attached two scrap boards on either side of the lower 2x4 brace. The other three braces were secured with wood glue and a nail gun.

    After all the braces were in place, the new children’s storage bench is sturdy enough to hold an adult!

    Add Back to Children’s Bench with Storage

    add back to children's storage bench made from coffee table

    A thin piece of plywood was cut to size to enclose the back of the bench. Then I used an orbital sander to smooth out the top of the former coffee table.

     

    Painting a Coffee Table Bench

    diy chalky paint primer

    Of course I mixed up some diy chalky paint primer using plaster of paris and semi-gloss behr paint.

     

    painting children's storage bench with paint sprayer

    The easiest way to get this sucker painted was with my Super Finish Max paint sprayer. Do you see that the drawers are removed and placed upside down on the sawhorses? I don’t paint the inside of drawers unless absolutely necessary. They just get scuffed up.

     

    children's storage bench getting painted

    If you’re a regular around here, you know I like to paint a couple of light coats of the paint with the plaster of paris. It’s a really flat paint that adheres to almost any surface.

     

    how to spray dresser drawers

    I have a great tip for spray painting dresser drawers. Use a scrap piece of plywood on the sides, bottom and top to prevent overspray. I hold it with my left hand while I spray with my right hand.

     

    painting children's storage bench white

    After a couple of light coats of the primer paint I make, I did 3-4 light coats of the semi-gloss paint without the plaster of paris in it. You can see I raised the child’s bench up on scrap 2x4’s for painting. What you don’t see is that I was working on the second bench while the paint was drying. It would have the original feet. Seeing that, made me realize that this bench needed feet as well.

    Adding Feet to Children’s Bench with Storage

    adding small feet to child's bench

    Using a scrap piece of lumber, I cut two inch pieces to make small feed for the bench. I drilled pilot holes, and secured the pieces with wood glue and wood screws.

    Do you see the top of the bench? The underside? I took this opportunity to  paint those spots while I was painting the feet.

     

    white kid's bench MyRepurposedLife

    Isn’t it so much cuter with the little feet? I moved it over to The Sugar Shack so the paint could cure.

    White Children’s Bench with Storage made from Coffee Table

    repurposed coffee table kids bench MyRepurposedLife

    Of course this child’s storage bench could be use anywhere, but I think it’s perfect solution for toys and more!

     

    storage bench for kids made from over sized coffee table MyRepurposedLife

    Please Save & Share on Pinterest!

     

    The other half of this over sized coffee table ended up being black, and perfect for a DIY TV Stand

    gail

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    1. Jennie

      March 17, 2020 at 11:12 am

      Great idea, perfect for kids stuff. And there is so much of it. And 2 for 1. I’m really happy you’re making more things since you have the sugar shack.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        March 17, 2020 at 7:53 pm

        Jennie

        It's so good to be on a regular schedule this year. Last year this time, I was doing the backyard makeover, and getting ready to start a 6 week isolation because of the skin cancer treatment. It feels like I never got my groove on during Spring & Summer! Today, I painted a coat of black primer on bench #2! 🙂
        Stay well my friend!
        gail

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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