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
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
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.
You wouldn’t believe how heavy this table is! The poor thing has seen better days for sure!
To begin, I removed all four drawers.
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
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.
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Going over the top to the side, a jigsaw was used. Your coffee table may very, depending on it’s style.
Finally, 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
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
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.
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
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
Of course I mixed up some diy chalky paint primer using plaster of paris and semi-gloss behr paint.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
Of course this child’s storage bench could be use anywhere, but I think it’s perfect solution for toys and more!
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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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Jennie
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.
Gail Wilson
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