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    Furniture Makeover » Wooden Bench Seat Makeover

    Wooden Bench Seat Makeover

    Published by Gail | Published April 13, 2022 | Updated April 12, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    A wooden bench seat is great for so many uses and rooms. Perfect for end of the bed bench, dining table, or foyer. Easy makeover tutorial with paint and stain. #MyRepurposedLife #upcycle #benchseat #wooden #dining #endofbed via @repurposedlife

    Originally, this was a wooden dining seat bench that was part of a dining table set I bought. I sold the set in 2011 when I refinished an antique table. There were chairs, and this wooden bench seat. Before I sold the set, my daughter Jamie had the bench. For years, she used it in her guest room to hold plants in front of the window. On a recent visit to Nashville, she sent the wooden bench home with me.

    wooden bench makeover
    thrift store decor team

    This project is my monthly Thrift Store Decor Project. Be sure to check out all the great projects at the end of this post.

    Wooden Bench Seat

    It's a nice bench, in good shape I guess for it's 17 years! If you look closely, you may be able to make out a capitol E on the right hand side. It looks like my grandson tried to scratch his name in the bench.

    How to Give a Wood Bench Seat a Makeover

    Sand Rough Places

    In order to get a smooth surface for painting, I used an orbital sander to remove scratches and such.

    Do you see Lulu's cute little shadow?

    Clean And Degloss

    After sanding, I reached for my deglosser and a chip brush to clean the project. It's really easy to use, brush it on and wipe it off. If a piece is extremely grimy, you can use a scrubbing pad before wiping. All this to say, you must get the finish ready to accept paint.

    The legs didn't have any scratches, only a few nicks of white paint. So, I only wiped the legs clean and scrubbed the specks of paint off.

    After flipping the wooden bench seat back upright, I took some time to admire the finish on the legs. Should I paint them? I decided to paint only the bench seat, and then decide.

    Paint Wooden Bench Seat

    painting wooden bench

    All In One Paint (Bone) was my chosen color. My tools were a foam roller, chip brush and a Styrofoam plate. This was going to be an easy wooden bench seat makeover!

    Patience is a virtue, right? To get the best finish, you need to be patient, and do several light coats of paint. The roller makes it quick and easy, and light coats dry really nice and fast.

    Before applying the second coat of paint, I used brown craft paper to sort of sand the first coat. I think it makes the next couple of coats go on really smooth.

    This is after the second coat. I did end up putting one more light coat on the bench for good measure.

    Refresh Wood with Gel Stain

    I bet you didn't see this coming, did you? After I decided NOT to paint the base of the indoor wooden bench I thought the white seat would look better with a darker base. Using gel stain for this application is perfect. Have you ever used gel stain over an existing stained/finished wood surface? I've only done it a handful of times, but I find that it is so much easier than refinishing wood!

    The leg in the background already has the gel stain applied. It darkens it "just" enough, don't you think?

    I absolutely love the new look of the wooden bench seat.

    Where can you use a wooden bench seat?

    • Put a small narrow bench in the foyer or entryway
    • A bench is perfect for extra seating at the kitchen or dining table.
    • Use a wooden bench at the end of the bed for putting on shoes and socks
    • This bench was originally used for plants near a sunny window
    • For extra seating a wooden bench can double as a coffee table in the living room

    In short, where can't you use a wooden bench seat? It might be one of the handiest pieces of furniture you can add to your home.

    End of Bed Wooden Bench

    wooden bench

    Okay, now let's see what my awesome friends are sharing this month!

    Wooden Bench Seat Makeover

    Summer Purse Upcycled Wreath

    DIY Faux Concrete Bunny Rabbit

    Repurposed Cabinet Door Flower Display

    Weaving in a Circle on a Pizza Pan

    Mid Century Modern Table Night Stand Makeover

    Vertical Herb Garden

    DIY Oval Mirror Frame

    We will be back next month with more great thrift store project ideas to inspire you.

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    1. Maryann

      April 13, 2022 at 3:53 pm

      Gail that turned out beautiful! I've never heard about using brown craft paper to sand... I'm fascinated and definitely need to try!

      Reply
    2. Elic

      April 13, 2022 at 3:03 pm

      I think it is great! I wish I had space these days for a bench. When I was a kid, the folks had a bench just past the living room where we would put our school books and stuff. It was great. Sadly, these days my house doesn't currently have a spot like that, of course I don't have kids, unless you count the cats...

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        April 15, 2022 at 5:34 pm

        What a fond memory you share with the family!!! This will be an end of bed bench for a friend. She fell in love with it as soon as she sat on it. 🙂
        thanks for stopping by!
        gail

    3. Pam

      April 13, 2022 at 11:02 am

      That is so cute that your grandson tried to carve his name in the bench. I really like the look of the white top and stained legs! It makes the top pop out even more.

      Reply
    4. girlfromwva

      April 13, 2022 at 8:59 am

      love it! i have a small similar bench that i use in front of a wkmdow for plants. may steal ur idea of darkening the legs up a bit.

      Reply
      • girlfromwva

        April 13, 2022 at 9:00 am

        *window (oops...)

      • Gail Wilson

        April 15, 2022 at 5:35 pm

        Happy to spur your creative side with your bench! 🙂

        gail

    5. Sarah Ramberg

      April 13, 2022 at 8:55 am

      Looks great, Gail! When I first saw it, I thought you had upholstered it in white vinyl, LOL! And too funny that Eli tried to carve his name in it. I did the same in the wood paneling of my childhood home...shhhh...

      Reply
    6. Carlene Blair

      April 13, 2022 at 7:48 am

      Love the two tone look to brighten up the bench! Pinned!

      Reply
    7. Christy @ Our Southern Home

      April 13, 2022 at 7:21 am

      I haven't tried the gel stain. It does look so fresh with the white top. I've used polyshades, but need to try this!! LOVE it!

      Reply

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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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