This bench came about as a birthday present to myself. I had just finished up my daughter’s loft bed and I wanted to do something as a reward to myself. I’ve found I have to schedule in just – for – me projects or they remain forever on the back burner.

The entryway had been bothering me for quite a while. Mainly because nothing was there and I decided to put up a shelf and faux wainscoting.

This bench was the finale.

I learned alot along the way and wanted to share my how – to. I hope you find it helpful.

This article contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to purchase through that link (at no cost to you) I get a small percentage. All proceeds directly help in keeping this website up and running. Thank you for your support.

How to Create a Sturdy Base for the Farmhouse Bench

This Farmhouse Style Bench is 11″ in width, 17″ high and 2′ long. The width was determined by the board size at Home Depot. I determined the height by going a little shorter than my table chairs. I wanted kids to be able to sit and tie their shoes.

At Home Depot all the 8′ boards had cracks in them. The 10′ x 2″ boards looked great. This determined my bench length as I was able to get two 4′ benches and one 2′ bench.

To simplify things, I will only discuss the building of the 2′ bench in this post.

Each bench leg was positioned a 1/2 inch in from the seat width.

I found that by building the shoe platform first (10″x 1’10”) I could get my bench square and much more sturdy.

Attach Legs to the Base of the Farmhouse Bench

The bench legs were then attached next on the shoe rack. Here you can see I placed spacer boards to keep the shoe rack slightly elevated off the floor.

The legs and shoe rack are sitting on the bench top in this picture. I did this to make sure everything was positioned where I wanted them to be before I attached the bench legs.

I used an air nailer for this part, but you could easily use a Kreg Jig – I haven’t purchased one yet, but I really want one.

For ease of assembly, stain the shoe support and paint the legs before you attach them together. I did not do this and ended up having to paint and stain with a small brush where the pieces come together.

The shoe rack gave good support, but to make this bench really stand the test of time it needed support on the bottom and the top.

Create Diagonal Supports for a Classic Farmhouse Look

For a more classic farmhouse look I chose to add slanted supports on each leg.

To do this you’ll need a miter saw, I use a Chicago Electric miter saw, but you can also go with a Combo Miter Saw Kit which cost significantly less.

To create an angle cut for a 90° corner, you will want to angle your supports at 31.6°. This is a common angle so it is marked on my miter saw.

It can be difficult to get your angle going in the right direction. Before I cut, I place my board where I want it to go and draw a light line indicating the direction of the angle. Then I use the numbered degrees on my miter saw to get the exact angle I need.

It can be useful to do a few practice runs to get a feel of where to start the blade and make sure you have the correct angle for the job.

If you plan on doing alot of wood working I would definitely recommend an electric miter saw. Also get the 12″ over the 10″ blade. There are so many more things you can do with a 12″ size.

Attach the Bench Seat of the Farmhouse Bench

Attach the bench seat to the legs, then add the diagonal supports.

Add Finish to the Farmhouse Bench

Protect the stained wood either with water or oil based polyurethane.

Or I used a finishing wax and it worked great. I like using the wax because you can ease it into all the wood crevices and get a nice smooth finish. It also doesn’t smell as strong as the polyurethane.

I also distressed the edges with sand paper and stain to complete the farmhouse look. And it was ready to be used.

I absolutely love wood grain. Each piece tells its own story.

When finished this piece adds function and style to your living space. Our large bench was immediately put to work.

Thanks for stopping by. Please subscribe to stay up to date on the latest posts of DIY.

Until then, have a great day

Natalie

The post How To Build a Farmhouse Style Bench appeared first on This Homemade Home.

The only thing worse than a room being small is actually feeling small. Thankfully there are plenty of things to do to not only increase the look, but also the feel by adding attractive, inconspicuous storage, well placed accent walls and choosing color than enhances the space.

I’ve compiled amazing tips for decorating small spaces for the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and home, that will help you meet your goals.

Small Bathrooms

Sometimes there is just not a cost effective way to increase the size of a bathroom. If you have a small bathroom all is not lost. At Trend4Homey you will find a variety of truly small bathrooms with inspiring decorating ideas.

The following rooms all increase their storage with the use of shelves and make the room feel more homey.

I love this pallet wall, see this and other pallet projects at AllThingsHeartandHome.Com.

If pallet wood is not your style you can also try some white washed faux brick, tongue and groove pine or shiplap.

Small Bedrooms

Small spaces can be great. Less to clean, less to own, but it also has its draw backs, namely storage.
One of the most effective ways to create space in a small bedroom or apartment is to add storage in attractive and efficient ways. Like this storage added under a loft bed. See how to make your own loft bed and immediately have more space.

This bedroom has been given an airy feel by adding curtains around the bed to create a sense of privacy. The curtains, though thin, give the feeling of separate rooms. See it here along with 37 other small bedroom ideas.

Small Kitchens

Check out Architectural Digest for an amazing tour of small kitchens. These are my favorites.

Many kitchens (and homes for that matter) are going all white. With the right decore and texture through fabric, wall covering etc. An all white space can be pulled off well. It also increases the effect of space and is wonderful in small rooms, but check out this kitchen!

I love it so much. Using a light grey paint, they created height and still kept the spacial feeling by painting the walls and cabinets the same color. While this wouldn’t work in all situations it works here because there is a good balance of smooth and lined texture. The shiplap helps break up the monotony and the smooth cabinets help separate them from the wall.

The bright window is set high on the wall which pulls your eyes upward and increases the spacial feeling.

The live plants add interest and also pull your eyes upward, creating an inviting and calm space. Imagine this room without plants – it would feel kind of blah and the grey would likely become overpowering.

And of course these amazing counters and floor. They are the highlight. The final touch. They would easily be “too much” in an otherwise busy kitchen with alot of texture and color, but with the grey throughout and the green plants up high, they have nothing to compete with – they just get to shine.

Beautiful light coming in from a window that can’t even be seen. Technically you could add lighting to mimic natural light and get the same effect. The cabinets go to the ceiling creating both storage and bringing attention to the height of the ceiling. They were even able to squeeze in room for a mini breakfast bar.

The all white kitchen helps it feel larger than it is while the wood counters bring in warmth. White subway tile add to the brightness of the room while also adding subtle texture. Though it doesn’t seem to stick out, this kitchen would look much different if it had plain painted walls.

Small Homes

At designertrapped.Com you’ll find 7 tips for making a room seem larger than it is using furniture and decorating tips.

Among her designer tips – adding curtains that go to the ceiling to make the window feel larger than it is.

Try thishomemadehome.com tips on using paint, color, texture and mirrors to trick the eye. Creating a spatial feeling without knocking down any walls.

That is my quick and simple guide to making a room feel larger. If you have other ideas that have worked for you, please share in the comments below.

If you liked what you read and want to keep up on the latest posts from This Homemade Home, please subscribe.

Best wishes,

Natalie

The post Small Spaces Guide : How to make a room look and feel larger than it is appeared first on This Homemade Home.

There are several situations where a loft bed becomes a great alternative to traditional beds.

Small Apartment Living

This style is simple and looks great for small apartment spaces. Built in a deck like fashion.

You will find free plans here.

College Dorm

This style is simple and can be removed when you leave.

Creating Study or Play Space

We found ourselves trying to build a bedroom in a narrow portion of the basement. With the placement of the hot water heater and window it was impossible to avoid a narrow space.

Building a Wall to Wall Loft Bed

We made up for it with a large walk in closet and a loft bed. Now our daughter is in 7th Heaven and has loved organizing all her stuff on the book shelf and cubby wall.

Bolt Supports Into the Wall

Create a firm bed that won’t creak or move by first building a good support system. I used 1/4″ diameter bolts and ratcheted a bolt into each stud in the wall. With this being a wall-to-wall loft I was able to bolt into the walls on three sides.

Mark where each wall stud is on the wall. Hold a 2×4 up on the wall and mark on the 2×4 where each stud is located. Drill 1/4″ pilot holes where you have marked for the bolt to fit.

To get an truly flat bed, use a level when attaching 2x4s to ensure the support is horizontal.

For the large “doorway” under the bed use 2x4s as shown in the picture below, resting on vertical 2x4s.

Build Shelves Under the Loft Bed

To make the most of the space under the bed you can create deep shelves for cubbies and a book shelf.

Use a level here as well to ensure the shelves are straight. I would hold the shelf level, then measure the vertical support beam.

When finishing the shelves, paint the support boards to match the wall color. As you can see here the supports almost blend into the wall.

Place Supports Under the Bed

Putting supports under the bed also help with making a solid immovable bed. I used one 2×4 length wise and cut notches out for two 2x2s then reinforced each board with metal brackets.

The floor of the bed was made using 3/4 inch plywood.

Build Loft Railing

The railing was a little difficult since the bed was longer. I wanted it to be sturdy and withstand heavy use. First I put a bolt in each rung. I screwed the top railing in place and found it still shook a bit.

I then installed an A frame support on the end of the railing. This worked beautifully and took care of any slight movement.

Smooth Out the Finish

Next I sanded down all the joints. Then I caulked in all the screws, joints and imperfections in the wood. There were still a few problem areas so I mixed up a batch of drywall mud and applied it to the wood, let dry and sanded smooth.

Paint or Stain Loft Bed

My daughter and I decided to use white wash on the bed since the room already had some deep blues and we wanted the bed to stand out.

You can buy whitewash stain or you can make your own whitewash. I used 2 parts water to 1 part paint. The nice thing about making your own is you can use paint you already have on hand. It also made it easy to match our trim since it was the same shade.

At first it looks pretty opaque, but the paint soaks into the wood and quickly gets that beach wood look. You can also wipe part of it away with a rag if you want a lighter effect.

Add a Carpet Landing

We had left over carpet scraps that I used for a comfy loft landing. First put down the padding and secure in place with staples. Then screw the carpet into place on the underside onto the landing. Once you flip the carpet over it gives a nice carpeted edge.

Enjoy Your New Space

You’ve arrived, pull out your organization skills and use those cubbies. I plan on installing some sort of material for privacy between the railing rung. I’m thinking corrugated metal, antique rulers or plain-boring-flat wood.

What would you put in between rungs for more privacy and still have it look nice?

Well until next time, have a great day and keep creating!

Natalie

The post How to Build a Loft Bed appeared first on This Homemade Home.

A few months ago, while visiting my parents, I spent the night in my childhood room. Many things had changed since I was young, but there was one piece of furniture I remembered. A little dresser leaning against the wall. A bit unassuming, it probably wouldn’t stick out to the average person, but as I looked memories came flooding back. Things I had cherished, things I had worried about and friendships I’d made.

The little dresser had gone through many hands since I had last used it and the years were showing. Someone (perhaps me) had colored in the crevices with a green crayon. One wheel had fallen off the bottom and it now sagged on the floor. The sides had been roughed up by (not me, I would never do that ).

Suddenly, I wanted to fix it up and bring it back to where it once was. I asked my mom if I could take it and she said, “yes”!

Family Ancestry and a Water Stand

This dresser (or more accurately the water stand-now-used-as-a dresser) not only belonged to me as a child, it had also belonged to my mother and her mother when they were children. As I began to get it ready for refinishing I couldn’t help but wonder about who built it. With the detailed curved joints and routed edges. This piece, dating back to about 1910, had to have been done by hand, as many electric tools weren’t in mainstream use yet, but how was it done? The whole piece intrigued me.

Life Happened

My grandmother was a hard woman from what I remember as a child, and I never talked to her much growing up.

As an adult I learned more about her life and found she had gone through her share of heartache and pain, enduring a history I likely never would. The wear on this little dresser seemed to be speaking to all it had witnessed during the lives of its owners.

Becoming a US Citizen

My grandmother sailed to America with her parents when she was 7 years old. Her father had wanted to come sooner, but couldn’t convince his wife to travel on the ocean, she felt it wasn’t safe.

Then the Titanic sank.

Titanic Sinking

My great grandfather hid every newspaper he could find, afraid they would never make it to America if his wife heard the devastating news. As much as he tried, she still found out, it was too big of a story to hide. She surprised her husband by saying, “They will be safer now. We can go.” They sailed on the very next ship.

The Big Move

So the great trip began, with packing and buying tickets, preparing for a new life and saying goodbye to family they would leave behind. Within a year after arriving in the states, both of my grandmother’s parents contracted Typhoid Fever. Her father died at the age of 38 leaving his wife a widow at 32, with 6 children, in a new country. My grandmother was 8 years old.

It must have been a taxing life trying to bring in enough to care for a large family. They moved in with my grandmother’s aunt who had also moved to the states and somehow paid the bills. My grandmother quit school as soon as she was able to start bringing in an income and help with the family. At the age of 16 she started working as a switchboard operator for the telephone company. Which I understand to be a pretty prestigious job for the time.

A Relationship Match

The new job must have given her a little freedom. She enjoyed dressing up and spending time with her friends. She loved jewelry and even had a few fashion wigs that were all the rage. She married one of the young men in her group of friends. A local baseball hero who wanted to be with her more than with any other girl.

The Great Depression

The great depression hit two years before they got married. I sometimes wonder if they held off getting married, waiting for things to work out. As the lean times rolled on. Perhaps they decided to make the most of it and start their life together on faith.

The depression left a lasting impression.

When my grandmother died she had boxes of necklaces and earrings most of them shiny, colorful plastic. It was cost effective and added that splash of color to make an outfit complete. More telling were the piles of money stuffed in bureaus and under beds.

A huge storage of food in the basement, mostly expired, gave hope of no hungry days ahead. Never using the food, they always bought new food to eat from their pantry, but the basement was there as security.

The depression hit at such a pivotal time. They never quite recovered.

A Life of Poverty

Poverty does something to you, it changes how you see life and reality. Much like the scars on the dresser, you can fix it up and bring back the color, but some things will never be the same.

A different perspective isn’t necessarily to be mourned. Even though scars remain, that can’t be sanded out, it adds character and history. A meaningful story, that might not have otherwise come.

Alzheimer’s and Sacrifice

My grandmother lived to be 96 years old and spent the last 10 years of her life with Alzheimers and near complete deafness. There were times when I would look down the hall and see my mother helping her to the bathroom or helping her get dressed and wonder why God kept my grandmother here so long. She clearly wasn’t getting anything out of life. Maybe, I wondered, it was to give my mother the opportunity to show how angelic she was, for it took an angel to do the things she did.
As I refinished her dresser and brought back the charm from its early days, I felt like I was reaching back into the beginning of my grandmother’s life.

and I remembered.

I remembered, that as my grandmother’s mind was being ravaged by the affects of Alzheimers and she would be thrown back and forth in time, reliving anywhere from five minutes to 90 years ago. There were times she would laugh and joke with me.

I began to wonder if maybe my grandmother hadn’t always been hardened and grumpy. I began to think maybe life had been hard and resulted in her currently, fleeting, hardened self.

So here I was thinking, as I sanded and glued and nailed pieces back together. Maybe my grandmother had lived that long so that I could also catch a glimpse of who she really had been. In a way, as the dresser began to take shape and show it’s true self, I began to see that my grandmother deserved the same respect.

The respect to regain and be remembered for who she had been.

The post Restoring a Piece of Family History appeared first on This Homemade Home.

A few months ago our family room was beginning to feel cramped, messy and boring. Though I had ways for my family to put away blankets and toys, they were not following my well thought out plan.  The basket meant for folded blankets was crammed with toys or shoes kids didn’t want to put away and became just another object taking space. Our coffee table, while great for putting up our feet, lacked much use beyond that and stood in the middle of the room horrible and brown, so so brown.

A professor of mine once said, during his lecture on strengthening relationships, that if you have a problem with something your spouse is doing, you may see it as his/her problem, when in reality it is your problem. Your problem, because most likely your spouse doesn’t care or is blissfully unaware that something is an issue for you. This is how I was beginning to feel about our messy family room. It was my problem and if it was my problem I was in a position to fix it.

The professor went on to suggest there was a solution found in the way you chose to look at the problem. For example one husband dropped his dirty socks on the floor every day and no matter how much his wife asked him to put them in the laundry he continued to leave them on the floor. The husband, while truly wanting to please his wife constantly forgot because he was so anxious to get into the shower after his long day and the laundry basket was on the other side of the room. Once the wife understood more of the story she in turn decided change her approach, because in the end she just wanted the socks off the floor and he wanted to take a shower. She decided to move the laundry basket just outside the bathroom and with the ease of laundry access, never had socks on the floor again.

I constantly look back to this story when I am trying to solve a behavior, sometimes it is easier to move the basket than it is to convince someone to change what they value. In my case, my kids valued “cleaning” up the floor as quickly as possible, more than they valued actually putting the toys away. So I changed my approach.  I began to search for a chest that could double as a coffee table, but had blanket storage. I placed the collect-all-basket in a hard to reach place and made room for a few puzzles and games inside our TV console. Before you know it, the family room was back and though toys and books and random shoes still made their way into the room, there is no easy place to stash them. Clean up has become much more straight forward.

Here is the journey of my storage chest that started out looking like a little girls fingernail polish station, guessing from the princess cards and bubblegum pink puddles on top…I could be wrong. The change was exciting, adding a pop of color to this very brown room was just what was needed, I love propping my feet up and admiring the stencil work. In the end, it was my problem, but with a beautiful solution.

The chest was in rough shape, but it fit the qualifications of internal storage and I loved the wood work on the outside. I thought that with enough washing and sanding I would be able to remove the pink goo.

I was wrong. After dedicated sanding there was still a bit of a residue. I had wanted to have a wood tone on the top and add color to the bottom. I considered painting the whole thing, but I love to see a bit of wood grain. At this point I changed my design and decided I would stencil it, to draw attention away from the pink wood, if still visible after staining. I also roughed up the surface of the bottom portion to prep it for primer.

I like to prime pieces that I am going to paint for two reasons. One it really helps the paint stick to a roughed up lacquered surface and two…

… it helps you see the gaps between the wood joints. At this point, I let the primer dry and then come through with caulk and fill in all the edges and cracks.  Caulk is the secret to transforming a piece from looking amateur to professional. That and a good quality paint to give a nice hard finish. Caulk is also not difficult to use correctly once you know a few tricks (I will be posting on that soon).

Apply the paint of your choice. I picked Glidden Satin from Home Depot, the original shade was True Turquoise. When painting furniture I like to get the paint samples. One or two sample sizes are often plenty to complete a piece and then I don’t have large amounts of random colors filling my space. I also feel more at ease with branching out to different colors or picking the shade that is just right for each item. This chest took less than one sample can.

In all honesty, I picked out the color and then worked on a different project. By the time I got back to finishing this I didn’t like the color any more –I know I was a bit shocked myself that I changed my mind so quickly. I added some trim paint ( Glidden, Satin, Raffia Cream) from our basement remodel and mixed until I had a shade I liked.

Here you have the finished piece and I guess I could have kept it this way (except for the pink stain on top that still showed through and the fact that this piece is totally boring! I knew I would be adding some character, but needed to let it dry.

Once the paint was dry, I sanded the edges of the feet and along the wood trim to give a little character. Then I came through with walnut stain and stained the wood so it would stick out a bit. If you ever go too far and don’t like the amount sanded off, simply repaint the section you want unroughed (that’s not a word, but you get the idea).

Stenciling furniture is much easier than stenciling a wall because it is smaller and in this case it was not on a wall with all the blood running from my arms.  That was tough, I actually really liked this. It went fast and added great color and texture to my room. It also did a great job tricking the eye so you couldn’t really see the pink stain.

To keep the stencil in place while you work, spray with glue adhesive. I highly recommend Elmer’s glue because they are just better. I made the mistake of using the dollar store brand because I had run out of Elmer’s and I spent a long time scraping the horrible glue from the top of the storage chest. Just spray with Elmer’s spray let it dry a minute or two then lay down on the surface.

I like to use my trusty cheap brushes, they work really well for many jobs, including stenciling. Now the trick to getting a good stencil look and not many big blobs of paint on the other side is to keep very little paint on your brush at a time. Just enough paint to get the color on. Use a tapping motion and avoid strokes of paint as those pull the paint under the stencil.

And now for the moment of truth, how well did this section take? Wait a minute or two for the paint to dry just a bit to avoid a string of wet paint accidentally dripping in the wrong place.

It looks good, I’m happy.

Some sections didn’t fair as well. If you are a perfectionist like I am, a razor blade is an easy way to clean up any edges where the paint came through too thick. When stenciling a wall you can simply touch up with the contrasting wall color, no need to scrape it off.

When finished, I put on an outdoor/indoor lacquer to hold up to the wear and tear of a family all putting their feet up, after all, this is one of it’s jobs now. It has held of beautifully and protects from scratches as well and it holds a ton of blankets.

Until next time. Happy building, reusing, refinishing, recycling.  Post below on your awesome home solutions and have a great week. Remember to subscribe for the latest projects at This Homemade Home or follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter – whatever you want.

The post The Stenciled Storage Chest appeared first on This Homemade Home.

These bench ideas are all over Pinterest and I love them, because they inspired this in a moment of desperation.  Someone was giving away a free king size “headboard” and because I haven’t had the time to make my desired headboard I thought this could fill in until I get there.  Well… I show up to take a look and immediately realize it is a foot-board. My initial thought was to say, “no thank you.” But, the foot-board-giver had these pleading eyes like, “please take this thing away.” He also looked like he had just had the worst day of the year. So… I took it. The whole way home I’m thinking, “I’m going to need to explain this, this large thing that isn’t going to be a headboard.” By the time I arrived I had planned out the whole bench and was ready to start. It also helped that the same week someone else gave away real walnut wood planks, left over from a kitchen cabinet job and the house being built down the street donated a few pieces of hardwood (really, I did not just take them :). Before I knew it, I had everything needed for my spare parts bench.

Tools Used

Miter Saw

Nail Gun

Sander

Drill

Pre-drill Bit

Chisel

Rubber Malet

Sanding Block

Cheap Paint Brushes

Measuring Tape

Pencil

Materials Used

Head/foot board

2″ x 6″ Hardwood the length of your foot board plus a few feet for front legs

2 1/2″ Screws

Woodglue

Drywall Mud

Stain

Wood Putty

Polyurethane

Primer

Paint

Upfront disclaimer, the reason this bench was able to cost just $15 is because a bulk of the wood was free and I already had most of the paints, stains etc. It’s leftover, spare parts–but that is the beauty of it. With a little imagination, you can bring leftovers together and get a nice piece of furniture .

First I built the front legs and support piece of the bench. I took one long piece of 2×6  for the support, which I actually had to buy because no one is going to give away good lumber like that. As you can see it is rough wood which makes it cost less.  It also take forever to sand smooth, I will show you in this article how to deal with that and get a smooth look. You will also need to notch out the wood of the vertical leg piece. Then you will need to pre-drill with one of these handy drill bits specifically for that purpose.  It also has a large drill at the end that will drill out a hole to fit the screw head so you can caulk over it. If you don’t pre-dill you will more often than not split your wood.

On the vertical leg piece cut notches about 1/4″ apart with a circular saw.  Adjust your saw so that is cuts the depth of 2×6 board. Then use a chisel or screwdriver to break off each piece.

Clean it up with a chisel and rubber mallet like this. If you don’t clean it up the 2×6 board will not lay flat. No need to sand it, but get off the jagged wood so it is smooth.  In this picture you can see the portion behind the chisel is smooth enough for the board to lay flat.

Now to get rid of rough wood, sand it a bit just to get the real jagged parts off, fill in gaps with caulk and let it dry.  After it is dry take drywall mud and spread a smooth layer over all the parts you want smooth.  Drywall mud fills in gaps nicely and blends this joint together almost seamlessly.

Now the bench is ready to prep for paint. When I am planning on painting a piece that is varnished this is my quick trick that works really well.  I sand the entire area that is varnished with a sanding block.  See all the scratched up wood?  That is going to allow the primer to really stick well to the wood. In order for it to stick you will need to also wipe down the piece with a damp cloth and get rid of all the dust.

Next prime the whole piece with good primer.  Cheap primer will not stick as well. Remember to give nice even strokes and watch for drips, they are much easier to take care of while they are wet than when they are dry.

Select your desired bench color.  I have seen plenty of cute white benches or black benches, but I already have those colors incorporated on my front porch. I finally went with this color because it is a nice country blue and can pop a bit with the white railing and red brick.

I wanted to add a little texture and personality to the color so I sanded the edges with my sanding block and stained it with a walnut brown stain to give it a warm well loved look.

Then it was time to make the seating.  Since I had come across such beautiful walnut wood. I decided to make slat seating. Like this. Testing out the waters to see if I liked the spacing ect. The arm rests were just placements until I could get a jigsaw to round them out a bit and tie it in with the nice curve of the back of the bench.

To cut the slats to size I used my miter saw, cutting four pieces at a time. I then sanded each piece lightly softening the corners and edges.

Each slat needed to be secured to the back and front of the bench. I secured the front by pre-drilling each slat like this and then screwing it into place.  You will notice I am drilling in at an angle and had to be careful that my screw would go through the slat and the 2×6, but not show. I was successful on all of them, but one.  I simply filled the hole in with colored wood putty.

To secure the slat on the back I used a nail gun.  Each slat had to be measured so I could know where to nail in the back. I also used a hand weight to hold each slat down so that is was in the exact spot I wanted it to be when I nailed it.

Here you can see where I am measuring to get the placement of the next slat and where the holes are for the other slats. This was my first time using a nail gun and I was a bit intimidated, wear ear plugs and make sure no one is in front of you just be be safe. I did have one nail hit to the side and ended up having to pull it out and try again, but amazingly all the other nails went where I wanted them Yay!

Now it’s varnish time, the pinnacle of refurbishing and building. I love how it brings out the shine and beauty of the wood. No stain here, it’s all natural wood color.  I made one mistake here and used my good brush and even though I cleaned it “thoroughly” or so I thought, with paint thinner, it still dried hard with varnish residue.  I was reminded again why I love cheap paint brushes so much and finished the rest of the bench with these bad boys. They are so inexpensive you can toss them instead of spending for ever trying to clean them out and it not work anyway.  They also work better–at least I think so.

Once you have it varnished you need to let it dry for a few hours, lightly sand it wipe it with a damp cloth and do another layer of varnish.  You should varnish at least three times on bare wood that has never been varnished before. When you have all the layers on let it dry for a good 24 hours or so before using it.  I used oil based varnish for indoor outdoor use since it would be sitting on our porch.

I loved making this bench

The post The $15 Spare Parts Bench appeared first on This Homemade Home.

We wanted to create a little nook in our basement where we could just hang out and read a good book.  This was a big project because the basement didn’t exist, so it took several additional steps (framing, drywall, etc.) before the building of the bench and staging the area.  In the future we’re going to put a zen garden and fairy land in the window well.

The post The Reading Nook appeared first on This Homemade Home.