DIY Bench Upcycle

I found this little forsaken bench in the trash (I am not a dumpster diver, but it was right there beside my car). I stuck it in the garage and forgot about it for a while. At long last, I finally started redecorating the master bedroom (that post will be coming along in a while) and this little bench got a new lease on life.

First, I sanded the sad little skeleton of the bench.





Then I used RUST-OLEUM's Flat White Spray Paint Primer. I hate painting, and if I can cheat by using a spray paint primer, I will! Unfortunately, I forgot to take picture of the primed and later painted bench. Since I didn't need very much paint, I cheaped out and bought a sample size of Valspar's Sparkling Sage 5005-3B paint. I had plenty left over.

I went to Lowe's with the exact measurements of the piece and they cut plywood to fit perfectly for me. Next, I needed fabric and foam....a trip to JoAnns. Yay! I placed the board over the foam and traced my outline with a Sharpie.

The best/easiest/exactest (that is a word) way to cut foam is with an electric knife. You get the nicest lines. 

Then I hot glued my foam and board together...just in case.

 I covered the board with my freshly ironed fabric and flipped the whole thing over. I had to take a lot of time to make sure everything was lined up perfectly since (silly me) I used a striped pattern. I hot glued the fabric down at first and then stapled over, but after a while I skipped the glue and just used the staple gun for everything. And, no, it's not very pretty, but hopefully nobody will ever come into the house and turn my furniture upside down. 

The corners were rather tricky, and I don't have any perfect way of doing it. I just tried folding and refolding until I got the look I wanted. 

After I was done with the fabric, I put the bottom part back on by drilling pilot holes with a drill and using wood screws to attach the two pieces.

Viola! I couldn't have been happier with the fabric I chose. It coordinates perfectly with the floral bedding I have, and I am already planning on acquiring more of the fabric for throw pillows.