PICNIC BENCH – My Old Country House

PICNIC BENCH MAKEOVER!

Recycle the Old and Bring on the NEW!!!

This WAS one of my MOST rewarding makeovers- EVER!!!

AND BEARS REPEATING…

(Truth be told…I am KNEE deep in a PET PORTRAIT commission that is like NONE OTHER I have ever gotten.) It is still top secret but in a matter of days….I will be able to divulge the recipients of said paintings and when I do…GET READY TO FREAK OUT!…

I can tell you that I did 7 different paintings for 7 different recipients who are household names…

GOT YA THINKING!!!!!

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ANYWAY…a few years ago… I took a piece of HO HUM furniture that was truly a nothing piece…just a bench…a $20 used furniture score which I painted yellow and sat at the foot of our bed.

AFTER

BIG IMPROVEMENT

TUTORIAL!!!

Gather all of your supplies:

You will need:

1. Picnic Bench or long bench or even a short bench!

2 .fabric

3. scissors

4. soft cotton batting

5. staple gun and staples (1/4″) I highly recommend investing in an electric one

6. measuring tape or yardstick and a pencil

7. FOAM

FOAM (I USED SCRAPS FROM A OLD CHAIR)

**This foam was part of a sofa a cushion that I no longer use.**
**I cut and pieced it together. Reduce – Reuse- recycle!!!**

optional

8. nail head tacks – this foot bench took 9 packages of 25 tacks/pack.

9. sheet or drop cloth for floor

AND 10. DogS sleeping on the sofa to keep you company …

BEAN AND CHARLIE MAKE SLEEP LOOK SO GOOD

TUTORIAL-

Lay down your drop cloth FACE DOWN .

On the drop cloth (This will help catch random staples and tacks and keep the fabric clean as well)

LAY DOWN in this order –

1.fabric (cut to size) face down,

2. batting next and then lay the

3. foam and then the

4. bench top down upon the foam.

As far as cutting the fabric – my bench is 10″ wide and 50″ long so.

I cut my fabric 20″ wide and 70″ long this gave me height for the foam, and leftover the wrap below.

I began stapling by alternating side to side, to make sure the fabric pulled evenly.

I discovered that if I kneeled on the bench it would depress the foam, eliminating the need for me to PULL the fabric so hard.

I finished the bench this way and it gave me a nice tight pull of the fabric.

I got a few lumps, but oh well.

I KNEELED ON THE BENCH TO DEPRESS THE FOAM

when I got to the end, I wanted to cover up the area where I had lots of stapling…I took a piece of the batting and glued it on top.

I took the fabric and folded it over and stapled it down underneath.

View of the bench, PRE NAILHEAD TRIM…I love the gray and yellow!!!!

I drew a line across the bottom edge of the sides, and followed that line with the nailhead trim. I discovered that if I used my needle nose pliers, that I could move faster and I avoided hitting my fingers with the hammer. (OF COURSE SHORTLY AFTER COMPLETING THIS MAKEOVER I FOUND OUT THAT THEY SELL NAILHEAD IN A LONG STRIP....OH WELL) — I drew a line across the bottom edge of the sides, and followed that line with the nailhead trim. I discovered that if I used my needle nose pliers, that I could move faster and I avoided
hitting my fingers with the hammer. (OF COURSE SHORTLY AFTER COMPLETING THIS MAKEOVER I FOUND OUT THAT THEY SELL NAILHEAD IN A LONG STRIP….OH WELL)

TOOL TIP!!!
I purchased a magnetized tack hammer for this project
($6.50@ Lowes ) and I am IN LOVE with the difference it makes!
Because I pieced together two pieces of foam, I ended up with a teeny lump, but hey, this is going in MY bedroom, and NO ONE will notice it…In fact…my husband may not even notice that I upholstered it to begin with!!!!

COOPER WAS A BIG HELP..THIS PICTURE MAKES ME WANT TO CRY- HIS HANDS LOOK SO SMALL!!!
My Son Cooper was a HUGE help, I held the tacks with my pliers and he did the tapping!
It made a difference following the pencil line, I have done it without…
and I would not recommend it.

I love how it looks, especially, when placed at the foot of my/our bed!!! I am so excited about how great it all looks together.

nailhead — COOPER WAS A BIG HELP..THIS PICTURE MAKES ME WANT TO CRY- HIS HANDS LOOK SO SMALL!!!
My Son Cooper was a HUGE help, I held the tacks with my pliers and he did the tapping!
It made a difference following the pencil line, I have done it without…
and I would not recommend it.

I love how it looks, especially, when placed at the foot of my/our bed!!! I am so excited about how great it all looks together.

NAIL HEAD TRIM APPLIED THE OLD FASHIONED WAY - ONE TACK AT A TIME!!!! — NAIL HEAD TRIM APPLIED THE OLD FASHIONED WAY – ONE TACK AT A TIME!!!!

...LATER....NEW BED AND BENCH — …LATER….NEW BED AND BENCH

AND EVEN LATER…NEW LAMPS FOR NEW BED AND BENCH!

Project Breakdown:

Cost: Fabric, Batting, Staple Gun, pliers, foam, bench, – recycled – I had all of these supplies.

Tacks – $12.00 ($1.30/pack)

Magnetized tack Hammer – $6.50

I bought the fabric over a year ago, with something else in mind
that never materialized (HAH…no pun intended!!!).

The batting I had leftover from an upholstery project a few years ago.

I bought the nail head trim yesterday at Lowes for $1.30/pack and everything else I had.

Total time2 hours, and it probably could have taken less time… had I not had to take breaks to pick up kids from school, teach a drama class, drive to my daughter’s Track Practice, take my son to a hair cut appointment, make dinner (okay… so I ordered pizza!!!)…but I did get it all done in one day!

It is most assuredly a great weekend project!

Take a look around… do you have any benches that might be improved with upholstery?
I am already looking for my next project.

AS I PONDER THIS PROJECT…

…..it strikes me as a funny thing…I used to do projects like these all the time…often to save money and create something I needed…for less..and often just because I needed to be creative…..and I wonder if since I am painting so much now that the creative NEED is being satisfied…and HEAVEN KNOWS I don’t NEED anything else in this house…if anything I want to have LESS…I already am mentally distributing things amongst the kids in their apartments one day….I yearn to simplify…But I also do not want to rush time…IN TIME – IN TIME…there is a TIME and a season for everything…am I right? ….maybe my season of little projects is behind me…I say that ….but who knows what COOPER”S BEDROOM MAKEOVER holds in store!

I start his room next Monday…Just in time for his 15th birthday on the 11th!!!! HOLY MOLY!!!

Thank you for visiting! Keep checking back and I will tell you my Big news very very soon!