DIY bench makeover

Back in 2010 I, was online searching for the most durable paints & products and I stumbled upon Censational Girls, DIY home improvement Blog. For the next week I saved & bookmark anything & everything that was inspiring. That wasn't a good year for my family & I and seeing how she transformed inexpensive pieces of furniture like me well... made me.. inspired to say the least. That very next week as I was going through the mismatched furniture at one of my favorite resale shops I stumbled upon a beautiful solid oak trestle bench for $4.00. Of course the finish was badly scratched but over all it was what I call a good solid piece of wood.

 List of supplies needed

• Fantastic all purpose cleaner
• Fine grit sandpaper
• Tack cloth / rag
• wood stain &
• 2 inch thick foam
• Fabric & batting
• Heavy duty stapler & staples
• Nailhead trim
• Bench

After, sanding & removing the layers of dust and dirt I primed the base with pre-stain.Whenever you're using a dark color stain & an old piece of dry wood it's always safe to pre-stain to avoid blotchy marks. I applied two coats to get the desired look I wanted & applied a few coats of Minwax Water Based Polyurethane.  It provides superior durability !!!

With a 50% off coupon in hand I headed to  Jo-Ann Fabrics to pick out the fabric & 2 inch foam.

Applied batting over the foam to prevent slippage & to give it a clean smooth appearance. 

I turned my bench over so that I could secure both batting & fabric with staples.

Joann fabrics carries this nail trim kit & it really made this process easy.

The trestle bench lives in my front entrance & gets a ton use from all of us.

Completed bench

• Trestle bench $4.00
• Pre-stain & walnut stain (already had )
• Foam with coupon $22.00
• Batting ( had )
• Linen fabric 1 yard with coupon $14.99
• Nail trim kit 5 yards $10.00
• Total around $51.00