This is one of those great projects inspired by Pinterest! I saw a picture, read her tutorial and then tweeked it a little bit. So, I invite you to do the same! This project turned out so cute, and it cost me a total of about $12 bucks!
Start off by finding a headboard and foot board at a local Goodwill or other thrift store.
I scored with this one at $4.99 for both pieces!!!!
Next, measure the foot board to the very middle and make a mark- you will cut this in half on this line- so make it straight! (I want to add that once the foot board was cut in half, it was a deeper seat than I wanted, so I measured and cut the foot board on each side so I ended up with a 20 inch side and I made my seat 18 inches deep- I was much happier with this size- so make your foot board sides any size you like and then measure your seat accordingly).
There it is- I cut it in half by myself- with one eye scrunched in terror the entire time! I would have closed them both- but that would have been more scary!!! I'm not a power tools kind of girl- so this was a challenge for me.
Now, line up your foot board pieces to the large post on the sides of the headboard- mark a few spots to drill holes and insert 2 inch lengths of dowel rods. (you only need to buy one dowel rod and cut it into sections)- I used a total of five sections on each side. These are NOT for supporting weight- but just add a little more support to the structure of the bench.
Once the sides are glued with the dowel rods inserted- let it dry for a few hours. (disregard the boards that look like a seat- we were experimenting in this picture)
While the glue is drying for your sides- go ahead and build your seat. We chose to make a box structure and put short slats. Measure the width of the bench and the depth- size your seat accordingly.
We (my hubby was great help at this point!)- screwed the outer box together with wood screws and then placed our slats on top using wood screws, then flipped it over and used small L brackets under each slat.
With the bench still laying on it's back we put the seat in place and used large L brackets to secure it.
See the large L bracket?.... we also used wood screws to add extra support.
Ta-da!!! Isn't it pretty!!!! So, we sanded it a little and then coated it with a primer/paint combo. If you only want to paint the bench a solid color with no distressing- skip down a few pictures- and don't grab the Vaseline!
Then I grabbed some Vaseline because I wanted it to look chippy painted and funky- and this my friends is the BEST trick ever to get that look!
Just smear a little Vaseline in the spots that you want to remain the color of the base coat- in this case white. - Now I should caution you that this really works- so if you want small little streaks it would be better to apply the Vaseline with a paint brush so you can get it exactly where you want it.
I wanted it to be big chunks and streaks so I just used my finger to smear it on. Can you see the Vaseline one the edges?... the picture is tricky- but it's there.
Now, paint the bench whatever color you like- I chose bright pink! Isn't it so happy!!!!
Let your top coat of paint sit for at least 20 minutes to make sure it is dry. Then grab a dry rag and just start rubbing the bench everywhere you put the Vaseline. That top color will wipe right off and the underneath color will pop out. See!
Again- if you want smaller spots or more like lines- use a brush. See how large my white spots are- that's what it will look like if you smear it on with your finger.
Oh so fun!!! I LOVE this so much!
There you have it- my distressed bench. I wasn't sure where I was going to put the bench, so I went ahead and used a clear coat sealer over the top just in case it's new home is outside.
One more pic of the white popping out of the pink..... did I mention I love it??? Well, I do!
Here it is, sitting in our entry with a few little pillows- I plan to make a seat cushion for it with oilcloth, and I've decided it will live on the back deck for the summer!
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