Beyond The Picket Fence: A-DOOR-able Bench

Monday, February 1, 2016

A-DOOR-able Bench

So, last night at 9 o'clock I spied this half door piece that I have had for quite awhile.

And knowing that I needed something new in my booth, I decided to quickly piece together a bench.

bench, DIY, woodworking, old door, salvaged wood, chippy paint, minwax, wold blanket, plaid blanket, entryway, http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-door-able-bench.html

Forgive me, there is no step by step tutorial, it was nine on a Sunday night I wanted the bench ready to go by 10 AM so I worked quickly and did not stop to grab my camera.

bench, entryway, old door, chippy paint, sander, salvaged wood, reclaimed, http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-door-able-bench.html

I pieced this together with a little of this and a little of that--which really is my favorite way to create. I cut the half of a door in half lengthwise and used another single panel I had from a different old door for the back of the bench.

old door, reclaimed wood, bench, salvaged, entryway, wool plaid blanket, Minwax, DIY, http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-door-able-bench.html

I added brackets to the inside of the bench sides for the seat. I used 3 pieces of wood from our old schoolhouse for the seat. Two of the pieces were old trim from the schoolhouse. I also added a bracket under the seat along the back, running lengthwise between the two sides.

old door bench, build it, reclaimed wood, salvaged, chippy paint, minwax, plaid blanket, wool blanket, http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-door-able-bench.html

I added a board underneath the front of the seat that is a piece from an old piano we took apart.

I left the finishes as they were on all the salvaged pieces. I simply did some sanding (with a respirator mask because there was probably lead paint on the old door parts) and then added a coat of Minwax Polyacrylic in a semi-gloss finish.

old door bench, chippy paint, DIY, Minwax, http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-door-able-bench.html

I love the sides that are very weathered on the outside, but still have quite a bit of white paint on the inside. Four colors were revealed on the back door panel when I sanded it.

old door bench, woodworking, salvaged, DIY, entryway, bench, Minwax, plaid wool blanket, http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-door-able-bench.html

Hobbled together with bits and pieces makes me happy. By the way, I scored this 100% wool, made in Peru alpaca blanket in perfect condition at the thrift store for $1.99. That makes me happy too!