Want a quick, easy, and affordable project with an expensive look? Well this is the project for you! But seriously this project is so easy, especially if you pick a good piece of wood (like I didn’t).
A little back story on this project– I found this piece of wood while I was looking on my local rebuilding centers instagram. It was really pretty, it was only $30 and I NEEDED it. I had no idea what I was going to make but I needed it.
Things to Consider
The major problem with the piece I bought was that it had larger mill marks in it. Mill marks are chunks of the wood that are removed from the use of a planer. A planer is typically used to reduce thickness in the wood, or make it level.
I started out with the piece of wood that was bumpy and had mill marks. Let me tell you if you are just the average DIYer with an orbital sander and some elbow grease removing deep mill marks is going to take HOURS. I spent the beginning of quarantine patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) listening to podcasts and sanding my heart out.
My advice is to look for a nice level piece of wood with minimal mill marks, unless you are willing to spend the time sanding them out or living with them.
Materials and Tools:
- Piece of wood
- Hairpin legs (mine are 16inches)
- Screws (these came with my legs)
- Drill
- Sandpaper in various grits
- Orbital sander
- Stain or wood sealer (optional)
- Circular saw (if you need to cut your wood down)
How to Assemble
First up, decide how long you want your bench. Originally I was going to put it at the end of my bed so I measured it to be about four feet long. As I so often do I changed my mind and put the bench in the entryway instead. Once you’ve decided on a length grab your circular saw and cut to your desired length.
Next, grab some sand paper and elbow grease and get to sanding. I used an orbital sander since I had a lot of sanding to do. You could, if your piece of wood needed minimal sanding do it by hand. I started with an 80 grit sandpaper which is more abrasive, and worked my way up to 320 which is a finer grit. You could probably stop at a 220 grit, but I was on a roll and had the 320 on hand.
Once everything is smooth to your liking it’s time for big decisions. Do you want to stain your wood? Seal it? Or keep it natural? Fill holes with epoxy? The options are pretty much endless, so get creative! I left my wood natural. I decided this since I liked the color and look of it. Also it isn’t going to get a lot of traffic just a few decor pieces and a some butts when people use it to put on their shoes
Last, you need to decide which side it up. If your wood is completely flat, great! Since I had a piece that wasn’t I chose the side that was flattest to attach the legs to. Since I was working with hardwood I drilled pilot holes and then screwed the legs in.
And Voila! A bench!
Troubleshooting
In my case it wasn’t exactly “And Voila! A bench!”. I was working on my bench outside so when I flipped it over and tested it in the lawn everything seemed great. When I took it in the house to where it was going to live it was a different story. The bench wobbled. Ugh. No DIY is ever quite as easy as I think it should be. I went through a ton of options in my head…more sanding, buying a belt sander etc. None of them were appealing. I just wanted this project over and done with! So I took two of the rubber floor protectors that usually come with hairpin legs and put them on opposite legs. Like a miracle it fixed the wobble!
At first I was upset because it wasn’t “perfect”. The reality though is I don’t even notice them and the bench looks great. So the lesson here is sometimes an imperfect solution is actually perfect.
