Repurposed Old Chairs into a Bench!

I am all about finding a good deal!! Well, I found a great deal about 3 weeks ago. I was on facebook and someone posted 2 free chairs. I am no dummy, so I jumped on those free chairs right away! They didn't have a seat in them but they were in good condition. Over the summer I took vintage chairs and turned them into planter stands. They turned out so cute but I knew I didn't want to do that again. So I looked online for some ideas. I stumbled upon old chairs repurposed into a benches. Genius! So now that I had a plan, I needed supplies.

About the same time I got my chairs, my husband bought a nail gun and new compressor. We had a table saw and oscillating saw already. All of these tools were needed for this project. I still needed lumber for the seat. We had gotten reclaimed lumber at a thrift store near our house once before, so I went back to see what they had. What they had was an empty shop! They went out of business!! I knew that shop had gotten the lumber from the fencing company behind it, so I went straight to the source. I told them I was a stay at home mom working on a project and wondered it they had any reclaimed wood I could have. Guess what? They had tons of it! They were so kind and filled up my car with as much as I could haul. The owner gave me his card and said he would set aside wood anytime for me.

So with all supplies in hand, I went to work. First I cleaned the chairs with mineral spirits and sanded down any rough spots. Once clean, I mixed up some chalk paint. This is my formula!! I use calcium carbonate (which is chalk in powder form) mixed with warm water. Then I pour in the paint. Any paint too. Flat, satin, eggshell. It doesn't matter. This is a 1 to 3 ratio of calcium carbonate/water to paint. Mix really well. The paint will be thicker but not crazy thick! I painted the chairs with 2 coats of paint. I always do two coats of paint on all my pieces. Then I distressed the chairs using a 100 grit sandpaper. I cleaned them. Then I put on a clear coat of annie sloan's wax.

Now came the harder part, making the bench. The lumber I got was newer lumber but since I knew I was going to stain it dark, I didn't bother with trying to make it look old. BTW- to turn new wood into old looking wood all you do is put a steel wool sponge in a bucket with a gallon of vinegar for 4 days and close the lid. After 4 days put a gallon of water in the bucket. Mix well. Then take a rag or brush and brush on the solution to the wood. The wood will age right in front of your eyes! I started with the back board for the bench and marked my cuts. I used the oscillating saw to cut out notches where the wood and chair met. The table saw was used to cut the sides of the board. Once done cutting, I attached the chairs together using a piece of wood and then attached the boards to the chairs. This is where the nail gun comes in handing!! Quick and easy. Then I stained the wood and let it dry overnight. I put a heavy coat of polyurethane on it the next day. And there you have it!! My free bench!!!!

So next time you see chairs for free, grab them! You never know what they can become!!!

 

Before! Sturdy and free!!!

Painted and getting the boards lined up. These chairs were not the easiest to work with for this project but if I can manage this, you can too!!!

Under the chairs, I attached the chairs together using a block of wood.

Finished product!! The poly was still drying in these photos so the bench didn't turn out as shinny as you see. This was such a fun project and I am happy to report that this bench is now looking super fabulous in a wonderful friends house down the street from me!!!