Old Coffee Table to Upholstered Entry Bench

12 Materials
Easy
Have you ever seen a piece of furniture that you thought was so ugly and so damaged that it was a lost cause? That’s how I felt about this huge 1970’s coffee table.
Step One: Clean and Prep:


What you see here is the coffee table upside down and I had used a hammer and knocked off the bottom edge that it sat on. I also sanded down some water blister bumps from water damage. It took the finish off, but I was painting this anyway so it didn’t matter.


Clean it very well and remove any doors and/or hardware. I typically just use Clorox wipes.
Step 2: Paint


When painting a piece like this, I always use chalk paint. You don’t have to sand before (I only did to get the water blisters off) and the coverage is amazing! Chalk paint dries very fast and ends up with a matte finish. Instead of waxing, I used a water based poly-acrylic sealant to finish it off.
Step 3: Create the top


For the top, I picked up a 3/4 inch sheet of plywood and used my jig saw to cut it down to the width and length of the inside ledge on the top of the coffee table.
Step 4: Upholster the top


I cut my material and my batting long enough that they would wrap around the foam and I’d still have plenty to staple on the back of the plywood. You lay your material upside down, then lay your batting, then the foam, and finally the plywood.
Pull the material tight and secure with staples.
Secure the top with some long screws, add some fancy feet to the bottom, and you now have a great entry bench!


If you'd like to see the full tutorial, where I got the materials and additional process photos, please visit my blog by clicking the link below!
Karrah @ Mrs Do It Herself
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 4 questions
  • Techi Mocny Techi Mocny on Sep 04, 2016
    So Beutiful! What paint color you use? Thank you.
  • Han4682974 Han4682974 on Sep 09, 2016
    Why did you use water base poly acrylic sealant instead of clear wax?
  • Kelly Kelly on Jun 01, 2019

    Will take furniture if still available.

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  • Rhonda Teris Rhonda Teris on May 20, 2017

    My dad made this kind of furniture in the 70's! His house is still full of it, lol. This may even be one of his pieces!

  • Nena Regalado Nena Regalado on Jun 07, 2017

    Gorgeous,way to recycle a piece that someone would have trashed. GREAT job!!! I need a bench at the foot of my bed so I'll be on the look out for something similar😉

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