Four Chairs Become the Perfect Bench
6 Materials
We had four chairs that were begging to become a bench, but we just couldn't figure out how to accomplish that without the bench having a curve. You can see in the photo below how the chairs curve when placed together. But then, we ran across this site on creating benches: http://www.robomargo.com/bench.html There was just one little paragraph with a picture submitted by KyLady from the HGTV board and we had our "ah-ha" moment. Kylady wrote, “We shortened the front piece on the middle chair and attached it to the corner of each of the outside chairs. If you do not shorten the front piece of the middle chair the bench would not have a straight front and back, it would curve since the fronts of chairs are wider than the backs. The only legs removed are the front ones on the middle chair, the other legs are the original chair legs. All you actually use on the middle chair is the entire back and the front piece.”It is important to note that the style of your chair is important for this to work. Notice our chairs had a straight back and the seats were straight but flared out in the front, which wouldn't allow them to sit side by side without the gap.The original post for this project can be found on my blog - see link below.
Notice the gap which causes the curve
At first it didn't sink in because we didn't understand what she meant by "shortening the front piece and attaching it to the corner of each of the outside chairs." And then we got it. The red bench, in KyLady's photo below, you will notice the middle chair has no front legs. Removing them allowed the chairs to sit right next to each other. This made the middle chair the same width in the front as in the back. You can see in the photo it is narrower than the other two chairs. The front piece KYLady mentioned is that piece the arrow in the photo is pointing to. That piece was saved and shortened and added back on so all 3 chairs would be the same in the front. “Ah-ha”!
Notice the middle chair has no front legs
So now we were was ready to start. We only needed 3 of the chairs for the bench to get the size bench we wanted. The fourth chair was still used. You will see how later. You can see the gap when the front legs were still on the middle chair in the photo below.
Notice the gap in the back before starting
In the next photo, we have removed the front legs of the middle chair and both the side and front pieces and has glued and clamped and screwed the middle chair to the other two chairs. He screwed them together right under the top edge and right under where the seat would go. He shortened the saved front piece to fit the space in front, and then added holes and dowels to fit them together and glued it in place.
They fit together perfectly now!
Remember that fourth chair? The back legs were broken on it anyway, so he used them to create beautiful curved sides for the bench, a creative idea from our good friend, Michelle. He cut them off even with the back of the chairs using a straight cut and then glued, clamped and screwed them on. He also cut a 1/2″ piece of plywood to fit for the seat, then sanded it for smoothness.
This is one sturdy bench!
We were now ready to paint. We used, of course, Missouri Limestone Paint Company’s chalk-based paint in “Grannie’s Lace”, the brand we distribute and love to use!With a little dry brushing of some water-downed Varathane water-based stain and sealer, we highlighted the embossed design on the front of the bench. We added some fiberfill batting to the board, covered it with fabric and screwed it in place underneath. We sealed the bench with several coats of poly and the result was a beautiful and very sturdy bench.
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 74 comments
-
Love how you did this.... the bench looks beautiful!
-
It is so lovely!!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Where did you get the arms from an both designs? Also, why 4 chairs? I only see 3 used.
So excited. Just picked up 3 more chairs to make into another bench. Love the backs!!! Midcentury Modern. Solid oak.Keller Furniture Company. Should I strip and stain or paint???