Repurposed Changing Station

9 Materials
$50
2 Days
Medium

I purchased this vintage changing station from Salvation Army for less than $4! I immediately knew I'd repurpose it into a potting bench. This was the first project using a saw without my husband's help. I was intimidated, but after a few cuts I was at ease and ready to knock this thing out!

The Start


I had been eyeing this piece for several weeks at Salvation Army as the price kept dropping. Finally I walked in one day and it was marked down to $3.75! I knew I had to have it. As soon as I got the piece home I envisioned it as a potting bench. I immediately got to work.

Create a Blank Slate


The first step was removing the changing pad and particle board. This was extremely simple as they were not secured. Now I was left with a blank slate. I took some measurements and headed to my garage to see what I could find in my scrap wood pile.

Add Supports


I opted to use leftover 1x2's as added support for the slats I'd be adding later on. I made my measurements and starting cutting. I secured the 1x2's with exterior screws and pre-drilled holes to prevent the wood from cracking or splintering. Before going any further I painted the piece with white chalk paint. I knew I wanted it to have a rustic look so I painted freely and followed up with my hand sander to lightly distress throughout.

Create and Secure Slats


The width between the rails was just over 3 inches so I chose 1x3's for the slats. Once I cut the pieces I stained them using left over stain from my laundry room makeover. Securing the slats in between the rails left gaps for soil and other materials to fall through for easy clean up when potting plants. I used the same technique I did when securing the supports: pre-drilled holes and exterior screws.

Protect the Wood


Once the potting bench was assembled I decided to use my multi tool to remove the top front railing. This created easier access to the top of bench. I chose to leave the bottom front rails intact. The next step was to coat the entire piece with exterior poly acrylic to protect it from water and sun rays. It took about a day for the coating to dry.

Let the gardening begin!

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