DIY Bench Made From A Door

9 Materials
$40
6 Hours
Medium

I would like to thank Kreg Tool for sponsoring this DIY Bench Made From A Door post.

Some of my favorite projects are repurposed projects. It's amazing when we can take something that isn't being used anymore and make it into something functional and beautiful again. This DIY Bench Made From A Door is one of those projects. I always find beautiful doors when I am at my local Restore but we don't need any doors in our home. We have, however, been able to turn some beautiful doors into other things we actually can use. This project will show you how easy it is to turn a solid door into a bench that you can use for years to come.

This particular door still had a piece of wood attached to it at the hinges. This was perfect because we were able to use that piece in the transformation as well. 

{Affiliate links are used in this post. Click on any of the underlined links to find the products I am talking about. You can read my disclosure  HERE.}

Supplies Used In This Makeover

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

Old Door

Table Saw

Miter Saw

Jigsaw

Orbital Sander

Surfprep Sander (code "mycreativedays10" will save on your order)

Nail Gun

Drill

Screws (you do get some screws in the pocket hole set)

Restor-A-Finish

Stain

Steps To Making This DIY Bench Made From A Door

  • The first thing we did was remove the doorknob and the hinges. (We kept those for future projects).
  • Then, we measured the middle of the door vertically so we could cut it in half with the table saw.
  • Then, we measured the space at the top of the doors to get a measurement of where we needed to cut them in the middle. We wanted those measurements to be the same. It was 3.5" on the top, so we measured 3.5" below the indented top section of the door to mark where we needed to cut. The bottom portions of the door halves will be the sides of the bench. 
  • The top portions will be the seat and the back of the bench. 
  • To start putting the bench together, I needed to decide how tall I wanted to make it. I decided on 18". 
  • Then, I needed to decide on the curve of the arms of the bench. I took the smaller two pieces of the door we had cut and drew the curve of the arms how I wanted them.
  • Then, we cut that curve with a jigsaw.

PRO TIP: To get both curves exactly the same, we used the first one we cut as the template for the second one. 

  • After each cut we made in this entire project, we sanded the edges down smoothly. 
  • Once we had both of the side pieces (the arms of the bench) jigsawed out, we started working on the seat of the bench.
  • Since we had that extra trim board attached to the door when we bought it, it gave us a piece of trim that we could put on the front of the seat of the bench to give it a more finished look.
  • We measured one of the longer pieces of the door that we cut (the seat of the bench) and then cut the trim down to fit. 
  • We used a nail gun to attach the trim to the front of the "seat" of the bench.
  • Now, it was time to add the pocket holes to the seat and the back of the bench with the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig 720. This tool is amazing and I highly recommend every DIYer has one.
  • Here are just a few of my favorite things about this jig:
  • It makes quick work of creating pocket-hole joints. It goes so fast with this tool!
  • The Automaxx® dual-action clamping technology saves time and effort by simultaneously clamping your workpiece and automatically adjusting to the exact thickness of your material (from 1/2" to 1 1/2"). Genius!
  • The GripMaxxâ„¢ anti-slip clamping surface holds the project piece secure so you never have to worry about shifting while you drill pocket holes. We were using a thick door for this project and it held the pieces perfectly!
  • Dust collection is built right into the jig with a chip ejection port. They even thought to add a vacuum adapter that connects to your shop vac to keep your workspace dust-free.
  • This was our first time using the jig and we are obsessed with it. We couldn't believe how well it worked and how it handled the thicker door project without any issues. 

 

How We Used The Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

  • We put the wings out on the jig and then measured the thickness of the door piece we wanted to put holes in. The jig comes with a blue tool that measures the wood thickness for you and that measurement coincides with the drill bit that also comes with the jig set. We put the drill bit in the drill to the measurement we got from the blue tool, put the door inside the jig, clamped it down so it was held in place, and then drilled the holes where we wanted them. Then, we lifted the clamp, the door came loose and we turned it around for the next holes. IT WAS SO FAST AND SO EASY! 
  • Once we got the holes in the seat and arms of the bench, it was time to put them together. 
  • The Kreg pocket hole jig 720 also comes with a drill bit and screws that we used to screw the seat to the sides. 
  • You can see in the photo below where the pocket holes are and that is where we drilled the screws in to hold it all together.  

 

  • Once the seat was attached to the arms, it was time to add the back. The back was the other "longer" part of the door we cut in half in the beginning. 
  • We added more holes for the Kreg jig to the back piece and attached it to the arms in the back.
  • The bench is together! I wanted to use that other piece of trim that came with the door to create a "skirt" on the front of the bench. We measured and cut it to size and attached it to the front. 
  • Now that the construction of the bench was done, I needed to scuff-sand the entire piece. 
  • I did this was very fine sandpaper because I didn't want to take any of the finish off. I just wanted to smooth it out. 
  • I used an old rag and applied Restor-A-Finish all over the bench. 
  • In the areas that showed the raw wood where we had cut the door, I needed to apply a gel stain to get those areas to the right color. 

 

That's it!!! This bench is made solely from that door and the trim piece that was attached to it!!!


The Restor-A-Finish covered all the scratches in the wood. 

I love that it still has hints of the old door but functions and looks like a beautiful bench.

The gel stain added just the right amount of color to the raw edges and really made the entire bench come together.

I love decorating our home with pieces that are full of charm and character and this bench made from an old door is full of both.

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Lindsay Eidahl
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