Upcycling – DIY Built in Banquette Shelving

6 Materials
$50
4 Hours
Easy

I rearranged both of my boys’ bedrooms recently. Each of them had one of these shelves in his room (see picture below). They used to be a part of a wall unit, with the bureau in between each shelf. After we moved into our new house, we put one shelf in each kids room, and they used them as night tables. However, they never really looked right stuck in a corner alone, and they were definitely not meant to be used as night tables. After we rearranged the rooms, I deciding I was finally going to get rid of them. I contemplated selling them, and then I thought maybe I could upcycle them into a DIY built in banquette shelving area. I already have a little banquette seating area, and I’ve always wanted some shelving around it, and I LOVE upcycling old furniture!


Here is a step by step on how I completed this project. I am very happy with how it turned out! I think the shelves add a little depth and personality to an otherwise somewhat boring kitchen table area.

Step 1, Sanding…

First I filled in any holes that needed filling and then I sanded the entire piece, concentrating on areas that needed it most. Once done with sanding, I made sure to clean them up as best as I could using a damp rag.

Step 2: Painting…

Luckily, I had some leftover white paint in the garage and I was able to use that. I used a small roller brush and a regular paint brush and painted at least 3 coats. Once I was happy with how the paint looked, I moved on to step 3.

Step 3 – Polyuerthane..

I also had left over polyuerthane in the garage. Score! I have had the best luck with this kind by MinWax. It dries super fast and goes on clear. Other types I’ve used go on sort of yellowish or turn yellow over time and take FOREVER to dry.



Step 4 – Style them…

Once they were ready, my husband and I brought them in the house and then the fun part began. Decorating! I love styling shelves. Can you believe I already had almost all these items to style them with?  I did spend a few dollars on the plants and baskets on the top, and now I want to have a light fixture hung above the table. I’ve been wanting to do that forever actually. 


Anyway, I digress….here are they are in all their glory.


I am VERY happy with how they turned out. Please check out my blog for lots more details and more fun DIY projects.

Resources for this project:
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  • C Crow C Crow on Mar 08, 2019

    Beautiful restyling. Love the new look. Just curious...are those risers on the banquette legs?

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