Hello amazing friends!! Welcome to Furniture Fixer Upper Day!
I love reviving old furniture and once a month I get to do it with five other super talented ladies! Be sure to look for links to their makeovers at the bottom of this post.
Today I am sharing what I did with this bed I scored at the thrift store for $15 well over a year ago:
I’ve mentioned before that I rarely pass up a good twin headboard, and to find one already painted was a bonus! The paint job wasn’t so hot, but it did make a great base coat for this makeover.
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
And of course the title gave it away…I turned it into another bench!
I went with a favorite neutral of mine for this one: one part Annie Sloan’s French Linen mixed with two parts Behr’s Bit of Sugar DIY chalk paint. (DIY chalk paint recipe HERE.)
It has kind of a coastal feel don’t you think?
I love the spindly parts of this bed and decided to highlight those a bit more by painting a few sections white using a small brush…
So I came home from our trip Monday afternoon and still had not decided what furniture piece I was going to share for our Furniture Fixer Upper post. I knew I couldn’t back out on my girls so I went looking though my stash to see what I could find, and this bench that had been sitting halfway done in the garage since January gave me the side-eye. I knew this was the push I needed to get her finished.
I hit a roadblock back when I started this project back in January because the headboard, which makes up the back of the bench, didn’t have a piece across the back that was at the right hight for a seat like most headboards have:
Instead it had two slats across the back…one was too low to hold the seat slats and the other too high. Also to hold the seat slats at the front, I would need to add a piece of wood across the front, but it would butt up next to the spindly parts on either side, which I thought could be weird. (Visit this post HERE to see how I got to this point.)
I finally decided that I didn’t have too many options and started working on attaching the 1×4 across the front. I drilled a small pilot hole first for my screw, then drilled a shallow hole with a drill bit large enough to allow my screw heads to sink below the surface…
I used 2 1/2″ wood screws.
Then I filled the holes in with wood filler. I added another piece across the back the same way:
Now I had both a front and back piece for which to attach my seat slats, and the front piece didn’t look too weird against the spindle parts. I attached the seat slats using my nail gun:
I used pre-primed 1X6 boards from the Home Depot for the seat pieces.
Everything got two coats of the Annie Sloan French Linen/white mix. Then I painted the white spindle details, taped off the stripes on the back using FrogTape for delicate surfaces, and gave them two coats of Behr’s Bit of Sugar DIY chalk paint:
I removed the tape immediately after the second coat. See how I measure out perfect stripes HERE.
Stripes always give pieces a costal vibe to me, so I use them often.
You can see how I made that simple greenery wreath HERE.
Revisit my yard sale picnic baskets that I spray painted and embellished a bit, including this one under the bench, HERE.
That little wire caddy got a do-over HERE.
Now this pretty lady won’t be taunting me in her half-finished state any more!
I just love headboard benches, don’t you?? This is my very favorite one HERE!
Don’t forget my friends are sharing makeovers today too…even more inspiration for you!
Looking for even more inspiration? Visit all my Furniture Fixer Upper Makeovers HERE!
I’ll be back on Tuesday with this very rustic cabinet I picked up for $12:
UPDATE: See how I gave this cabinet a cool coastal-inspired makeover HERE now! 🙂
XO,
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Mary Kaiser says
Wow, I think this bench is my favorite of all your benches. It is beautiful. I wish I had a place for a bench like this. I see old head boards and footboards all the time at my thrift store, and because of you I know how to transform them, but have no where to put one! I love yours just the same though! You have such great tutorials!!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Mary!! I have a hard time passing up twin headboards and have had as many as six in my stash at once…that’s when I have to resist and start working through the ones I have ha ha! XOXO
Christina in SW FL says
Christy, this is my new, favorite bench! Thank you for the details on how you finessed the seat platform. Love the stripes. 🙂
I have a Kreg jig on my wish list. 🙂
Christy says
Aww yay! Thanks, Christina! I am so happy to finally have this little lady completed! The Kreg Jig is awesome! 🙂 XOXO
Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces says
You always do the best benches, and this one is fantastic. Love the muted colors and how it can fit into any decor. Well done, Christy!
Christy says
Thanks so much, Larissa! I do love me some headboard benches! XOXO
kandice kullmann says
this is so pretty!
Christy says
Thanks, Kandice! XOXO
Becky says
Wow, so perfect! What a pretty little bench! And once again, I have to say that your styling skills… my goodness. What to say? You have serious talent there! Beautiful styling and photography! You know?… I think all the thrift stores in my area read your blog, and that’s why all the pretty headboards cast so stinkin’ much, haha! I’ll find mine SOMEDAY. : )
Christy says
Aww you are the sweetest, Becky, thank you SO much!! Luckily we have a huge military population here who are always moving in and out of the area, and getting rid of stuff!! Maybe yard sale season will be good to you this year?? XOXO
MaryJean says
Hi Christy, I couldn’t quite understand what you were talking about regarding the back boards until I looked at your past post you linked to. Then I said, “Ohhh, I see.” That’s a good thing to pay attention to when buying bed parts. I will keep that in mind.
I’m in the process of working on my kitchen redo. I will post the progress soon. A little change from my usual posts. I have so many ideas and not enough time to do them all. They should keep me busy through the summer and I want to put in a garden as I usually do and let the grandkids pick out and plant some things.
Very informative post! One question, you seem to have a lot of things that you’ve done. How long have you been doing this, if I might ask?
Christy says
Thanks, MaryJean! Yep I didn’t notice that about the bed either…a good height for a seat is around 18″ so a bed with a slat at that height is a keeper! I totally get it about having so many ideas and not enough time…always! I have been blogging since November of 2012. It is a shame that I have so many projects that only get seen once, so I do try to link back to older ones when I can. 🙂 XOXO
Marie says
It’s so pretty, Christy! How sweet that you find one already painted and can’t beat that price. Thanks for the awesome tip for adding the seat supports – I have two identical headboard sets waiting in the workshop and held off for the very same reason. Pinned
Christy says
Thanks, Marie! I haven’t ever had that issue with those back pieces before…glad it ended up bring an easy fix, and glad I could help you! XOXO
Linda Petersen says
Hope your trip was a blast with the kids! I love this bench! It is so crisp & “beachy”. Another homerun Christy????! XOXO
Christy says
We had a ball, Linda! It was much needed, thank you!! XOXO
Denise says
Love it! I have a ton of head and foot boards in my inventory and keep telling myself I’m going to do this. Your benches are gorgeous Christy. And that picnic basket is adorable!!! ????
Christy says
Thanks so much, Denise!! They are a bit of work, but not too hard to do, and they are great sellers! XOXO
ROSE LEFEBVRE says
I have one very similar! Love seeing things reused in creative ways and you do it so well.
Christy says
Aww thanks so much, Rose! Repurposing is my favorite, as you know ha ha! XOXO
Marcie Lovett says
Marvelous bench, Kristy, despite all the challenges. Doesn’t it feel great to get it out of the garage? Now it can go on to someone else’s house and you have room to start another project! ????
Marcie Lovett says
Christy! Dang, I did it again. And there’s no way to edit a comment.
Christy says
O em gee yes!! It always feels so good to finish something that has been sitting! And no worries about the spelling of my name at all… there are just too many ways to spell it ha ha! XOXO
Tina Matteson says
This is beautiful! Another gorgeous makeover! So inspiring, too!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Tina!! XO
Jen @ Girl in the Garage says
Another gorgeous headboard bench makeover, Christy! xo
Christy says
Thanks, Jen! XOXO
Kathy Owen says
What a sweet bench. I have a couple of twin headboard and footboards this may work with. There is always an issue with these benches. We had to add several boards and reinforcement pieces to a large bench we made. Love the stripes@
Christy says
Thanks, Kathy! I am so glad to have this one out of our garage…just dropped it off at my booth yesterday! XO