DIY shoe or blanket bench~

Before we jump into today's project, I want to congratulate:

Hilary from Rexburg!

Hilary is the winner of the Summer vinyl giveaway from last week!

Hilary said that her son loves Elmo and would love to have the Sunny Day vinyl!

Thanks for entering and for giving me feedback on design styles! Much appreciated!

Are you as obsessed with telling people how much things cost?

{{I can't help myself }}

When I find a good deal on something, I just have to shout it to the world.

Well world...here's me...shouting

The total cost for this project was $2.50

Would you like to know how?

I've said it before and I'll say it again:
Check out the scrap bins at hardware stores!!

This piece of mdf was only 2 bucks at Home Depot.
It has few bumps and bruises and footprints, but who cares??
I didn't have a cart with me, so I dragged it to the front of the store. I couldn't pass it up.

I brought it home and cut it into pieces. The large pieces are for the top and bottom of the bench and measure 4'X14''. The three squarish pieces are for the sides and middle support. They measure 12''X14''.  

The long skinny piece is for the back lip and it is 4' long as well. It can be as tall as you want. I think mine is about 5''.  

I also used two 5'' strips to cut a design for the sides of the top lip. I penciled in a design and then cut it out using a Band Saw.

I routed the 5'' back piece so the sides had to start out a little smaller to match up.

I glued and nailed the side pieces to the back lip.

I nailed the three side supports into the bottom.

and then attached the top to make a box.

I nailed up from the underside of the box to tack the back lip into place.

To give the bench a bit of a lift, I used some feet from an entertainment center that we got rid of a few years ago. I knew I'd use them eventually. Before you say goodbye of old furniture see if there are any parts that you can salvage for other projects...feet, hinges, knobs, doors...

Since I only had 2 feet I had to cut some 2''X2" scrap pieces for the back legs.

I will eventually switch all of the legs out for a matching set, but this works for now.

For the back of the bench I borrowed a piece of beadboard from Ty and Dee that they found in the scrap bin for $.50. The next day I went back to Home Depot to see if I could find a piece to replace the one I borrowed and I found another piece for $.50. SCORE!!!

After painting the bench white, I antiqued it by painting in the beads with brown paint. I'd paint 4 or 5 stripes and then go back and wipe off the excess paint. Once the cloth had absorbed some of the paint, I used it to wipe down the entire box.

I also painted in the cracks and wiped the excess with a damp cloth.

This kind of bench works in an entry way, mudroom, under a window or at the foot of a bed.

It is rare to find a piece of mdf that large for $2. If you had to buy a new piece you could probably build it for around $45.  

 Have a great Memorial Day!!