Tag Archives: DIY bench

Magazine Rack Upcycle

I found this vintage magazine rack/side table on Kijiji for $15 and thought it might work for a piano bench.  We have a very old piano and when we bought it there was no stool or bench to go with it. I had hoped to find something to match, but it just wasn’t happening, so I decided to go for a completely different look.  At the time both kids were taking piano lessons, so I thought that the slots on both ends would serve as great storage for their piano books.

Original Magazine Rack/Side Table

original magazine rack

The original piece had been painted with a pebbled finish, so I had to strip the entire table.

stripped table

stripped tableThe stripped piece was not in great shape and it would have been way too much work to restore it for a stained finish.  I gave it a thorough sanding in preparation for paint.

Upcyled Magazine Table

The height of the table worked perfectly for a piano bench.  I taped off a small rectangle on each side of the magazine rack and painted the interior of the rectangle with homemade black chalkboard paint. I then used some decorative molding to make a little picture type frame for each side of the unit and nailed it around the little chalkboard rectangle on each end of the unit. I then taped off the chalkboard (for protection) and primed and painted the rest of the piece white, including the frames around the chalkboard.  I cut an old piece of board into a rectangle that was slightly smaller than the existing top of the table.  I added a piece of three inch foam and some fabric that I bought specifically for this project.  I stretched the fabric over the top and sides and staple gunned the fabric to the bottom of the board, creating a smooth upolstered look.  I then screwed the completed seat onto the top of the existing table from the bottom and up into the wood base of the new seat.  We added a white wicker basket for extra storage, the kid’s names on either end of the new bench and their piano books into the corresponding slot.

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Coffee Table Upcyle

Most women love the mall and shopping for clothes, but for me, nothing gives me a thrill like a cheap Kijiji purchase.  I scour the site looking for great finds, and then toss and turn all night, unable to sleep as my creative juices begin to flow. I often already know exactly what I am going to do when I purchase something old and used, but not always.  I saw this idea else where and just had to do it.

Grungy Old Coffee Table

french provincial style coffee table Clearly this table is not old and grungy. This is similar to the style of mine ~ French Provincial. I just love the curve of the legs.  However, mine was only $15 and is pictured below.

DSCN1424Not a great before shot, but you get the idea.  (You will often notice my before shots are more like midway shots, as I often get started and then say, “Oh no!  I forgot to take a picture ~oops!”  You can see I had the table propped up and was in the middle of sanding when I remembered to take a picture.

Upcycled Coffee Table, Turned Bench

The first thing I did was sand, TSP, rinse, prime and then paint the table.  What colour you ask?  You guessed it, my all time favourite colour ~ white!

To upholster the top, I took a piece of plywood and cut it to fit just inside the outside edge of the table top.  I then covered it with a 3″ foam piece that was cut to fit the board exactly.  I added some batting over top and stretched it over the top and sides, so that I could staple it on the underside of the board.  I then did the same with my fabric.  Once the “board” was upholstered, I centered it carefully on the table top and screwed it on from the bottom of the table.  This was a pretty easy project, and it is easy to find a complete tutorial on the web.

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