Entryway Park Bench Upcycle
The other month I noticed an old park bench rotting away in my neighbor, Kristin’s, yard. I had been looking for an inexpensive park bench for a long time to add to my entryway steps. Since I know Kristin, I felt comfortable asking about the bench. To my surprise and delight she offered it to me for free! Ask and you shall receive I guess.
It really was in bad shape, the wood slats were rotted and so the whole thing was quite rickety. But the size and style was perfect for me. I couldn’t wait to fix it up!
The bench was completely broken down and all the slats/rusted hardware removed. I bought some 1 by 3″ slats to replace the existing ones for a little less than $5. I cut them to size with my chop saw and then laid them out to stain. I used the same stain I mixed up for my playground makeover – I absolutely love it’s rich, dark color!
This is the first coat of stain on the new boards.
After the second coat of stain dried and I did a few coats of poly, I was ready to put the bench together. Unfortunately lining everything up square proved to be difficult by myself because some of the boards were a bit bowed. Luckily, my neighbor Karen was walking by and offered to lend me a hand. This bench was quickly becoming a neighborhood effort!
Now the kids and I have the perfect little spot to sit in our front yard. Usually we watch daddy shoot hoops in the evening.
It’s a pretty good view.
This park bench now has a new home and new life. It went from rickety and rotten to sturdy and stylish. I hope you enjoyed this makeover! Thanks for reading.
