How to Repurpose 2 Old Chairs into a Bench

When we bought our a-frame cabin out in the woods, all the furniture and housewares came with it! Mostly this was a blessing because we owned very little furniture of our own at the time.  But in other ways it just added to our already overwhelming amount of unnecessary possessions.  For example, we now have 10 chairs, 2 complete sets of totally different dishes, about 20 pots and pans, etc! For a couple without kids there is no way we can use all this.

So ever since we moved I’ve been trying to either repurpose or sell the extra stuff.  Since we don’t have any patio furniture but we do have 2 decks, I started brainstorming ways we could make these chairs blend in outside on the deck.  And in the same way that I get all of my best ideas….I turned to Pinterest for this awesome idea of turning old chairs into a bench.

Oh! Did I mention we also got a huge pile of old wood with the house? Most of it looks to be leftovers from renovating the house, but some has been pulled from the previous deck, as well. So it is all well –aged and beautifully rustic! That’s where I’ll be sourcing wood for most of my projects.

Supplies needed:

2 chairs
Wood boards for seat and back rest
Wood screws suitable for exterior use
Measuring tape
Drill and bits
A way to cut your boards.  Hand saw, miter saw, circular saw, table saw….anything to cut ends off boards! If you buy boards for this project, the hardware store can probably cut to size for you.
Optional: Spray paint
Optional: Wood stain or weatherproofing coat

Instructions:

1. Organize your work space so you have everything you need within easy reach, and don’t have to take a break to rummage the house for your next step.
2. First I cut down the back of the chairs as I didn’t want my bench back to be that high.  This step is optional, and will totally depend on your vision for your bench.  If you do need to cut it down, you can achieve this easily with just a hand saw. I used a Dewalt reciprocating saw (aka sawzall) which made easy work of the job.
3. Unscrew the braces that helped keep your chair backs upright and sturdy.  You can use them later to support the bench back, so hold on to them.
4. Sand down your chairs, clean off any dust and grease, and spray paint in light layers.  Let them dry according to your spray paint’s instructions.
5. Spray paint the back rest braces also if you’re going to reuse them.
6. Arrange your chairs side by side to create the length of bench you desire.  Now measure from one outside chair edge to the other and add a couple inches for some overhang of the boards. This is how long you are going to cut your boards for the seat.
7. Do the same process as in step 6 to determine the length of boards for your back rest.
8. Cut your boards to size. I used my Ryobi 10″ miter saw to make these cuts. If you buy new boards for this project, most hardware stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware will cut them to size for you for free or a small per cut fee. This is especially helpful if you don’t have a power saw.
9. It’s easiest to stain your boards now, before screwing them onto the chairs.  As you can see from the pictures, I made it hard on myself and stained after I had already screwed the bench together. You can weatherproof with a clear coat once the whole thing is assembled.
10. Making sure you are on a flat level surface, arrange the cut boards on the chairs for the seat and get them just perfect.  Before you screw them on, arrange the back rest boards as well. I propped mine up with some 2×4’s so I could step back and evaluate, not having to hold them in place. You need to examine where the boards for the back rest touch the chair back posts, so that they touch all four back posts, adjusting the chairs so there are symmetrical. Now…this is where it gets tricky.  In my case, my chairs were not of symmetrical height or angles. So in order to get contact between the back rest and the chair back posts I had to sacrifice looks in other areas, like the bench legs.
11. Screw down the bench seat boards first, being careful not to move the chairs out of whack. I screwed each board down 4 times to each chair. So each board has 8 screws – 4 in one chair, and 4 in the other.
12. Screw your back rest boards in.
13. Screw your braces back on.
14. If your spray painted chairs and stained boards have had enough drying time, you can add some clear coats to protect the bench from light weather.  In reality though, because these have solid seats underneath the boards, water will pool and damage the seats over time.  It’s best to either cover with plastic or bring inside when there’s rain. I will simply be tilting my bench, resting it against a tree so the water runs off the seat and doesn’t pool.

Now take pictures of your accomplishment and show off your new creation.

Have you repurposed some old furniture into something new? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear about it!