Make an Easy DIY Bench to Add Extra Seating

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My kids are at the age where they invite friends over all the time and now that it’s summer, our house is feeling a little tight.

It felt like a good time to add a bit of extra seating for when our house for 4 needs to accommodate 3-4 extra people. A simple bench seemed like the perfect solution to add more seating. Learn how to make your own DIY bench.

Easy DIY Bench

Supplies

• 1 Purebond Plywood Panel 2×4 (3/4″ thick in birch)
• Hairpin legs (16″)
• 2″ Foam
• Fabric (I used bleached drop cloth with a DIY mud cloth technique – tutorial)
• Batting
• Staple gun
• Drill
• Screws

1. Cut your plywood panel to the desired width and length. I cut mine to 18″, so that my finished DIY bench would measure 18″ x 48″, which is a great size for a bench. Go ahead and cut the fabric to size too. I left about 6″ extra around the wood so that it can wrap around everything. 
2. Cut the foam to size. Since it’s only 2″ thick, it can be cut with scissors. 
3. Place fabric wrong side up, then the batting, then place the foam on the fabric.
4. Place the wood on the top of this, centered in the middle.
5. Start stapling the batting around the edge. I like to place a staple on each side in the middle to be sure that my batting is nice and taut.
6. Continue stapling around the edges.
7. For the corners, I wrap it like a present and staple. Just try to make as little bulk as possible. Luckily batting, compresses nicely. 
8. Repeat these steps for the fabric.
9. Cut off all the excess fabric.
10. For the corners, I pull it and fold it to the inside, then fold it again. Staple in place. 
11. Place the legs equidistance from the edges, avoiding the fabric. 
12. Install the legs in each corner by drilling pilot holes and then using the drill to drive in each screw. I used washers as spacers because my screws weren’t quite the right size. 
13. If you still have unruly fabric bits, you can trim more off and add more staples to the edges.
14. Flip your bench over and enjoy!

This simple DIY bench is perfect in the entry, but it’s lightweight enough to move to the dining table for extra seating.

I love how it looks with my shibori chairs!

It’s kind of fun to add a bench with the chairs at the table. I might end up keeping it here long term.

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