Mud Room Closet Makeover - Day Two I Built a Bench!

Let me start by saying that, for me, Ana White's Simple Bench was relatively simple....as long as you are going for the rustic look. Which I am, of course. It is a little infuriating to see the picture of a clean, perfect bench, and then look at my creation, which is still a cute bench (if I do say so myself) but does not look like I put as much time and effort into it as I did. And boy, did I excel at the "rustic" part.If you want to read more about the beginning of this project and why I built a bench, check out this post.

After sanding, priming, and painting all the boards (remember how may? Yes, it took a while)

I started laying out the bench making sure to check for square, and following all of Ana's directions.

It was kind of like putting a giant puzzle together. I have to admit, I liked this part. Not only because I was figuring out a puzzle, but because I could also see it coming together.

Don't be fooled, there were some set backs. A few of the boards split on me.

 

Luckily I had some extra wood, so I cut replacements and did the whole sand, prime, paint routine again.

Once the bench was all put together, I simply filled the holes, sanded, and painted one last coat.
TADA!

I have to admit, I fully expected it to be wobbly, or completely unlevel, but it wasn't. Score one for me!  For my first try building something, ever, I think I did a pretty decent job. Not perfect by any means, and I'm sure it took me significantly longer than it would have for someone who knew what they were doing, but I like my little rustic bench. Oh, and for those of you wondering how much it cost, here you go:

Budget Breakdown
1x3  4@1.25 each
1x4 4@7.44 each
Wood glue 2.97
Screws 2@7.98 each
Square 4.97
Primer 14.98

Total: 73.64
BUT most people would have the primer, square, and wood glue (we actually had some, we just didn't check first. Dumb) and at least some of the screws. This would have brought our total in at $42.74. Not bad, right?

Wait until you see it in my mud room closet. I am in the process of getting that put together right now. Stay tuned!

If you have any other "simple" projects that you think I should try next, let me know. I will put them on my ever lengthening "to do" list. Have you built anything lately? Crossed anything off your "I've always wanted to list?"