Earthy Neutral Guest Bedroom – One Room Challenge – Week 3

I did it, I did it, I really really did it! The DIY Skinny Bench is finished just in time for week 3 of the One Room Challenge. It’s hard to believe I started this project with just two pieces of inexpensive lumber.

I used a 2×2 furring strip for $2.48 and a 2×8 board of white fir for $12.22, bringing the grand total of this bench build to $14.70! Which is an absolute steal considering these sell for around $400. In fact, for an extra $2.48 (a 2×2 furring strip) I got TWO whole benches out of it!

AGING THE WOOD

To start, I basically beat these boards to death, haha. For real, I used Jenna Sue’s wood aging technique to make these new boards look like they’ve been sitting around for years. I began by randomly planning the wood with a handheld planer. Next, I took my reciprocating saw to the edges of the boards to leave some nice gouges and saw marks. At this point, it will feel like you’re undoing all that work you’ve just done, but it’s time to sand. And lastly, the trick to aging wood, take a wire brush to it and scuff it up.

BUILDING THE BENCH

I’m not going to lie, this was tricky! These particular benches use a mortise and tenon joint, so it really helps if you have the right tools to create this type of wood joint. It was challenging for me since I do not have the correct tools— it’s best if you have a router or router table. But, nevertheless, I made it work with what I had. I’ll go into more detail with a follow-up blog post on how to build a skinny bench.

FINDING A STAIN

Honestly, deciding on a stain was the hardest part of the whole process. After many, many sample cans of stain, I decided it would be best to layer three different types of stains/finishes. I started by covering the bench with a semi-solid coat of Benjamin Moore Arborcoat deck stain in Dunmore Cream. This process barely changed the color of the wood, but it neutralized the wood to give it a nice even tone. I followed the deck stain with an aged wood accelerator. Lastly, I finished the piece with a paste finishing wax in dark walnut.

I will definitely be following up with a full tutorial on how to build a skinny bench, so stay tuned for that. I’ll be sharing my progress on my Instagram feed and in stories, so you can follow along there as well. And be sure to check out the other ORC participants and their projects here.

WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6

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