DIY Rustic Wood Bench

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It’s that super exciting time to share my DIY Rustic Wood Bench.  Squeal!  If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen some of the process.  The hubs and I tackled our first furniture project and partnered with Ryobi on some of our tools.  Last year I asked for Ana White’s book, The Handbuilt Home and I’ve been dying to work on a project (or two) for quite some time.  We finally decided on a weekend and I picked out the Rustic Bench.

DIY Rustic Bench with livelaughrowe.comUnfortunately, I’m not sharing the instructions or tutorial.  This project was designed by the fabulous ladies of Shanty 2 Chic blog; however, this tutorial is only available in the book.  Out of respect for their hard work, I’m encouraging you to buy The Handbuilt Home {smile}.  You won’t regret it — there is so much incredible inspiration!

Here is a snapshot of the project in the book!

Rustic Bench Tutorial from Handbuilt HomeIt gives you step by step instructions, what supplies and tools you’ll need! There’s lot of pictures too.  Of course we started by picking up our wood supplies at the local Lowe’s.  (Update:  For this project we used a cheap lumber; however, we were very pleased with how it turned out).   Ryobi provided us with a cordless drill and cordless brad nailer, we already owned the miter saw.  I LOVE their ONE+ items!  The drill and nailer both work with any 18V ONE+ battery.  I think it’s fabulous that one battery can be used with several of their tools.

Cutting the wood Assembling the Rustic Bench with livelaughrowe.comWe cut all of our wood before getting started.  NOTE:  We found the supply list to be short one 1×3.  We did the math over and over and ended up having to make a last minute run back to Lowe’s.

After gluing, nailing, drilling and screwing…  the bench slowly but surely came together.  Aaaand, I even got my feet wet in using the power tools.

Kelly using power tools! WooHoo!The project took us (newbies) about 2-1/2 to 3 hours.  Swoon!

Completed Rustic Bench with livelaughrowe.comThe final steps were to wood putty the screw holes.  I chose not to putty where we nailed.  I planned to stain this bench, so I wanted the extra character those would add.  I stained the bench with Minwax Provincial stain and used a satin polyurethane by Cabot.  All in all we are super excited with how this Rustic Wood Bench turned out.   What do you think?

DIY Rustic Wood Bench with livelaughrowe.comBeautiful Rustic Bench with livelaughrowe.comWe built another one in pine for our bedroom too, that one we painted:  White Rustic Wood Bench.  Be sure to take a looksy!   Thanks so much for stopping by…  and a special thanks to Ryobi for providing some of the tools that assisted us in building this fabulous bench.

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This post sponsored by Ryobi . All opinions are my own.
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DIY Rustic Wood Bench from The Handbuilt Home by Ana White. Fabulous project for beginners too! www.livellaughrowe.com #diy

About Kelly Rowe

A DIY fanatic, Kelly shares her journey through her blog, Live Laugh Rowe, where she showcases her recipes, tutorials, crafts, home projects, and all things DIY. This East Coast Girl at heart believes family is number one as she finds the perfect balance of being a daughter, wife, sister, entrepreneur, writer and woman of God. Be sure to follow along as she shares her passion for life, love and family! Google+

Comments

  2. Mique says

    Wow it’s beautiful Kelly!! One of my goals is to get more hands on and DIY- it intimidates me. But the Shanty 2 Chic girls and Ana White are so inspiring. I just need to get out there and go for it.

    Reply

  13. Jelli says

    I sure wish my husband and I were more “handy.” Love this bench. It looks great, Kelly! Now, if I only owned more than a hammer and 2 screwdrivers…. (Actually can’t complain b/c our landlord lets us use his abundant supply of power tools if we know what we’re doing 🙂

    Reply

  15. TJ says

    This is fabulous! Great choice of stain.
    I’ve only tackled the $10 ledges so far but very tempted to get the book… do they all require numerous power tools though? I’m a bit short in that area!

    Reply

  16. Sophie says

    The bench looks great for a first time project. I would use wood plugs instead of putty over the screws… and I don’t think I would ever say “power tools” and “wet feet” in the same sentence…

    Reply

  17. Ken says

    I see this as my next project! With some slight alterations, this could become the computer/video table I have wanted in my bedroom.
    Good Job!

    Reply

  22. Geneva says

    Love love love – you are inspirational, no doubt. Just found your blog. I’m dying for a Ryobi cordless brad nailer like yours! and now, I just might have to get one – Shanty 2 Chic teases me with theirs on their blog all the time too. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  32. Julie says

    Gorgeous! I love that you didn’t give it all away out of respect for the original tutorial. You guys rocked it man! Great work on the staining too. My hubby and I just stained some boards from HD to put on our wall in our living room. Love staining. It’s easier than people think. Great job Kelly! XO

    Reply

  37. Jenn says

    Just beautiful!! I always love the x beams. Thanks so much for coming out to the Inspiration Exchange. I’ll be featuring this today. Have a wonderful weekend!
    Jenn xo

    Reply

  41. Brooke says

    She most definitely is a beauty! I love benches! Looks like I have a new book to add to my wish list. Thanks so much for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply

  43. Randall says

    I’m curious if the plans in the book are different than the small rustic bench plans on Ana Whites website? Yours look slightly different but I don’t want to buy the book if they are the same as the free ones online. Please let me know! Thx.

    Reply

    • Kelly Rowe says

      Hi Randall! It’s not exactly the same. The sizes of the benches are different. If you’re able to resize the plans on Ana’s blog, you should be good to go. However, the plans in the book were actually created by the Shanty2Chic ladies. I hope that helps.

      Reply

  44. Alyce says

    Thanks for sharing! This looks absolutely amazing! I am downloading The Handbuilt Home right now on my Kindle and buying the materials to make this bench. Have a great weekend!

    Reply

  46. Katie @ Upcycled Treasures says

    Oh my gosh this is beautiful! We just recently got into building furniture and it’s so much fun! Seeing the final product is just so exciting 🙂 I’ve gotta add this bench to my to do list. Pinned!

    Reply

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