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The Frugal Homemaker

Your guide to turning your house into a home... one DIY project and yard sale find at a time

$2 Thrift Store Bench Makeover (Gray and White Chevron Bench)

March 5, 2014

Hey, everyone!  I have missed you and blogging!  Before I share today’s project, first let me say thank you so much for the words of encouragement, the virtual hugs, the messages, emails, and comments after my last post.   I already loved blogging and knew that I had some wonderful readers that come to follow along on my frugal decorating journey… but you guys blew me away with your compassion, love, and heartfelt comments after that post.  I sat there that night and read each and every one of your comments, emails, messages and just cried.  So thankful for you.  And thank you for understanding that I needed some time away from the blog.  For those wondering here’s a little update… my father-in-law is at home resting comfortably.  The doctors were fairly certain when I wrote that post that we had very little time but that time period has come and gone and yet he is still with us for which we are thankful.  Life is very busy right now for me as I help with taking care of their daily needs, grocery shopping, errands, and meals on top of my own personal home responsibilities.  So please understand if I am not blogging back at a completely normal schedule.

Ok, now on to today’s project!  It is gray, and chevron, and a thrifted find – three of my very favorite things Winking smile.   

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron)

Two of my goals this year is to show some love to some existing furniture/rooms that desperately need it AND to refinish the thrift/yard sale furniture I have stashed in the garage.  And this bench was a perfect start to that.

Remember this stool I picked up at Value Village for $2.02?  I shared in that frugal finds post the vision that I had for it.  It was a nice sturdy stool with real wood legs and the cushion part desperately needed to be recovered cause it was NASTY!

$2.02 bench

So here was my plan… some gray and white chevron material bought from my local fabric warehouse and a 50¢ oops Behr paint from Home Depot. 

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

I LOVE browsing the oops stand at Home Depot.  You can find some great deals.  And these little sample paint pots are perfect if you just need a small amount of paint to refinish a small piece of furniture, do a stenciling project, paint a picture frame or small object.  I did 2 coats of paint on this stool and have almost 1/2 of it left!

Behr paint

And since I was painting it late at night, I guess I forgot to get pictures of the process except for this sneak peek I posted on facebook. 

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

I just unscrewed the top wood/upholstered part of the top and painted the legs. 

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

I cleaned off all the old nasty fabric (there was several layers on there – yuck!).  And put a new piece of cotton batting and my chevron fabric on top.  It is so easy to recover a chair or bench like this!  Just pull your fabric tight and staple it to the back.  Fold your corners sort of like you would fold a present to make it look nice and neat on the corners. 

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

And here’s the finished product!

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

(By the way the chunky knit throw was a recent $1.51 Value Village find.  And the pillow is a DIY sweater pillow – tutorial here.)

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

I plan to use it in my master bedroom when I get my other furniture refinished and the room finally decorated.  If I had space in my entryway I would use it there as a space to sit to put on shoes but it looks sort of cramped with it there. 

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

Until then you might see it pop up in a mantel display.  (That is sort of a temporary/non-seasonal mantel right now.  Had to get the winter one down and haven’t had time to do a spring one yet.)

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

I love thrift store finds and could definitely see the potential in this when I found it.  The nasty before picture!

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

And after!  $2 stool, 50¢ paint, less than $1 worth of fabric, and I already had the cotton batting.  Not too bad a price! Smile

$2 thrift store bench makeover (gray and white chevron

Thankful for the motivation to tackle this project by being chosen as a Behr DIY Expert.  Looking for more Behr products? Check out the Colorfully, Behr blog.  Or follow along with Behr on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.

And here’s an extra special surprise for you!  Do you have a room or piece of furniture that could use some love by adding some paint?  Enter to win a gallon of Behr paint in your choice of color and sheen to get you started on your project!

Just enter using the rafflecopter widget below (if you are reading by email you will need to click over to the post to enter).  Giveaway ends next Wednesday and I will contact winner to get their paint preference and Behr will ship the paint directly to you. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

42 Comments LABELS ~ DIY projects, Furniture re-dos

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Comments

  1. Marcia says

    March 5, 2014 at 11:20 AM

    Love it! I have lots of Behring oops paint. I beeline right for that area whenever I go to Home Depot. I use it for art paintings.

    Reply
  2. Kera Brown says

    March 5, 2014 at 11:25 AM

    I have a stool very similar with cubbies in my entry to do. Great inspiration 🙂

    Reply
  3. Sarah Hefner says

    March 5, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    Oh, I just love this! Chevron’s my fave!!

    Reply
  4. Kelly says

    March 5, 2014 at 11:49 AM

    What an amazing transformation!

    Reply
  5. Lenora Harmon says

    March 5, 2014 at 11:49 AM

    Christina…Thanks for the cute post today! PTL for your Father-n-law! I am sure you are doing “much” more for your folks than you say, but they are days spent you will never regret. I knew my Dad better in the last months I cared for him than all of the 49 years before. What a blessing!
    L

    Reply
  6. Beverly S says

    March 5, 2014 at 12:15 PM

    Love how you transformed your bench! I’m ready for the ice and snow to melt so I can start on some projects around my house. Ready for Spring!!

    Reply
  7. Victoria says

    March 5, 2014 at 12:26 PM

    Christina the bench looks great! I’m going to have to head to that fabric warehouse sooner than later!

    Glad your Father-in-law is still with you guys. I’m sure this is precious time with him!

    Reply
  8. Jeanne says

    March 5, 2014 at 12:26 PM

    Very nice! Your VV is SO much better than ours, at least for the prices! (Savers in the northeast).

    I bet you will ‘stumble’ across something smaller that will be the perfect perch for your foyer, next to the fab redone dresser. Happy hunting!

    Prayers and blessings to your F-I-L and family.

    Reply
  9. Liz says

    March 5, 2014 at 12:28 PM

    I wish I could teleport you to our home so you could ‘re-do’ our whole house. I have LOTS of ‘old’ furniture you could re-purpose. These are beautiful. Can’t believe the transformation. I greatly appreciate all your posts and before/after pics. You are a tremendous inspiration. Now… if I could only convert the inspiration to ACTUAL doing.

    Reply
  10. Ken Gresh says

    March 5, 2014 at 3:04 PM

    Love this bench, but gotta work on an upstairs bathroom first

    Reply
  11. Carol @arewethereyet says

    March 5, 2014 at 3:34 PM

    What a wonderful transformation – Sure wish we had something like your “value village” in our area but we have nothing like that at all. Love what a little bit of paint can do! 🙂

    Reply
  12. Wendy Boyd says

    March 5, 2014 at 5:15 PM

    We have the exact same fireplace…but on to the bench. It’s awesome and a terrific price at that….I’d paint my bedroom if I had a gallon of paint because right now it’s builder basic white LOL.

    Reply
  13. RAK says

    March 5, 2014 at 5:42 PM

    Love the bench! My bedroom would be the first to be painted.

    Reply
  14. Jennifer @ Decorated Chaos says

    March 5, 2014 at 6:43 PM

    Would love to finish my bathroom makeover! (that I started months ago!) 🙂

    Jennifer @ Decorated Chaos

    Reply
  15. Carol Hanson says

    March 5, 2014 at 7:30 PM

    I have a whole house that needs painting but would do a bookcase and a desk first off

    Reply
  16. Heather B. says

    March 5, 2014 at 7:43 PM

    I have tons of projects that need to be done! One particular project is converting a closet into a closet-office and it definitely needs a good coat of paint!

    Reply
  17. Megan Bickford says

    March 5, 2014 at 8:31 PM

    Love it! Super cute.

    Reply
  18. Martha says

    March 5, 2014 at 9:01 PM

    Love seeing this post. It turned out beautiful! Look forward to more post as you are able to send them our way.

    Reply
  19. Leslie says

    March 5, 2014 at 9:36 PM

    I have always loved Behr paint. I have many cabinets that I would like to paint, and I would also like to paint picture frames to create a gallery wall.

    Many prayers for your family!

    Reply
  20. kathy wallace says

    March 5, 2014 at 11:27 PM

    You did such a awesome job on your bench! I will start looking for a bench at the
    thrift store.

    Reply
  21. Carolyn says

    March 5, 2014 at 11:32 PM

    I look forward to being able to do more projects like this. My next project is some type of wood flooring. Then comes repainting a support column on my front porch. Then a bathroom. I enjoy looking at the “Oops” paint, too.

    Reply
  22. Lisa says

    March 5, 2014 at 11:44 PM

    Wow, that stool is terrific! Great job! It fits in perfectly at your fireplace. Glad to see you back on your blog, too. 🙂

    Reply
  23. Lisa Scozzaro says

    March 6, 2014 at 1:03 AM

    I am renovating a guest bathroom and I would use Behr paint to repaint my walls!

    Reply
  24. Cheryl says

    March 6, 2014 at 1:20 AM

    the bench is amazing! Glad your FIL has been given more time, and is at peace and comfortable. prayers for all your family.

    Reply
  25. MARTHA says

    March 6, 2014 at 2:37 AM

    Stay Strong and Best Wishes !!!!!! I have a desk tat needs a lot of motivation as in COLOR,,,,TY

    Reply
  26. Kelly @ The Moon and Me says

    March 6, 2014 at 9:22 AM

    We REALLY need to get our half bath painted. I’ve had the nail holes filled since before Christmas! 😉
    thanks!
    Kelly

    Reply
  27. Kelly Palmer says

    March 6, 2014 at 9:48 AM

    We have more than one room to paint so it is difficult to decide where to begin 🙂

    Reply
  28. Sally says

    March 6, 2014 at 1:15 PM

    Perfect!! Love what you did.

    Reply
  29. Lanita says

    March 6, 2014 at 1:20 PM

    Love how the bench turned out…..especially with the chevron fabric! So good to have you back on the blog with a great idea! Praying for you and your family during this time…..
    Blessings,
    Lanita

    Reply
  30. Laura says

    March 6, 2014 at 3:15 PM

    Love it!

    Reply
  31. Susie@homemaker-mom.com says

    March 6, 2014 at 4:11 PM

    I would love to have some paint. I want to paint so many things around my place for this spring!

    Reply
  32. marlin says

    March 6, 2014 at 7:56 PM

    Your bench looks beautiful ! You did great job !!

    Reply
  33. Kimi says

    March 6, 2014 at 9:25 PM

    My bathroom is the next project to tackle! going to do a birdhouse theme… I love birdhouses! Winning a gallon of paint would just be a added plus!

    Reply
  34. Karen @ Dogs Don't Eat Pizza says

    March 6, 2014 at 11:02 PM

    The stool looks beautiful! Great re-do!

    Reply
  35. Cindy says

    March 7, 2014 at 10:36 AM

    Looks great. Love the oops paint section. I have a front door that could use a fresh coat of paint.

    Reply
  36. Deb says

    March 7, 2014 at 2:21 PM

    Love the bench! I have a desk that could use a paint job!

    Reply
  37. Kellie says

    March 8, 2014 at 4:25 PM

    I have a table I’m looking forward to painting.

    Reply
  38. Colleen Collard says

    March 8, 2014 at 7:28 PM

    I have a dresser like in the picture with the chevron stool that I have wanted to paint for my granddaughter’s room and of course now I want to refinish a stool with the chevron fabric to go with it! Super idea, thank you!

    Reply
  39. Debbie w says

    March 10, 2014 at 10:09 PM

    2 upstairs bathrooms could use some love! Please pick me!

    Reply
  40. Joanie says

    March 11, 2014 at 2:40 PM

    Hi Christina, so happy your Dad-in-Law is doing better. I would love some Behr paint for a bedroom that I just transitioned into a dressing room. Thanks!

    Reply
  41. Tammy says

    March 11, 2014 at 4:59 PM

    Love it! Love the color, the fabric, the fact that it was a steal deal! 🙂
    I would like to do my guest room – I’ve started it; furniture almost done and most of the accent wall/décor but it needs a fresh coat of paint!

    Reply
  42. Vidya @ Whats Ur Home Story says

    March 12, 2014 at 8:28 AM

    Wow, what a difference! Great choice of colors.

    Reply

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Hi!  My name is Christina . . .

I love doing simple, frugal things to make our house feel like HOME! Come learn along with me how to have a beautiful home on a budget.

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