DIY Industrial Bench- Under $100

Level- Beginner

Total Cost- $85

Total Time- One Weekend (for drying time)

We are so excited to bring you guys our first DIY tutorial. We have a little cubby in our basement that used to be where we had our tv and stand but decided to rearrange to provide more seating options. We knew we wanted a bench so it can be moved around when needed. For this we didn’t have any real plans, we just knew what we wanted the end product to look like.

Shopping List:

Wood Slab (we used a 2x12x8)- $12.09

Hairpin legs- 16”-Black (purchased on amazon)- $49.95

Screws (we used some we already had from a previous project)

Miniwax- Polyshades in Pecan Satin- $7.97

Stain Brush- $8.98

Steel Wool- grade #0000- $5.99

TOTAL COST- $84.99 (less than half the price of the retail bench)

Tools Used:

Drill

Circular Saw (here is the one we have, remember “champagne taste, beer budget” - https://m.lowes.com/pd/Skil-13-Amp-7-1-4-in-Corded-Circular-Saw/999998102)

*if you don’t have a circular saw, Lowe’s and Home Depot will cut your wood for free (for the first two cuts).

I am not kidding you when I say this is easy to make. Here are the steps below:

1.       Cut 2x12x8 to length desirable (we did 4.5 feet, so 54 inches) with circular saw. (Again, if you don't have a circular saw and don't want to purchase one- the store will cut for you, just make sure you know the length when you purchase the wood).
2.        Sand wood in direction of the grain. Make sure all edges and imperfections are sanded properly. (We have kids at our house regularly and the last thing we wanted was one of them to get a splinter.)
   
3.        Clean dust and debris from wood slab with a damp paper towel and let dry.
4.        Once the wood is dry, apply first coat of stain. The stain we used is both a stain and polyurethane, so no top coat was needed. (We wish we had used this stain on previous projects. It is AMAZING!) We chose the satin finish, but it also comes in gloss. For this, we wanted a very natural wood color, so we chose pecan. There are darker options available, it is truly whatever your heart desires. We followed the instructions on the stain can and let the first coat dry for 6 hours. It wasn’t as potent as we had hoped, so we applied another coat and let that also dry for 6 hours.
   
5.      Next, we flipped the wood to the top side and applied two coats. Rub steel wool across the board between coats. Let dry. (*Tip- The stain can suggests to lightly rub steel wool across the board between each coat. We did not do this for the bottom side, but HIGHLY recommend doing so. It removes the gritty feeling and makes the wood smooth. It DOES NOT remove any stain or provide a distressed look).
   
6.        Once the board is dry, flip back to the bottom side and measure out where you want the legs. We decided to put the legs 3.25” into the board and 1” in from each side. Screw legs in, one at a time.
   
7.        Flip over and enjoy your new, easy DIY industrial bench.
   

Hopefully the project was as easy for you as it was for us. This bench is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it is durable. You could also make this as a side table, desk, dinging table, etc. We would love to get our hands on some reclaimed wood and make another for the end of our bed.

We want to see your version of the DIY industrial bench. Post on Facebook or Instagram and hashtag us at #ourwoodennest.