Build A Dining Table With An Upholstered Bench Seat

An upholstered bench is a flexible and comfortable seating option.

Bench seating is a great way to make sure that there's plenty of space for everyone, and it's a particularly good way to seat large numbers of children. The number of people sitting on each bench can fluctuate with the sizes of the children much more conveniently than the same setup with chairs. Building a matching dining table and upholstered bench seat give an impression of uniformity, and the fabric on the bench can provide a unique appearance. Building both objects out of 2-by-4 studs ensures quality, ease of handling and an inexpensive total budget.

Instructions

Building the Table

1. Set two of the table leg boards upright on your working surface. Place them parallel to each other with the long, thin sides facing each other. Set a leg support board on top of the leg boards. Move the leg boards to be centered in the support board and pushed to the ends of the support boards, with the outside surface of each leg board flush with the end of the support board.

2. Pre-drill three holes down through the leg support board and into each leg end. Attach with 2 1/4-inch wood screws.

3. Flip the tabletop board upside down on the working surface. Position the leg assemblies on top of the tabletop, parallel to each other and evenly spaced, with each assembly 12 inches from the end of the table. Pre-drill four holes down through each leg support board and into the tabletop. Attach the boards together with 2 1/4-inch wood screws.

Building the Bench

4. Arrange and attach the legs and leg support boards in the same manner as the table, but on a smaller scale.

5. Cover the benchtop board with a layer of foam. Lay fabric over the top of the foam and tuck it under the benchtop board. Flip the entire section upside down and tightly staple it down. Staple every few inches while stretching the fabric. Stuff cotton batting into the fabric above the foam when there is only an opening on one side. Slowly close the opening, adding more batting as you continue to staple.

6. Keep the benchtop board upside down. Position the bench leg assemblies on the benchtop, evenly spaced and parallel to each other and about 6 inches from each end of the benchtop. Pre-drill four holes through each leg support and into the benchtop. Be careful not to puncture the top of the bench surface.

Tags: support board, each other, benchtop board, parallel each, parallel each other, upside down, 4-inch wood