Installing bench seating in your dining room will ensure that you never run out of room for guests.
Dining room seating is a problem many homeowners struggle with. Homes with a small dining room have limited space for extra seating, and even if adequate space is available, extra chairs may not be. The simple solution to this problem is to build some homemade bench seating in your dining room. This project provides you with extra seating that will take up minimal space in your dining room and will save you the hassle of having to drag extra chairs from all over the house when you have company for dinner.
Instructions
1. Measure the area in which you intend to install your bench seating to determine the dimensions of the bench itself. It is best to install the bench directly against the wall, so use a measuring tape to measure out from the wall to the desired depth of the seating and record this measurement. Use the length of the table to determine the length of the seating or install the bench along the entire length of the wall for multipurpose seating.
2. Use a table saw to cut pieces of 3/4-inch pine to size for the top, bottom and sides of your bench. Use the length and depth dimensions of your desired bench to cut the top and bottom, the height and length to cut the front and back and the height and depth measurements to cut the two side pieces for the bench.
3. Lay the bottom panel flat on the ground and apply a bead of wood glue along the front edge. Stand the front panel upright against the bottom panel, aligning the bottom edges and pressing them together to create a seal with the glue. Insert 1 1/2-inch wood screws through the front panel into the thickness of the bottom panel every 4 to 6 inches to secure the two pieces of wood together.
4. Apply a bead of wood glue to the back edge of the bottom panel and attach the back panel of the bench following the same procedure as the front panel.
5. Squeeze a line of wood glue onto the side edge of the bottom panel and onto both side edges of one side panel. Slide the side panel into place between the front and back panel, pressing it into the glue applied to the bottom panel.
6. Secure the side panel in place with 1 1/2-inch wood screws driven through the front and back panels into the thickness of the side panel and through the side panel into the bottom panel. Attach the second side panel in a similar manner.
7. Cut four pieces of 1- by 4-inch pine to frame the top of the bench and to provide added support for the seat. Cut two pieces of 1- by 4-inch pine to the length of the bench and two additional pieces to the width minus 8 inches.
8. Lay the long pieces of 1- by 4-inch pine flat on top of the bench frame, aligning the outside edges. Secure the pieces of pine in place by driving nails from a nail gun down through the pine into the frame beneath. Sandwich the shorter pieces of pine between the longer pieces, aligning the outside edges, and nail them in place.
9. Use a stud finder to locate the studs in the wall on which you intend to install your bench and make light pencil marks just above the height of the bench on the wall. Slide the bench into place against the wall and attach it by driving 3-inch wood screws through the back of the bench from the inside into the wall studs.
10. Lay the sheet of 3/4-inch pine cut for the top of the bench flat on top of the frame to serve as the seat. Secure the seat in place by driving 1 1/2-inch wood screws through the top of the bench into the flat 1- by 4-inch pieces of pine beneath it.
11. Fill any visible screw holes with wood filler and allow it to dry completely. Sand down the wood filler to a smooth surface, then paint or stain the bench as desired.
12. Arrange your choice of throw pillows or seat cushions on top of the bench to make it more comfortable.
Tags: bottom panel, side panel, 4-inch pine, pieces 4-inch, pieces 4-inch pine, wood screws, your dining room