How to make a work bench

Interior: Turn an old wooden door into an attractive work bench with a little bit of help from Resene.

How to recycle a wooden door to create a new work bench

Ways with wood with Mark Rayner - Project 95

Difficulty level: Moderate

To get the look: Mark painted the background woodwork with Resene Lustacryl tinted to Resene Quarter Alabaster.

Other ideas: For a clean white effect paint the bench base with Resene Lustacryl tinted to Resene Black White and use Resene Colorwood Whitewash on the benchtop.

You will need

65mm nails
65mm screws
50mm x 50mm timber (approx 3.6m)
Clamp
Fence palings cut to the following lengths:
- 1800mm (x2)
- 500mm (x4)

Clean cloths
Drill with 3.5mm drill bit
Hammer
Karen Walker Chalk Colour – Vintage Wax
Old wooden door measuring 1900mm x 600mm
Paintbrush
Pencil

Resene Lustacryl tinted to Resene Permanent Green
Resene Quick Dry
Rubber gloves
Sander and sandpaper
Saw
Screwdriver
Set square and tape measure

Instructions

Step one
Assemble the pieces of fence paling to form the underside base of the bench, as shown, fixing with 65mm nails.

Step two
Attach the wooden door to the underside base, fixing with 65mm nails.

Step three
Measure, mark and cut the 50mm x 50mm timber into four 900mm lengths to form the bench legs. Smooth any rough edges with sandpaper.

Step four
Place one of the bench legs in position and hold with a clamp, checking that it’s square in both directions using a set square. Fix to the bench base with 65mm screws, drilling pilot holes first. Repeat with the other three legs.

Step five
Remove any old paint from the bench top and edges using the sander and wipe off any sanding residue with a clean cloth.

Step six
Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry to the bench base and legs and allow to dry.

Step seven
Apply two coats of Resene Lustacryl tinted to Resene Permanent Green to the bench base and legs, allowing two hours for each coat to dry.

Step eight
Wearing rubber gloves, apply a generous amount of Karen Walker Vintage Wax to the bench top and edges and then remove any excess wax with a clean cloth. Allow the wax to dry.

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