Tutorial for DIY X Leg Upholstered Bench

Whether you call it an X leg stool, X leg ottoman, or X leg bench, the X-bench is an extremely versatile piece that can be used for extra seating anywhere you need it because it's so lightweight and moveable.  It can be stored away against a wall or under a table when not in use, grouped around a coffee table, used as a coffee table alone or in a pair, or grouped at the bottom of a bed.  The possibilities are practically endless.

Now how would you like to make your own for around $50?!

I tend to be a visual thinker so took an old piece of cardboard and drew a sketch of the finished piece.  I'd recommend doing the same so you have a reference to be sure your angles are cut correctly.

Do keep in mind that the angles given here will work for these measurements, giving you a finished X leg bench that is 17" square and 17" high.  You can change the length of the bench from one X leg to the other without needing to make any angle changes but any shift in the width or the height of the bench will alter the angles needed to make everything fit together properly.

I like to make my first cuts using scrap wood and then lay them on top of my sketch to be sure I don't make mistakes and waste my nicer materials.  I can't tell you how many times I've cut my angles going in the wrong direction and am always so much happier when that happens on scrap wood!  When you're ready to get started, use a miter saw to make the following cuts:

• 1 1/2"x3/4" oak hardwood planks - cut one end at a 50º angle.  Measure 9 1/2" from the pointed side and cut the other end at a 9º angle.  Do this process eight times, giving you eight identically-cut pieces of wood.
• 1 1/2"x3/4" oak hardwood planks - cut one end at a 50º angle.  Measure 19" from the pointed end and cut the other end at 50º as well.  Do this process four times, giving you four identically-cut pieces of wood.
• 1 1/2"x3/4" oak hardwood planks - cut one end at a straight angle.  Measure 17" and cut the other end at a straight angle as well.  Do this process twice, giving you two identically-cut pieces of wood.
• 1 1/2"x1 1/2" oak hardwood plank - cut one end at a straight angle.  Measure 14" and cut the other end at a straight angle as well.  You only need one piece cut like this.

You will also need a piece of 3/4" plywood cut to a 17" square, 4"-thick foam cut to 17" square, at least a 30 1/2" square of cotton batting, at least a 30 1/2" square of the fabric you want to use to cover the top, wood glue, wood stain, upholstery nails (I used 88 nails purchased from Lowes), a staple gun and staples, 1 1/4" and 2 1/2" finishing nails, and 1 1/2" wood screws.  I needed four 6'-long 1 1/2"x3/4" oak planks to make the first three groups of cuts above.

Once the oak is all cut, use sandpaper or a pad sander to sand it down.  Lay one of the 19" pieces on the ground.  Lay one of the 9 1/2" pieces on top, lining up the ends, to determine which sides will be facing each other.  Spread wood glue on the bottom side of the 9 1/2" inch piece and press into place on top of the 19" piece, fine tuning the positioning so all edges line up exactly.

Lay another of the 19" pieces on top, perpendicular to the 9 1/2" piece, and repeat the wood glue and positioning process on the other side with another of the 9 1/2" pieces.  Check them after 10-15 minutes to be sure none of the wood has slipped.

Do this same thing with the other two 19" pieces and two more of the 9 1/2" pieces.  Let the glue set up for 30-60 minutes, then carefully flip the glued X's over and follow the same process with the remaining four 9 1/2" pieces.  Also add a dab of glue in the center notch where the two pieces fit together.  Let the glue dry fully overnight.  Once dry, hammer three 1 1/4" finishing nails down each length of the 9 1/2" pieces.

Lay one of the X's on the floor and put a dab of wood glue in the center.  Position the 14" piece of oak in the center and let dry 30-60 minutes.

Carefully place the other X on top of the 14" piece.  And then very, very carefully, pressing the X's together, place the legs on the floor as they will stand when finished, to be sure everything is lined up properly.  Then again very, very carefully, flip back to vertical to allow the glue to completely dry.  The positioning part is very important or you could be left with a wobbly, uneven leg base.

When the glue has dried completely, hammer two 2 1/2" finishing nails through each outside X-middle into the center piece to strengthen the bond between the X legs and the middle piece.  Then stain the wood using the stain of your choice (don't forget to stain those two 17" straight pieces!).  I used Minwax oil-based stain in Kona.

Place one of the 17" straight-cut pieces on top of one of the X legs and position so the ends are flush.  Holding tightly, pre-drill small holes to make sure the screws go in straight and everything lines up.  Drive a 1 1/2" wood screw through each pre-drilled hole, one on each end, then repeat on the other X leg.

**For detailed instructions on assembling and upholstering the top of the x-leg bench, go HERE**

The final step, after constructing and upholstering the top, is laying the assembled, covered seat upside down on the floor, carefully positioning the X base upside down on top of it, and pre-drilling a couple holes in the middle of each 17" piece, now attached to the X base.  Drive a 1 1/2" wood screw through each hole, and repeat on the other side. 

Flip it over, and have a seat or prop your legs up!

The two benches wound up being photographed for Better Homes and Gardens magazine with my sofa that I reupholstered - you can see the photo that was in the magazine HERE.  

And here are a couple easy-to-pin graphics if you want to earmark the tutorials for making this x-bench for later!

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{DIY} Moroccan Tile Stenciled Table

I've been at it again.  Scott says I get "a look."  I'm not exactly sure what the look is but I think it involves standing very still, hands on hips, and staring intently into a room in which nothing is happening.  Yep...something's about to get moved.  This time it was on the screened porch, which we've been absolutely loving during its first habitable summer.

We'd pulled a couple of freebie-with-our-couch, parson-like side tables out of retirement to use on the porch when we first furnished it a few months ago.  They were originally a scuffed dark stain but I painted them soft ivory. 

Nothing wrong with them at all, but nothing particularly exciting about them either.  When I recently came across a moroccan tile stencil I had stashed away with a set I'd bought when I was finishing my girls' playroom (post and pictures to come soon!) I thought I'd give stenciling the table a shot.  If I hated it, well, I figured I could give it a quick sand and spray paint it back to ivory.

First I gave the whole table a fresh coat of soft grey spray paint (Rustoleum since the table would be semi-exposed to the elements).

I was planning to paint the sides of the top an antique white, so I didn't worry about the splotchy grey there.

After the spray paint had completely dried overnight, I used a small foam roller to roll the antique white paint along the edges of the top.  And then it was time to stencil.  I had done a little research on stenciling prior to undertaking this and so knew that spray adhesive was a necessity (I used Elmer's Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive).  I also knew that the best tool for applying paint to a stencil is a foam brush.  Which I swore I had in the basement but when I went to retrieve it, it was nowhere to be found.  I had an abundance of bristle brushes though, so even though I knew it wasn't "right" I decided to give it a go.  And it all worked out fine, but next time I stencil I will use a foam brush.  The bristles are a little too unwieldy for the control you need stenciling and the finished look is a bit mottled.  Which I am okay with, it looks sort of rustic and handmade, but I can imagine that a foam brush application would have a more crisp look.

On to the stenciling.  I gave the back of the stencil a light coat of spray adhesive and then positioned it on the table so it lined up straight against the edge.  Next I applied a bit of paint to my brush and dabbed it on newspaper to remove excess paint.  I dabbed the brush over the stencil until everything was painted, then carefully removed it.  I found I could use the same coat of adhesive for 2-3 repositions of the stencil before it needed another spray.  I'd periodically check the back to be sure no paint had seeped through that would make splotches on the table.  When in doubt, give the back a quick swipe with a dry paper towel.  To make the next several rows of the tile pattern I overlapped the last row I had done to be sure everything would line up and repeated the process...

...many, many times... 

...until the entire tabletop was covered in the moroccan tile pattern.  I let it dry a bit then gave the top a hearty coat of Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel to protect the stenciled design and to give the top a nice glossy finish.  I let the top coat dry overnight and then moved the table back to her home on the porch.

 

And now the moving furniture part.  Nothing terribly significant here (Scott has come home before to the entire living room having been moved around) but I decided to shift the accent tables around a bit and put the yellow table between the chairs and the newly stenciled moroccan tile table against the wall between the sofa and chair.  I liked the idea of having a table lamp on that side of the room and the yellow table fit a bit better between the chairs.

The table has so much more character now and is leaps and bounds more interesting than the plain, square, beige table it was before.  For my first venture in stenciling furniture, count me one happy gal.

Scandinavian Accent Chair Makeover

As mentioned in my post about the child's rocking chair, our town doesn't have trash pickup but rather the Transfer Station (i.e. fancy dump) where residents take their own trash and recycling.  I've come around on it since my initial horror at being told that no one would be coming by a couple times a week to whisk my trash away from the curbside.  I had quite literally never heard of such a thing but have come to learn that quite a lot of towns in Massachusetts have this same setup.  Who knew?  It's actually not so bad - a little stinky on humid days but it's basically a big parking lot lined with large dumpsters that are neatly labeled with what should go in each.  But, so as not to mislead you, I occasionally drop off some recycling but Scott really does all the trash hauling around here

However, since finding the little rocker there at the Swap Shed (where people leave large, usually worn out, but fixable or reusable items), I've taken to swinging by on the days the Transfer Station is open to see what kind of furniture gems might be waiting for me to take them home and gussy-'em up.  To keep myself from feeling like a dumpster-diver, I will henceforth refer to my foraging at the Transfer Station as "thrifting."  Doesn't that sound much fancier?  And, really, with so much focus lately on upcycling and reclaimed items, I'm just all sorts of trendy, huh?

Now onto my latest find!  Basically what I'm looking for in my thrifting expeditions is something with good "bones" - reasonably sturdy, nice lines, and of course, something that can become pretty.  This chair was far from pretty when I found it but had the other criteria going for it.

 The first step in its makeover was removing the seat and back.

Here's the frame with the pads removed.

And after a coat of spray paint primer and two coats of semi-gloss white spray paint, here is the frame in its new color.  For spray painting tips you can refer to my post on spray painting our porch furniture.

Next up was stripping the tweedy fabric off the seat and back.  It wasn't hard, but a little time consuming trying to get out most of the staples.  I found a small flathead screwdriver and pair of needlenose pliers worked well to get the staples out.

The original foam was in reasonably good condition so I decided to reuse it - nice money and time saver!  For the seat, all I had to do was lay the seat on top of the fabric (upside down) and cut the fabric a bit larger than the seat and in the same basic shape.

I checked the front to be sure the pattern of the fabric was straight and symmetrical and then pulled and stapled the fabric to the underside of the chair, making sure the corners and edges looked smooth from the front.

I had bought the fabric as a contender for the pillows on the kitchen bench and so had it left over and thought it was perfect for this project.  It's a grey, white, and pale yellow ikat.

To give the underside a finished look, I took an old linen-colored tablecloth and cut a piece slightly larger than the seat, then tucked and stapled it around the edges.

Covering the back was a bit more complicated.  I measured the distance around the back (top to bottom) and added two inches.  Then I folded the fabric in half and pinned it together, inside out, drew a line 1" down from the cut edge and sewed a straight seam along the line.

Then - and my pictures get scarce here - I slipped the fabric over the back of the chair and pulled and folded and stapled to get a nice smooth look.  The staples could go along the side because they're covered by the frame of the chair, but I did have to do this process twice as I found that too many lumps and bumps along the sides could be seen when looking at the chair face-on.  But after my second try it looked right and I reassembled the seat, back, and frame.

To cover up the holes where the screws are that hold the chair together, I bought wooden buttons and spray painted them the same color as the chair frame, then used wood glue to attach them.

And with that, this little makeover was complete!

I'll be putting this little lovely for a run on Craigslist since I really don't have a place for it.  I think it would make a great bedroom chair or a desk chair facing away from the door because it looks just as pretty from the back as it does from the front.  Here she is posing for the camera at my desk.

 

Hope you all enjoy a festive 4th of July tomorrow and I'll see you back here Thursday!