I had a show last month that I had to get tons of stuff ready for. I was running low on larger furniture items which meant lots of work needed to be done. So into the scary garage I went to start dragging stuff out and begin the transformations. One of the first items I knew that I wanted to tackle was a old wood headboard and footboard set. I had scored them for cheap but they were missing the side rails so it was time to get creative. That’s when the Farmhouse Headboard Bench was born.

Here is the headboard (and the footboard, I will get to that another day).

Step one was to create the bench structure. If you want a more detailed description you can visit my post about my Crib Bench. Basically we built a box out of 1×4’s, added legs, and 1×10’s across the top. Then we bolted the box to the headboard.

Now that the structure was built, it was time to make it pretty. I wanted the bench to have a farmhouse look to it so I chose to go with an antique white paint and stained seat. I used Dark Walnut stain by Minwax on the seat and on the “apron” and legs. I did the apron and legs too because I wanted the whole bench to be darker in color so that when I distressed it, everything would look uniform.

Once the staining was done, I painted everything except the seat top a creamy white. It took a couple coats of paint and then I did some distressing here and there. The dark stain beneath showed through beautifully. I used a clear coat on the painted parts and a wipe on poly for the stained seat.

Oh man, she’s a beauty! I love it. It’s simple and yet so pretty!

Before I stained the seat I had some fun ruffing the boards. I used a metal file, hammer, screws, and nails to give them a more aged appearance.

It has bench is rustic, but not too rustic.

It has an entirely different look then my Crib Bench and I love it just as much! The Farmhouse Headboard Bench quickly became one of my favorites and I’m trying to figure out how I need two upcycled bed benches in my house. But until then, this beauty remains for sale!!!

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Want another farmhouse inspired project? Check out this Drop Leaf Farmhouse Coffee Table transformation…..