Hello friends!, I am so glad you landed here today so I can show you how I built a DIY upholstered bench with faux metal frame!
I was trying to replicate the look of this bench from Houzz.com for sale for a whopping $1,099.
My version is a little shorter because, well, that’s how I needed it for my space. The best thing about DIY is customization! I have a small master bedroom, hence the smaller bench size. My bed is a king size and the size I built was perfect for the space.
As always, I recommend that you read the entire tutorial once or twice, before you attempt this project.
GET THE PLANS FOR THIS BENCH SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX
DIY Upholstered Bench with Faux Metal Frame
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Materials Needed
- (4) 2x2x8′ wood boards
- (1) 1x12x6′ wood board -You will be upholstering this for the seat.
- (1 1/2 yds) 1″ Upholstery Foam
-I doubled it up, which made it 2″. I bought mine at Joanns but this one is very similar, if not the same. - (1 1/2 yds) Batting enough to cover the seat. This will go in between the fabric and the foam. Again, I bought mine at Joanns, but this is very similar.
- (2 yds) Fabric of choice. I bought white Faux Fur at Joanns (with a coupon!).
- Black Mesh (optional, to cover the bottom of the seat)
- Drill
- Wood Glue
- Wood Filler
- Sander (or sand paper)
- Kreg Jig
- Staple Gun with 1/2 inch staples
- (24) 2 1/2″ Pocket Screws
- Metallic Spray Paint
- 2″ Wood Screws (to attach the frame to the seat. These are my favorite screws because you don’t have to drill pilot holes)
-I doubled it up, which made it 2″. I bought mine at Joanns but this one is very similar, if not the same.
enough to cover the seat. This will go in between the fabric and the foam. Again, I bought mine at Joanns, but this is very similar.
(optional, to cover the bottom of the seat)
(or sand paper)
Cut List:
2x2s, for the frame
- (4) pieces at 55″
- (6) pieces at 8.5″
- (6) pieces at 14″
1×12, for the seat
- (1) piece at 54″
Step 1: Upholster the Seat
(scroll down for a video tutorial on how I upholstered the seat)
Staple the batting: Cut the batting leaving a few inches of room around the 1×12, set the upholstery foam on top, then set the 1×12 on top of that. Staple all the way around using a staple gun; just a few staples are enough to keep the batting and foam in place. Then you are ready to cover it all with the fabric. I do all of my stapling on the floor because I like to kneel on my project while I staple to keep the fabric in place.
Staple the Fabric: Now do the same with the fabric. If you have never upholstered before I give good in-depth instruction on how to upholster a seat in my dining chairs reupholstery project. Follow the same pattern here. If you are new to reupholstery use a fabric that is forgiving (solid colors are best) so that keeping a straight pattern isn’t as critical. Staple the fabric all the way around pulling it tight as you go and cut the excess. PS…I was inspired to use the faux fur fabric after seeing this beautiful footstool facelift from my friend Sarah from 1915House made!
Cover up: (optional) I used black mesh (it’s actually landscape fabric) to cover up the bottom. I just cut a piece slightly larger than the seat, stapled, and cut the excess. I then measured the length of the seat to cut my 2x2s. That is how I came up with the measurements above. If you want to be more precise, measure your seat once it is all reupholstered, then cut your 2x2s.
This short video walks you through how I upholstered the seat
The seat is done!
Step 2: Build the Frame
Now on to your 2x2s. Drill pocket holes on the ends of all of the short 8.5″ pieces using the Kreg Jig. Below is a picture of the frame along with the places where you will drill pocket holes to join using a 2 1/2″ pocket screws. Pocket holes should face out for ease of drilling and so they won’t show. Make sure you use Wood Glue
on every joint. You will need two of these.
I rand into a little snag while building the frame. Don’t let it happen to you! Details in the short video below.
Done! Dark basement-shop selfie! LOL
Once you have two of them built you will put them together with the 14″ inch pieces. Remember the blue arrows indicate pocket holes. Use 2 1/2″ pocket screws as well. I made sure the pocket holes faced in this time so they wouldn’t be as noticeable.
The frame is finished!!
Step 3: Sand and Spray Paint the Frame
I covered the pocket holes with Wood Filler
and used my Sander
to smooth out the rough spots on the frame. Then I gave it 3 coats of Metallic Spray Paint
to give it that metal look. It took 3 cans of spray paint to achieve the look I wanted. I waited just until the paint was dry to the touch in between each coat. Make sure you spray paint outside.
Step 4: Attach the Frame to the Seat
I then attached the frame with these awesome 2″ Wood Screws
. I like them because you don’t need to drill pilot holes! Holla! Make sure you use nothing longer than 2″ because you don’t want to come through to the seat and have someone sit on the bench and have their bum poked with the screws. I mean, that would be terrible! (my hubby said it didn’t hurt too bad). Yes, I had to remove my 2 1/2″ inchers and replace them, so don’t make the same mistake I made! oops.
And you’re done!!
If you want a version with less building involved, you can choose to purchase metal legs like I did with my Hairpin Desk .
Get the plans for this bench delivered to your Inbox!
I hope you get brave enough to build this!. Such a cute way to add modern farmhouse on a budget! It’s really not that bad! Pin it for later!
Build away!
~Janice
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This is absolutely brilliant. I love this project for so many reasons but the price can’t be beat!
Well done!!!!!
Thanks so much Lisa!!
This project is amazing and you give great instructions! I like yours better than the one from Houzz!
Awww Sherry! You just made my DAY!! Thank you!
If only I was that talented wit DIY crafts because that is awesome.
Thanks Kortney!! You are so sweet!
I love this ! So elegant 🙂
Thanks Medina!
That is awesome!! I had no idea it wasn’t metal by just looking at the picture, your projects amaze me!! Thanks for stopping by the TaDa Party and linking up!
Thanks Susanne!
I still can’t get over the savings. This is such a fantastic tutorial! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Sarah!!! Yep, big money saved 🙂
It’s a great project. I love it with the rug, too. Thanks for sharing with us at Creatively Crafty #ccbg 🙂
Thanks Lydia !
What a great tutorial! I can imagine giving this a try. Love the materials and paint that you chose.
Thanks Debbie!
Great job!! I like the faux metal legs! I seem to be on a metal kick myself, but I never thought to spray a wooden frame!
Thanks Melony!
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Hey Ladies, Just popping in to get a closer look at your ultra fab DIY bench. It’s just totally awesome and is coming up as a feature at the Friday’s Furniture Fix. Thanks so much for sharing your amazing bench with us. Susie from The Chelsea Project
Oh yay! Thank you for the kind words and the feature, Susie!
Amazing!! Love the metal look !
Love the rug too! Can you share where it is from? Thanks!
Thank you so much! I purchased the rug at At Home.
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Your bench is so pretty!! You did a great job and it looks better than the Houzz one with the faux fur! I think I need to get myself a Kreg Jig as soon as possible, it seems to make life easier.
Thanks so much for sharing with us at Sweet Inspiration party!
Thanks Pili for the kind words! Yes, love the Kreg jig!
Wow! I am not that talented and I think the bench is lovely! In my opinion, yours will be more meaningful to you than the Huzz look-alike!. And hey, I like that yours looks so much more comfier. I like the paint color – I thought it was a metal seat at first. Pinned!!
Thanks for the pin Zan! And for the kind words!
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Love how this has turned out, I’m seriously tempted to give it ago.
Thanks Claire! You totally should!
As many times as I’ve seen this beautiful bench and pinned it I can’t believe this is my first time to actually read your post. I love that you take people through it step by step and your videos are so helpful. I nearly had the same issue when I built my 2×4 table, not enough drill space when I wanted to tighten one of the screws I’d already attached. I love your transparency and anyone building this bench will appreciate you for it.
Oh my goodness Toni thank you for the kind words!!! I hear you about skimming posts 🙂
Great Work Janice. Love with your work.
Thanks!