I finally fixed my grandma’s old red bench!
I’ve had this bench makeover on my to-do list for a long time, it holds a lot of significance for us as it sat by my grandma’s house for many many many years. When we visited her, not long before her passing, we would come outside with her and sit in this old bench in the sun and visit. One of the last photos taken of my grandma she was actually sitting out front of the house, on this very bench that my grandparents’ built years ago.
As you can see when I finally had the chance to tackle it this bench was a LONG way from red anymore! It was also covered in moss, dirt and only the universe knows what anymore! The front two boards had broken/rotted off but after a thorough investigation the majority of the bench was amazingly sturdy. I went out to the barn and, low and behold, there was a whole pile of boards cut to this exact length so I grabbed two and brought them back to use as replacement slats.
I didn’t want to lose the charm of this bench, I could have tried to strip it and make it look new again etc. But there was a lot of character here that I didn’t want to lose or replace so I just grabbed some steel wool and started scrubbing. The majority of the moss and dirt came right off along with even more red paint.
I wondered, what can I do now with all this bare old wood showing through the red paint? I also needed to find a way to make the “new” slats I added match the rest of the bench. (The new slats were the color of the deck if you’re wondering just how “different” they were to the rest of the wood on the bench.) For the bench makeover I decided the best thing to do would be to just stain the entire bench. So I grabbed some leftover Walnut stain by Minwax and went to town, covering the whole thing with a towel, rubbing it in to every crevice and every place the bare wood was showing.
As you can see the bench is far from “new” looking. It is still my Grandma’s old red bench and I love that π I even left a good majority of the moss. It will be with us and in my family now for many more years and I took my coffee and a blanket out on the deck this morning just to enjoy it like I know my Grandma would have.
Like my mug? Yeah, my mom bought it for me for Christmas years ago. Upon some serious searching online I can’t find it for sale anywhere! Sorry guys π There are a few with the saying on it but not big and rustic like my old mug here. Anyway, it is definitely a long held belief in the women of my family:Β The best man for the job is a woman! lol
Hope you guys enjoyed my old bench makeover! See you again later this week!
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I’m Tarah!
It’s been a hell of a ride since I started this blog and renovated and moved into this old farm house back in 2015. I got married, divorced, lost my doggo soul mate, spent two years as a single gal, remodeled everything, threw my back out countless times and was even found by an amazing guy in my own backyard! (The story behind Storyhardt Farm.)
Around here we’re totally fearless when it comes to bettering our home. We love to refinish old furniture, re-purpose old pieces, build it from scratch and totally renovate anything that needs it! If we can do it – so can you. We’ve got some serious plans for this old farm and, for first time ever, I have a real partner!
This is gonna be so much fun!
You can also find out more about the amazing Grandma behind this blog who moved in to this old farmhouse with my Grandpa nearly 70 years ago!
Tarah, you rock !!!
I just discovered your blog about a week ago and it has taken me all week to read your past posts. I love that you appreciate things that were owned by our older generations and feel the need to keep and use them. I’m crazy like that too.
Thank you for sharing the good, bad, ugly and the reality in your posts.
Again, YOU ROCK !!!!
Oh Annie thank you so much for commenting and letting me know π it is SO awesome to hear that!!
Merle and I still have four of the chairs your Grandfather made that are very similar to the red bench. We have loved them for years, and are still one of the most comfortable chairs we have ever owned. He said they were made from the lumber off the the property, so we cherish them.
That’s so awesome! π
You have a lot of talent refurbishing and restoring! Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NWβs DIY party-and donβt forget to leave a comment at the party β Next weekβs features that also leave a comment get pinned and tweeted!
Thank you!!
Before it just looked plain old, now it looks old but with a nice patina and very desirable. Huge difference.
Thanks Mary!! π
I’m glad that you didn’t take away the vintage feel of the bench. So much character in each and every slat! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Thank you Jann, yup I had to keep this one as authentic as possible, too many memories to cover up!
Great job Tarahlynn! We’ve got something similar which needs the timber replaced. Just another job to add to the list. We eventually get around to them, don’t we? LOL Thanks for linking up to Thriving on Thursdays. I always love seeing what you’re up to.
Anne @ Domesblissity
Anne, isn’t that the truth?! When I fixed this red bench I was working on a different project out in the garage and was waiting for something to dry otherwise it might still just be waiting for me to fix it lol
Wow…looks so pretty! π
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thank you so much!
Enjoyed the pictures and story of your family bench. I’m glad you included some good befores so we really got a chance to see how it retained the look, just got improved. Grammy would be so proud of you.
Thank you so much!
Wow! What a great project! I am sure your grandma is very proud!
Thank you Barrie!
I just love the rustic look of the bench and that mug totally rocks! xo
Thanks Carla, it is my favorite mug!
Love your bench makeover, Tarah! Blessings, Cecilia
Thank you!
This is fantastic. To be able to restore an item with such precious memories is just brilliant. I’m sure your Grandma would approve.
I have a mug that says ‘Where there is a woman there is a way’ someone at work bought it for me and it’s a definite favourite!
Julie, I’m gonna have to get me one of those mugs too! Thanks for commenting!
Thank you for coming to the Blogger’s Pit Stop Linky Party.
Janice, Pit Stop Crew
Thanks Janice, see you next week!
I love the patina on this piece and you did a great job fixing her up, I can’t even tell which boards you replaced! Thanks so much for sharing your project at Fridays Furniture Fix this week Tara!
Thanks Brenda!
What a wonderful job you did too Tarah – you would make your Granny proud that the bench looks like new again.
Thank you Amber!
What a wonderful old piece of family furniture. I can relate to all the pleasant memories that relate to that chair. Very nice makeover Tarahlynn, hope you have a great week.
Thank you Leanna!
Wow, you did an amazing job on this old bench. I absolutely love it. Thank you for sharing at Sew It Cook It Craft It link party. Shared and pinned.
Thank you Amy!
Love seeing you projects every week at Reader Tip Tuesday! This is another job well done π Hope to see you at this week’s party:
http://www.jodiefitz.com/2017/09/05/reader-tip-tuesday-weeks-craft-recipe-party-2/ xo
Thank you Jodie!