How to Build your own DIY Farmhouse Style Bench

Welcome to another #MonthlyDIYChallenge my friends! Y’all know how much fun I have teaming up with my talented bloggy friends the first Wednesday of each month to see the different ideas we can come up with from the very same starting point!

This month’s challenge was sponsored by the wonderful folks behind Kreg Jig, giving us a chance to show y’all how brilliant this little tool really is! There are SO many ways to put the Kreg Jig to work, I cannot wait to see what everyone came up with!

But first, I’m so excited to share this sweet little DIY farmhouse style bench…

I swear, you won’t believe how simple it was to make!!!

Materials + Tools:
– trusty tape measure
– your favourite saw (here’s ours)
– Kreg Jig
– pocket screws
– drill
– stain or paint
 

Cut List:
– 2 x 1×6 boards cut to desired bench length (we made ours 42″ long) – these will form the bench top
– 2 x 1×3 boards cut to match bench length (again, 42″ for ours) – these will be the sides along the top
– 2 x 1×4 boards cut to bench length minus 1.75″ (40.25″ on ours) – these will form the support running between the bench legs
– 4 x 1×6 boards cut to desired bench height (ours was 14″) – these will be the legs of the bench **if desired cut a corner from each leg piece to create the triangle notches at the bottom of each leg**
– 2 x 1×4 boards cut to 11″ – these will hold the top boards together
 

Build It:

step one: Using the Kreg Jig, drill the pocket holes on each board.
Following the instructions that came with our Kreg Jig, we adjusted the settings – to match our 3/4″ thick boards we set the depth collar at 3-1/2″ and used 1-1/4″ screws.

Then, we simply drilled all of our pocket holes. **I’ll try to describe each one below so none get missed, but please refer to the photos for more specific placement.**
– bench top 1×6 boards: 3 pocked holes evenly spaced down one side
– short 11″ 1×4 supports: 4 pocket holes each, evenly spaced along
– bench legs: 3 pocket holes evenly spaced along the top of each piece + 2 pocket holes near the centre of each one leg on each side (see photo)
– long 1×4 supports: 2 pocket holes on each end

Our Kreg Jig really made quick work of all those pocket holes! The Kreg Tool website has a great video tutorial to get you started.

With the pocket holes drilled in each piece, it was time to start putting it all together…

step two: Build the legs.
Using the predrilled pocket holes in your 1×4 support pieces, attach the legs to those support pieces. Take care to match up the notched out corners if you’ve decided to add those (see cut list).

step three: Attach the legs to the bench top.
Lay the two long 1×6 pieces side-by-side to create the bench top, then, attach the smaller 1×4 supports to hold those top boards together. Be sure the pocket holes are facing the inside of the bench. There’s no need to use pocket holes for these, just drill some regular 1/2 screws through the support board and into the bottom of the bench boards.

step four: Attach the leg pieces together.
Using the predrilled pocket holes on the back leg piece of each side, attach the leg pieces together.

step five: Add the centre supports.
One at a time, add the 1×4 centre support pieces to the middle of your leg pieces. Using the pocket holes you’ve already drilled, screw in the front support piece first, near the middle edge of the front leg on each side. Then, line up the second 1×4 piece just behind the first, screwing it into the middle edge of the back leg (see photo above).

step six: Add the top trim.
Finally, using the pocket holes you’ve predrilled into bottom sides of your bench top, attach your 1×3 trim pieces along each side.
 

Here’s how it should look all put together…

After giving it all a good sanding, I slapped on a quick coat of paint (I went with Jute from The Fat Paint Company).

I used light strokes to let the wood show through a bit and give it more of that rustic, farmhouse look.

This was one of our very first build projects that we’ve put together without any plans to follow at all and friends, I’m so, so happy with how it turned out!

We’ve put our own Kreg Jig to work countless times, it truly is a staple in our DIY tool kit! See how we used it to build the beautiful blanket ladder below…

Now, don’t forget to check out the fabulous projects that my bloggy friends created for this month’s challenge too!

And now, it’s your chance to win one of these must-have tools for yourself! Kreg Jig is giving away ten (yes TEN!) R3 kits, just fill out the information below for your chance to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
 

What are some ways you’d love to put this brilliant Kreg Jig to work?

Wishing you SUCH a lovely day!