Bench Makeover and Flame Retardants

Before - in good shape, but tired and worn.

Sometimes it is rewarding to complete something doesn't it?  This little project was low on time, cost absolutely nothing, and makes me feel great every time I see it.  Yay!

In cleaning my Nana's house and trying to declutter a bit to accomodate a hospital bed in the living room, this little bench had to go.  It is old, old, old but is in nice shape and I had visions of tucking it under the vanity/desk in Miss B's room.  I put it in the garage for a couple weeks (that wasteland indeed ; )  And dug it out the other day about a half hour before supper.

All I needed was a screw driver, and this puppy came apart easily.

I unscrewed the 6 screws holding the seat on, and then folded my fabric in half and tightly folded it over the top of the bench (over the existing fabric).  The existing fabric was held on by little nails.  I was planning on securing the new fabric with staples (but my staple gun appears lost in the afore mention garage abyss).  For now I held it on with masking tape.  Yes, you read that right, masking tape!  When I put the screws back in I used my cordless drill to screw them in as I needed more power than just my elbow grease to punch holes in the new fabric.  The screws seem to be holding the fabric on nicely.  When I find my staple gun I will staple the edges, but for now it's good to go.  In less time than it took whatever I was making to finish in the oven.

Now isn't this better?

Sadly it doesn't fit underneath the vanity, but it brightens up Miss B's room anyway, and we both love it.

The bench was free, the fabric from my stash, screw drivers and cordless drill on hand.  Very, very satisfying!

Did you all catch this article in the NYTimes Magazine this weekend?  It made me feel ill.  Now we're considering getting rid of our old couch, and maybe getting a futon instead?  Flame retardants are scary indeed.

The article basically reinforces and lends legitimacy to my slightly impractical desire to acquire an antique fainting type sofa for our sun nook.  Wouldn't that be nice?  And safe to boot.  I can see more projects with old (pre-1979) furniture in my future.