The Headboard Bench
Today...my lovely fiance and I build the long awaited headboard/pallet bench...I have been begging him to help me with this after he brought me some pallets a month or two ago as I had THE PERFECT headboard/footboard for the project :-) So, today it happened. Here is a simple tutorial that will give you an idea of how we made it happen!
Step 1: Set your headboard up so you know how big you want your bench, or how to make your pallet work for your headboard. You can cut it down to size if your headboard is longer than the pallet (like ours) but we took the easy route. Gather all materials, such as saws, drill, hammer, screws, level, etc. etc. etc. Make your plan (in your head...)
Step 2: Cut your pallet in half so that you have boards nailed to two support beams...see above. IF that doesn't make sense, sorry. :-) We used a sawzall for this...awesome tool. Measure the width and depth of your newly cut pallet bench seat for future reference, as in the next step.
Step 3: Cut the footboard so that you have two "arm rests" that are the length of your pallet bench's depth (sides...)...see my end result if this is confusing. We had about 18" of in unusable footboard in between....
Step 4: Next you can screw your bench seat into the headboard, depending on your headboard this picture might look different...ours happened to have a perfect rail right there. Make sure to screw in enough screws for it to be sturdy. We did I think 12 total back there.
Step 5: Align your arm rests with the headboard backing and make sure it is level with the ground and your bench will be straight and not uneven...we had to chop off about 3 inches from the headboard feet to make it even. This is a learning process so always measure twice before cutting and line stuff up before screwing and level level level!!
Step 6: There are no pictures of step 6 because I had to kind of help :-P. BUT here is where you screw in your arm rests. Hold it into place, make sure it is even on both sides and that you can screw in your footboard arm rests into the pallet (and not into nothing--it happens :-P ). Make sure that it is level and even. We added extra supports to the bottom of this pallet, but that is only because some boards were rotted out, so that is optional.
Step 7: You are done and just have to paint!! We added a piece of thin plywood to the top of the seat just so it would be a tad more sturdy in certain spots, but that is optional especially if you got an awesome and strong pallet.
Add a nice cushion and enjoy your new bench!!!
