Getting Started On The Built-In Bench | ORC, Week 02
And so we begin! The One Room Challenge is well underway and the time has come to actually get started on some of the projects I have planned for our dining room. As I mentioned in last week’s introduction post, the biggest project we have within our dining room is DIYing a built-in bench to sit along the back window wall. I want to nestle it in around the bulk head and column combo that sits along this wall and create storage within it to stow away all those rarely used kitchen appliances that are taking up precious kitchen storage space. Since the built-in bench project will require the most construction and effort of all the projects we have planned for this dining room, I want to get working on it right away. I’m planning to do all the work myself, so I know I’ll need even more time to plan, troubleshoot, and execute than a professional would.
As a refresher, here is what the space looked like at the start of this project.
The Built-In Bench Design
I’m counting on the built-in bench to be the focal point of the dining room. As I’ve mentioned, this space is connected with our main living room, but I want it to still feel distinct with it’s own personality. I think that working with the already awkward bulkhead and column combination will really make that back wall space feel cozy and intentional. I want to build the bench to stretch wall-to-wall under the window and then plan to add beadboard or vertical shiplap part way up the wall to really make a statement. I want to add some additional trimwork around the front of the bench for some additional depth and interest and will paint the entire thing - bench, wall feature, and window trim - one cohesive colour. I’m excited about the comfort and coziness that this bench will bring to our dining space.
The Plan
I’m a little bit overwhelmed about where to start. I have been trying to draw up specific plans so that I can make a list before hitting the lumber store for some supplies, but despite all my best efforts and measurements, I feel a little disconnected from what I’ll have to do to bring this to life. What’s my first move? How far should I space my supports? Will this be strong enough? I am certainly a visual person (hence the endless drawings, moodboards, and plans I put together for every project), but I really learn best by doing. I have to get my hands going before I can truly wrap my head around how to go about things. So I decided to write up a loose plan of attack, but I’ll take it one step at a time and reassess with each move. Here’s what I think will be involved:
Cut out the hardwood floor and remove the baseboards where the bench will sit.
Build the frame, starting with the main portion that will nestle between the columns and then the end bits that will come out around the columns.
Add 1/2” plywood to the front of the frame and add the trim pieces.
Figure out how to build, assemble, and hinge the top pieces so that the bench can open to access the interior storage.
Complete the surrounding wall feature.
Fill, sand, caulk, prime, and paint it all.
Add all the pretty details (like pillows!)
Sounds easy enough, right? I decided that I was probably safe to start step one this week and once I had the space cut out of the floors, I could more specifically draw up my framing plans with accurate measurements. I couldn’t put it off any more - it was time to pull out the circular saw.
The Progress
The first thing I did was remove the qarter-round and baseboards. Once I had it all pried off, I was able to more accurately measure from the wall to mark where I would need to cut my hardwood floors. You may be wondering why even bother cutting out the floors when you could simply build the bench on top of them. You definitely can build right on top of your floors. However, I cut out the floors when I did our fireplace project because I know that we want to replace our floors within the next few years. It makes more sense to remove them and attach the bench directly to the subfloor so we can add new floors around it down the road.
I want to build our bench 22” deep so I ran a piece of painters tape across the floor roughly along that marking. Next I went in with a dark black marker and drew an accurate line along the tape that was 22” out from the back window wall. Most benches for sitting are approximately 16-20” deep, but I decided to add a few more inches for two reasons. First of all, I want to do a blind on the window and wouldn’t want it to hit the back of someone’s head if they are seated on the bench, and second of all, I want to be able to add throw cushions on the bench to sit behind your back. I think a few more inches will make it a little bit more comfortable for those.
Once I drew out where my cut line was, I marked it up the pieces of baseboard that I had not yet removed and used a Dremel tool to cut a clean crisp line where the bench would sit up against. With those final pieces of baseboards removed, it was time to cut the actual hardwood. My measurements lined up in the direct center of a board and my cut would run parallel with it. I was thankful for that, as it would minimize my risk of hitting any nails between boards with my saw.
Cutting through your hardwood floors is definitely very intimidating. I’m thankful I had already done it in our fireplace project so I had a little bit of experience under my belt. I like using the tape so I can mark a really clear dark line to follow (trust me, the sawdust makes it extra hard to see) and it helps prevent any splintering. I have learned there are two key tricks to make the cut. First of all, you should set your saw blade only a hair deeper than the depth of your floor boards, as you want to cut through the flooring but don’t want to drive into the subfloor. And secondly, you need to have confidence. Plunging your saw into the hardwood is kind of scary, but you have to be committed in order to keep your cut smooth and efficient.
The circular saw blade doesn’t allow you to cut through the floors right up to the wall, so I took the saw as close to the wall as I could and then used the Dremel tool to finish off the last couple of inches. Thankfully our floorboards aren’t glued down so once I got one pried up, they all came up pretty easily up to my cut line.
I think that’s all there is to share today. The progress is slow, but sometimes all you need to do is take that first step. Now that I have this project started, I’m hoping to garner all the motivation I need to keep moving onto the next steps. I’m pretty sensitive to my environment, so the construction mess definitely motivates me to get the project done as quickly as I can and I'm glad to have some more concrete measurements to start working with. I hope to keep puttering away on this portion of our room in the coming days, but I think I may shift my focus next week to work on one of the furniture projects instead. Either way, you will find another update about whatever is going on right here on the blog.
And of course, if you, like me, love being inspired by what other people are doing, be sure to check out what some of the other guest participants of the ORC are up to this week too. There will be no shortage of beautiful and inspiring projects to browse through!
