New Reading Bench

Hello, all! I've got to tell you, I've got several posts in process and I would love to be able to share but I'm having some issues with uploading pictures to Blogger. I'm working on the issue and hope I can show you soon!

Anyhow, last Friday I came across this bench on Craigslist and immediately knew I had to have it. I love the simple lines and the caning detail. It was listed for $20 and I didn't even want to dicker...it had to be mine :)

As soon as I got this sucker in my vehicle, I realized how horrible it smelled. The cushion was disgusting and smelled like cat pee. There was no way I could salvage the padding.

I have never ripped apart upholstery before so I just kind of guessed where to start. I flipped over the sucker and peeled the padding off the rusty springs.

I finally just ended up cutting the fabric so I could pull it and the foam off so I didn't have to smell it anymore. It was really that bad.

Aah, SO much better!

I then unscrewed the spring frame from the bench frame and removed about a million staples. I'm sure I had my neighbors wondering what was going on with the steady stream of expletives coming from my garage.

I gave it a few coats of white spray paint.

Looking better already!

I brought the seat frame inside to get a new cushion put on. I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on foam so I bought a twin sized egg crate mattress topper.

I laid the frame down on top and traced it with a marker so I knew where to cut.

I layered the foam on top, stapling the first layer to the frame so the subsequent layers wouldn't slide around so much.

I covered the foam with a few layers of batting to smooth it out.

Making progress!

Here is the fabric I used to re-cover it. And...as much as I was cursing the staples I removed from the original padding, I stapled the crap out of it myself :)

Viola! (Excuse the crappy cell phone pic. I do have better ones but can't get them uploaded!) I'm proud of the work I did and although it was really tedious, it was pretty easy and the finished result is a hit. I'm going to be putting this in my daughter's room and I think it is inspiring a mini-redo.

She loves her new reading bench :) My mom takes care of her during the days at my house and the first thing she said yesterday when she woke up was "Would you like to see my lovely bench?". I'm glad it was a hit :)

The bench was $20 and the mattress pad was $10. I had the paint, fabric and batting on hand. Not bad for $30!

So, that was one project for Memorial Day weekend. I hope you all had a nice weekend too! I've got more I need to get posted, like I said. I hope to be able to get my pictures uploaded tonight or tomorrow!

Linking up to:

Faded Charm Cottage

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Somewhat Simple

Miss Mustard Seed

Young and Crafty

SNS at Funky Junk Interiors

Amaze Me Monday at Dittle Dattle

Not JUST A Housewife

Thrifty Decor Chick