How to Make a Bench From an Old Metal Bed

30.07.2023 - 07:27 / hometalk.com

I have always loved the look of benches made from head and foot boards, especially the ones made from metal. I found this one in the most unlikely places. It was leaning up against the side of a vault, ( a holding building for bodies to be buried in cemeteries. The caskets are kept here during winter months when the ground is frozen and graves can't be dug until spring.) It was buried half in the ground and deep in the trees. I was very excited with my find, my mother was looking at me with those eyes that quietly said my daughter has finally lost it but didn't actually say it… I went back to my mom's house and called the church secretary and asked if I could remove the bed. Ironically she didn't even know one was there. She said if I could dig it out I could have it. After some choice words under my breath, tree branches in some not so nice places, and falling on my behind while trying to get it out of the ground my determination paid off.

The first thing I did was clean off the mud and cobwebs, and as you can see it had a few rust spots.

I had purchased these sanding blocks at my Dollarama for a previous project. They snap into a handle and have 3 different grits. Perfect for this project. So I sanded the head and footboards. Once done I wiped the excess off and then rinsed with my garden hose.

To cut the footboard, I used my reciprocating saw with a blade for cutting metal. I started by cutting in half, then once cut measured to determine for the arms of my bench, which required cutting another couple of inches off.

So now that everything is sanded and cut it is time for painting!

I wanted my bench to pop so I am using Tremclad rust paint in Fire Red gloss. I laid my headboard on a piece of plastic and began spraying.