You Won't Recognize My Bulk Trash Bench.

This weekend was one of the more productive weekends of the year. I've got a ton of projects to share with you guys this week. First up, my bulk trash bench. 

We finally got around to refinishing that bench that Chris and I picked up on bulk trash day a few months ago. It was in pretty bad condition and in desperate need of a makeover. I actually stained it last month and we finished the rest of it this weekend. 

Before sanding and staining.

After sanding and staining. It was my first staining experience and it's not a perfect finish but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Aah, much better with two coats of stain, right? But it's not a very useful bench with no supports. Half of the springs that worked as supports were missing and the rest were rusty. Chris had the idea to use nylon webbing.

[Do you like our tiki man? I like to think he scares centipedes away from the house.]

Apparently the guy at Home Depot doesn't know what nylon webbing is and the only comparable material we could find was this 27' tow line for trucks. It was on sale and was the right material so we got it. 

We stapled sections of the webbing across the bench, making sure to pull each section taut. 

And Chris used a blowtorch to melt the ends so they wouldn't fray. :)

Looks lovely doesn't it? Chris kept asking if I cared that it was neon yellow but I assured him that it would be fine once we got the cushion on.

So we figured out the support problem. The cushion was another issue. I envisioned a natural linen colored cushion on the bench and I wasn't finding anything of the sort in our budget or length we needed. While shopping at Home Depot, we spotted three of these (ugly) cushions on sale and came up with a plan to create the cushion that was in my head.  

We used about two yards of a linen colored muslin, stapled it to the bench in front of the yellow straps and then wrapped it around cushions and tucked in the corners. 

I love love looove how it turned out! 

I moved the swirly thingie from the dining area. I like it out here! 

With such an inviting seating area, we're already spending more time out here. Now I'm on the hunt for an outdoor area rug to cover up that cement floor. I'm thinking orange!

Whatcha think??

**Linked up to the Beneath My Heart Linky Party!**