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Home » Country french

Dumpster dive diy farmhouse bench

By Debbiedoo's Team Published: Aug 30, 2014 · Modified: Mar 11, 2023

Hi there!

Today we are sharing a dumpster dive diy farmhouse bench.

debbiedoos's kitchen

(light from Restoration hardware)

I say we..because

I was so excited the other day when my husband called me out to the garage.  I always know when he walks in the house and says “Deb come here I need to show you something”.

It’s usually something he has scored from a dumpster.  One would never dream my husband would be a dumpster diver.  He is a tall, good looking ,clean cut, professional working man.

Goes to show, never stereo type a garbage picker.

I have been wanting bench seating in our kitchen for a few years now.  Problem was, our table is very high.  We bought our kitchen set in South Florida from a Mexican pottery/furniture shop.  It was a steal and is a beautiful hand made set.  However, they must have made it for taller people because the table is so high that  when you sit in the seats your feet do not touch the ground.  Unless, you are of course 6’0 or taller.

Hence, we could never find a bench tall enough.

I asked my husband a few weeks ago if he could make me one.

 He made an outdoor park bench years ago.  Though he has no woodworking skills, I knew he could do it.

Heck, he built a pizza oven.  He can build a bench.

dumpster dive by Mike

We believe this was a sign of some sort, considering it has the eye hooks.  We chose to keep them in tact and perhaps I can add some rope or something down the road.

diy farmhouse bench The lumber came from Lowes hardware,  Mike carefully  hand picked each piece.  He measured the height of our current chairs and that is how he determined what the height of the bench and legs would be.

skil sanderMike sanded the top of the bench to get a nice smooth, splinter free finish.

varnish for benchMy husband swears by this varnish.  In fact, he uses a marine varnish every year on our outdoor picnic table and chairs.

We receive a lot of comments and compliments on the finish.  He uses a high gloss on the outside, {Marine Clear varnish} however for the bench we chose a satin finish.

diy rustic farmhouse bench Mike also put gliders on the bottom of the legs so we would not scratch up the floor each time we sat down and slid the bench over.

diy bench from dumpster diveI’m in love with our new Farmhouse/rustic dumpster dive bench.

Rough estimate of cost $50.00

Lumber

varnish

and screws.

The varnish was the biggest cost at $24.00 a can.

sunny rustic farmhouse kitchen 022

I think what I love  the most is we can actually sit eight now at the table.  We were able to before, but that was pulling up extra chairs.

sunny rustic farmhouse kitchen 006

 Not bad for a dumpster dive!

Go Mike.

Sunflowers and roosters

Thanks for stopping over today.

Enjoy the long Holiday weekend.

If you missed my Kitchen summer tour you can take a gander at that while you are here.  Everything is sure to change here shortly.

If you are not a regular here, I sure would love to see you back again.

XO

 Faux beamsFrench Coutnry farm house diy bench.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patty

    August 30, 2014 at 8:40 am

    Beautiful!

    Reply
  2. Lynn Fern

    August 30, 2014 at 8:56 am

    I love it Debbie!!! It is a sweet score. I always love when I am surprised with a dumpster dive that I wasn’t the one doing the diving 🙂 Happy weekend!

    Reply
  3. Kris

    August 30, 2014 at 9:19 am

    Debbie,
    What a great find. It is beautiful.
    Kris

    Reply
  4. Pam

    August 30, 2014 at 9:42 am

    I had no idea Mike had the dumpster diving bug! The new bench looks great there!

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      August 30, 2014 at 11:42 am

      One would never dream it! LOL

      Reply
  5. Kim

    August 30, 2014 at 9:51 am

    Great job, Mike! Great find and it looks awesome.

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      August 30, 2014 at 11:38 am

      Thanks Kim!

      Reply
  6. craig ballantyne

    August 30, 2014 at 9:59 am

    I think your blog is really really interesting and full of great informative things great stuff.

    Reply
  7. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions

    August 30, 2014 at 10:36 am

    The bench looks great, Debbie!

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      August 30, 2014 at 11:38 am

      Thanks Kathy, Mike is proud!

      Reply
  8. Pam @diy Design Fanatic

    August 30, 2014 at 10:49 am

    Great find and a great job Mike!

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      August 30, 2014 at 11:38 am

      Best dumpster dive he ever had!

      Reply
  9. The Tuscan Home

    August 30, 2014 at 11:45 am

    Love. Love. Love. What a great find, and it looks amazing in it’s new spot and home. Did I tell you how much I love that clock you have, where did you find it? Have a great weekend! xo, Liz

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      August 30, 2014 at 11:48 am

      Clock came from Ballards at least 12 years ago. Thanks Liz!

      Reply
  10. Linda

    August 30, 2014 at 11:51 am

    Holy Cow!! What a score! Magnificent job Mike! You’re hired!

    Reply
  11. Linda

    August 30, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    What and I for a treasure he did an awesome job bravo Mike keep digging in the dumpsters

    Reply
  12. Pam

    August 30, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    Great job by your hubby! I love the size of the bench and how it looks in your room. Well done!

    Pam

    Reply
  13. Dee

    August 30, 2014 at 12:14 pm

    He did an awesome job, Debbie. It looks great, and I absolutely love the way your kitchen looks — beautiful! 🙂 Have a fun weekend!

    Reply
  14. laurie

    August 30, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    looks great!! What a good job he did, I love to have lots of seating at my table too!

    Reply
  15. Debbie

    August 30, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    Love it! Way to go Mike 🙂

    Reply
  16. Shannon Fox Fox Hollow Cottage

    August 30, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    SUCH a score. Bravo to Mike for the great find, and the great fix. Totally custom and perfect for your tall table. The kitchen looks gorge!! Still loving those beams too :)))

    Reply
  17. lindad

    August 30, 2014 at 10:36 pm

    a year ago my husband and I were in town and I took a scenic route home and by someones house they had a wood office desk with one sm. drawer and one large draw for files. It also had a key board shelf that slide into the desk if you wanted out of sight. It was a dark cherry wood finish marked FREE with one scratch on top that looked like someone slide something across it. I just put a table runner over it for now. I always wanted a computer desk and just did not want to pay the price. We had my suv and was not sure if it would fit, the drawer would not come out so we had to lift that heavy desk inside the car. But it was worth it ! Great fine your bench.

    Reply
  18. Sharon

    August 30, 2014 at 11:11 pm

    That is a good looking bench!

    Reply
  19. Angela

    August 31, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    Wow! This is totally awesome! He did a great job! I can’t believe someone would throw something so awesome into the dumpster!!! ~~Ang

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      September 01, 2014 at 9:15 am

      He was shocked too! Glad he spotted it as driving by.

      Reply
  20. jessie

    August 31, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    Wow..Great job Mike..love it. Fits so well in your kitchen area.

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      September 01, 2014 at 9:15 am

      Thanks Jessie:)

      Reply
  21. Carol

    August 31, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    Love the bench especially how wide it is! Looks so good in your dining room

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      September 01, 2014 at 9:14 am

      Thank you Carol. Yes we like the width of it as well.It’s pretty comfortable!

      Reply
  22. Becca

    August 31, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    Such a cool bench and talented hubby! It’s the perfect addition to your awesome kitchen! Lucky girl!

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      September 01, 2014 at 9:14 am

      Thanks Becca! I bet you are getting in the Fall mood!

      Reply
  23. SheilaG @ Plum Doodles

    August 31, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    Goooo, Mike- how fun! I need to figure out how I can get Richard to start d-diving for me. 🙂 The bench looks great, and looks like a good size for a coffee table, too, if you ever decided to change things up again.

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      September 01, 2014 at 9:14 am

      What a great idea Sheila, never thought of that!

      Reply
  24. tegmapat

    September 02, 2014 at 12:25 am

    I’m a 73 yr. old woman, so I don’t presume to know it all in carpentry, but I am a DIY person, who does all her own work. I noticed that some of the ends of your boards on the bench have splits in them. Just a tip for your husband, if you’d rather not have that from here on in. Drill the ends of the boards with a very small drill bit before hammering in the nails and you won’t get any splits. Love the bench tho’…. splits and all!

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      September 02, 2014 at 7:49 am

      The ends of the boards were like that already. My husband only attached the legs and he did that from the bottom. Remember this was a dumpster dive, and it was some sort of sign so those nails were pre existing. Thanks for the tip though.

      Reply
  25. Shannon

    September 02, 2014 at 11:38 pm

    The bench is SO nice! I love it and I love when you write about Mike. You two are the best couple! 🙂

    Reply
  26. Debbie

    September 03, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    I love it! I love a man who will dumpster dive, too. I’m pretty sure I could convince my husband to dive IN, but I would have to do the seek and find first. You have a keeper for sure. (The bench, too… but I was talking about the husband. ) Going to look into that varnish.

    Reply
  27. Patricia

    September 03, 2014 at 10:35 pm

    Hi Debbie!
    Loved seeing this dumpster dive project. It looks great there at your table…very rustic!
    We use a combination of chairs and a bench too. With all my little grand-kids here most days… it sure comes in handy!

    Reply
  28. Lisa Palmese

    September 13, 2014 at 12:22 pm

    I Love it!1 He scored Big Time. It is exactly Perfect for that Room.
    And I am going to have to Agree with Your Husband on The Marine
    Varnish. When someone sees a piece of furniture outside they say oh that’s
    going to get ruined etc.. I say Use Marine Varnish!! Bravo on two points for Him lol
    Looks Beautiful and a Great Addition.
    Lisa.

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      September 13, 2014 at 2:36 pm

      It is a great product indeed!

      Reply
  29. Linda Southworth

    September 15, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    Debbie, it just looks so nice! Great when it all finally comes together! Now I spied the dog’s bowl and loved the black dog pic at his level. How cute is that! And I love the fact that you are smitten with chickens. My daughters don’t understand my affection for them. I enjoy your posts!

    Reply

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