DIY Mudroom Bench

I've been really wanting to get a mudroom bench. Everywhere I looked, they were either way too expensive, shoddy craftsmanship or both. I hate particle board, and I hate paying over $100 for particle board. So after doing some research, I found some great plans and we made a go of it.

If you haven't heard of Ana White, or checked out her website, you must go. She has thousands of free plans from beginner to expert. I got my plans here: http://www.ana-white.com/2012/09/plans/fancy-x-farmhouse-bench, but our bench is actually a combination of two of the different benches she has listed on her website. All in all, it took about 2 days to complete (with sanding and such), and another several days on top of that to let the stain set. The best part? Even after buying the lumber and two stains (which we have plenty of leftovers of), the entire bench cost around $30. We are actually in the midst of building a large farmhouse table from reclaimed wood. I can't wait until it is done, and will post the information about how to make it as soon as it is finished.