DIY 2x4 Wood Outdoor Bench with Welded H Legs

October 11, 2017

DIY 2x4 Wood Outdoor Bench with Welded H Legs

Easy DIY Wood Outdoor Bench with Welded Legs

This is an unusual DIY furniture project because you'll actually have to come back next year to see the real "after". I've joked about being the slooooowest amateur decorator and DIYer out there, but this project should fully and officially solidify that title for me.

Okay, technically this DIY outdoor wood bench - with its awesome welded H legs - is finished. You can sit on it, place a drink on it, stand up and salsa dance on it (it's sturdy enough, I promise), but I left the wood bare because I want to see how it weathers. That means that, right now, it's just plain, unfinished cedar, but hopefully next spring it will be a beautiful, driftwood-eqsue grey!

This humble DIY bench - and its long, greying process - is actually serving an important purpose. One that might save us from making a mistake that costs tens of thousands of dollars.

Remember how I shared my tentative plans for the lakehouse exterior? Next spring we plan to replace our mismatched pine and vinyl siding with DIY cedar wood siding, which we hope will grey beautifully for that perfect, coastal vibe. After spotting a copper-painted metal roof in town, I'm kind of envisioning that paired with the driftwood-grey wood siding but it's such a huge, scary, expensive decision! I'm so nervous about DIYing our own siding - that feels major - and buying a new metal roof is such a huge expense. The wood we can always paint, so I'm slightly less nervous about that decision (although doing our own siding still feels intimidating!), but the copper roof we'd be stuck with forever. I need something to help me make up my mind - a visual aid.

We decided to make this simple bench, with an untreated cedar wood top and welded H legs (painted the same copper hue we painted our DIY welded fire pit) as a trial run. We're also building a new front step with the same idea, so we'll have two pieces of outdoor furniture I'll see every day, from now until spring, with untreated cedar paired with copper, so I can assess whether I actually like the wood once it's weathered plus I can make sure I'm committed enough to copper to sign up for a 50 year roof!

We needed a new front step anyway and a bench will be such a practical piece. We're still working on that front step, but here's how we made this modern welded bench!

Note: if you're not into welding, you can also just buy similar H-legs (or these super chunky X-base legs) and add your own DIY top! These welded legs, at only $80 or so, are the least expensive ones I've seen. I also linked some similar benches you can straight up buy, at the bottom of this post.

Supplies:

For the base we used 3" wide steel flat bar, which was something new for us because we almost always work with square metal tubing. (You know you're an avid DIYer when you have "go-to" metal, haha).

For the top, we actually used home improvement store lumber, which we never use for furniture. It's intended for building, so it's really not the right quality for furniture and it irks me when I see people use plywood with biscuits or really warped lumber for DIY home decor projects. Don't expect quality furniture from builder's grade wood! We always head to a lumber yard with materials designed for woodworkers - that's where I score my fancy walnut plywood too. But for this project, we wanted to keep costs down and try using the kind of wood we'd actually use for the siding, so we headed to a home improvement store and reluctantly bought some 2x4's.

Before we built the wood top, though, we made the welded metal legs for the base. We toyed with some different designs, but ultimately we liked this look:

To make that H leg, we had to make some cuts and cut out two pairs of pieces for each leg. To do that, we measured out the lengths and cut them using a 4.5" angle grinder with some cutting disks.

With the four pieces cut out (two shorter and two longer), we used welding magnets to hold together the leg shape.

We use these magnets for every welding project, they are seriously handy!

To hold the rectangular H leg together, Hubby started by tack welding the shape (which is the same principle as basting stitches for sewing - you just want to hold everything together and double check for squareness, etc., before committing to an actual weld).

To remove any slag, Hubby used a wire brush and gave it a brisk brushing.

Here's a peek at the tack weld:

When we were sure it was perfect, he doubled back and welded all of the joints for good. At this point, we had to call in the Project Inspector, Szuka. She'll assess the quality and smell of our welds, indicating whether the project is a pass or fail.

And, voila! Here's a look at one of the finished bench legs. After using a flapper disk on the grinder to remove any rogue lumps or bumps (welding splatter), it was ready for some tabs.

To attach the welded legs to the wood top, we affixed some tabs because we didn't have a drill bit to drill through the flat bar because it's so thick. So we welded on some tabs that we could drill through.

One tip: we originally only did tabs on one side of the metal but then added a second set on the other side to keep the legs straighter and add strength. This bench is heavy!

For the paint, I chose the same copper spray paint we used for the fire pit - which is a great shade of copper. For this application, we definitely don't need a high heat paint, but we both liked that the two outdoor pieces would match (Rust-Oleum makes a other copper paint but it's a different shade). Plus it means we can just keep one can of paint on hand to touch up the fire pit, bench, and step as needed.

To build the top, all we did was cut our 2x4's to the same length and then sanded rough spots and the edges to create a smooth surface. We edge glued the boards together for a little extra strength and to help hold them in position.

I could get used to this natural wood thing because skipping the staining and clear coating meant this project was done days faster. That is my kinda DIY!!!

All we have to do now is let nature takes its course and beautifully weather this wood for us... This will give me something to look forward to as I wait out the cold winter ahead.

Right now the bench has found a home on the deck of our guest house - and I love the copper legs paired with my Eames chairs and the turquoise front door/window trim. Such a pretty color palette of autumnal hues and my perennial favorite: turquoise!

Love the look but definitely not into the DIY? No worries! I know not everyone can whip up some welded furniture in their backyard. Here are a couple of similar options you can purchase: this very similar bench with reclaimed wood top and welded metal H legs from Etsy and this rustic live edge bench with welded legs.

P.S. If you loved watching this welded bench come together (I like the show, How it's Made, so I'm fascinated by projects even when they're out of our reach just because the assembly process is so mesmerizing), check out our other welding projects:

Walnut Bed with Welded Legs (and check out the Welded Headboard Refresh too!)

Welded Desk with Glossy Pre-Fab Pine Top

Welded Fire Pit

DIY Stool with Bunny Ears

Last fall I had this burning desire to make a little stool with bunny ears after seeing one in an advertisement for an airline. A few days later, I spotted a little wood stool at the landfill:

Obviously the Universe was on board with me making a bunny stool too. It was such a simple little furniture hack, but it turned out so adorable. I have no idea why the heck I wanted to make this, but darn it if it doesn't make me laugh every time I look at it...

Those EARS!

After I lugged my new (old) stool home, I gave it a light sand and a wash and then let it dry. It was grimey and chipped and needed a fresh coat of paint.

Next Handy Hubby and I free-hand sketched two lopsided rabbit ears onto scrap plywood and, using a jigsaw, cut them out. We were working on another project at the time, so this took two seconds.

I lightly sanded the edges of the ears for a smooth finish (you can also add some edge band), and then we affixed them to the stool, screwing them in from the bottom. Easy peasy.

I was tempted to draw a face but my Mom said it would look more Scandi - and less kiddie - if I spray painted it all one color. So I gave everything a blast of white spray primer + paint in a gloss finish.

It is the cutest thing ever and I have absolutely no legitimate use or need for it, but I have been using it for six months as a plant stand. Picture a sweet little bunny face - or one in the shape of a fox! - for a sweet addition to a kid's play room.

So silly, but so perfect for spring, right? I'm ready...

DIY Walnut Plywood Bed Frame with Welded Legs

Our bedroom recently got a major upgrade, thanks to this gorgeous, DIY walnut bed frame with welded legs:

Here's what our bed looked like before:

For warranty purposes, we had to keep our mattress and box springs on an ugly, utilitarian metal bed frame and this bed skirt was the best way to hide it. I liked the look, but Szuka got into this habit of snuggling up against it, which created a permanent dent where she pressed on the fabric. I was also worried that our bedroom was going to smell like a dog's butt, so I started washing the bed skirt more, and of course it shrank, so I cut it and pinned it in place to fake the length but then the safety pins would open up and slide around.

I was 100% done with this bed skirt and the warranty on our mattress had long expired anyway, so I started sketching plans for a modern bed frame. I envisioned walnut plywood (to tie in the bedside boxes we made, as well as the walnut throughout the house, like our DIY walnut desk and floating walnut bathroom vanity). I decided that welded metal legs, in the same size square metal tubing as the frame of our headboard, would make the headboard, bed frame and nightstands look really cohesive.

It was a surprisingly easy project - it's basically a walnut veneered plywood box with some metal legs that Handy Hubby welded in an afternoon! Here's how we made it, and what supplies we used.

Supplies:

As always, we began with a sketch of our design and made a materials list and cut list. We measured the exact size of our box springs when they're pushed together and, allowing for the thickness of the material and a teeny tiny extra allowance so we can easily slip the box springs into (and out of) the frame, cut the plywood pieces to fit the box springs exactly. The legs were designed so that they run the width of the bed, so those cuts corresponded to the plywood box we built. The height was chosen so that the overall height of the bed would still be a comfortable reach to the nightstand. If you make a plywood frame for your bed, the measurements will be different, which is why I'm not including our cut list.

How to Make Welded Furniture Legs:

We needed six pieces the width of the bed and six pieces for uprights. Local metal places sold the square metal tubing by the foot, but we asked them to cut lengths that could fit in our truck and made the rest of the cuts at home. Hubby marked off the lengths we needed and used a 4.5" angle grinder to cut the pieces at 45 degree angles, one at a time.

For each of the three legs, we needed two lengths the width of the bed and two lengths the height we wanted the bed frame. My idea was that the elongated rectangle shape would mimic the design of the headboard, while offering a nice stable support for the bed.

After the pieces were cut, Hubby worked on each of the three legs individually, assembling them and holding each rectangular leg together with welding magnets, checking that they're square, and tack welding them together with our wire feed welder.

Then he welded the four pieces together to make the rectangular legs I designed. He used the same 4.5" angle grinder, this time with a grinding disk, to clean up the welded area to make it less rough. He then used a flapper disk on the grinder to smooth out the welded joints even more and prepare them for painting.

Below you can see the cut pieces vs. one finished leg:

No photographed: we attached the legs to the walnut box using screws, so we had to pre-drill holes through the legs. Using a step drill, Hubby drilled out holes in both walls of the upper bar of the leg (the square metal tubing is hollow inside). The hole next to the bottom of the bed frame is where the screw gets tightened. There is a larger hole drilled on the other wall of the same tube to allow a screwdriver in to tighten the screw.

Once the welded legs were complete, we brought them to Hubby's Dad's workshop - with its glorious spray painting booth - so I could paint them the same matte black we used to paint the headboard and side tables. Spraying on the paint ensured a nice, smooth finish.

How to Build a Plywood Bed Frame

With the legs done, we tackled the plywood box - with one small mistake! After sketching the design and making our cut list, we headed to a local supplier to buy the materials. We originally planned to use inexpensive plywood and apply walnut veneer to only the sides but we were talked out of applying veneer. We decided to go with walnut veneered plywood instead, but we had to race to another place with minutes to spare before they closed and we mistakenly bought walnut veneered ply for the whole project, adding to the cost. We forgot that we wanted to use inexpensive ply on the bottom, which you can't see anyway.

Other than making that one costly error, building the box that our box springs now sit in was simple.

We took our walnut ply out to Hubby's Dad's shop and cut out the pieces on his table saw. Hubby and his Dad cut two pieces for the bottom and four pieces for the sides. Easy peasy - although handling the sheets was often a two-person job.

We assembled the bed frame in the room, because it's so large. After laying down a protective sheet of plastic, we started with the bottom. Because we have a king-sized bed, the bottom of our bed frame is comprised of two pieces of plywood glued together. We placed them on the floor, with the bottom facing up, and applied glue to the edges of the plywood, sticking them together. Then we glued and nailed some cross pieces in for added support:

The completed legs were then fixed in place with wood screws through the pre-drilled holes I mentioned earlier (I think this was Szuka's protest against the new bed):

Then we flipped the bed right side up (wow, is it heavy!) and the side pieces were glued and air nailed into place. We left everything alone overnight for the glue to dry.

With the bed constructed, we finished the exposed edges with walnut edge banding to create the illusion of solid walnut. This post has great tips for applying pre-glued edge banding (it's really easy).

After that, all that was left to do was give the bed a few coats of Danish Oil and wait patiently for it to cure so we could move our mattress and box spring back into place. You can see we evenly spaced the legs, and they're inset from the ends so that the leg by our feet is not flush with the end of the bed. We did this so that when we walk around the bed, we won't stub our toes on the metal.

And, voila! A beautiful new bed frame in walnut, with welded legs to match our headboard:

We've been using the new bed for about a month and I LOVE it! It's so much easier to clean under the bed, plus there's no longer a bedskirt kicking around, picking up dust and doggy butt prints. I was worried that replacing a light bed skirt with a darker wood bed frame would make the room feel darker/heavier/smaller but it's had the opposite effect: the room feels larger and airier. Happily, Szuka doesn't seem troubled by the change after all, because she still lies beside the bed some nights even though she can't really lean against anything.

You might have noticed that I finally decided on a new duvet cover and shams (after using the other pin-tucked set for over five years). I actually short-listed quite a few, including the Belgian Flax Linen set in Teal, the Cotton Cashmere in Heather Gray, the Ripple Texture in Stone White, the Organic Cotton Braided Matelasse in Stone White, the Organic Cotton Smocked Pleated in White, and the Organic Cotton Shadow Diamond Matellase in Stone White. I contemplated so many different colors and patterns, but ultimately I decided that I really like white bedding. It helps make the bedroom seem larger and also helps to create a calming atmosphere. Because I tend to forget the bedding in the dryer on laundry day, I also love a duvet cover with some texture to hide any wrinkles - that's my housekeeping hack for the week!

I spent weeks shopping, but eventually I chose the Organic Cotton Brighton Matelasse in Stone White with matching Euro shams, from West Elm (it also comes in Platinum, a soft grey, and Slate, a rich charcoal hue). I liked how long our last West Elm duvet cover lasted, plus I had purchased the Euro pillow inserts from West Elm so I knew that most of their duvet covers would have that particular size of shame as an option. I am totally smitten with the texture of this duvet cover, which has a really beautiful, organic quality to it.

To keep warm on blustery winter nights, I also splurged on a king-sized blanket (finally). Hubby and I both kept going back to the Pendleton Eco-Wise Wool Blanket in Shale, which is the perfect grey/blue hue and a timeless design (it's available in Queen and Twin sizes as well). This blanket adds a really breathable layer of warmth and on those frigid nights when we need it, neither of us has woken up overheated or feel suffocated, despite the substantial weight of the wool. Plus it's made in the USA!

Just to shake things up a tiny bit more, I added a bright blue Hungarian embroidered pillow from my Grandparents - which pulls out that same cobalt blue from my mid-century posters. I pull all of my bedroom decor colors - teal, green, blue, brown, and grey - from the mid-century posters hanging above the dresser, and that helps the room feel cohesive. The fashion theme has also inspired my love of textures over patterns, and I really enjoy how the matelasse, tweed, silk, and wool add interest to the room.

Starting the year with new bedding and a new bed feels amazing - now I just need to save up some cash to replace our 10 year old duvet and mattress...

DIY Walnut Plywood Bed Frame with Welded Legs

Get a Similar Look:

Dans le Lakehouse

October 11, 2017