Nothing complements a farmhouse table more than a matching farmhouse bench! Right? And when the cost of building a DIY farmhouse bench is less than a sit-down meal at a nice restaurant, I'm all in! What's not to love?!
I built this farmhouse table back in 2012 and bought six x-back chairs to go around it. I had every intention of building a farmhouse bench for one side, with the chairs on the ends and the opposite side, but life got busy and then I had another baby. So it's taken 5 years to build this bench, which only took me 2 afternoons! My excuses are procrastination and motherhood.
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What I love about this farmhouse bench is that it only takes basic tools to build, like a miter saw, drill, circular saw and Kreg Jig. And then it's a whopping $40!!! I would have spent at least $500 to buy more chairs for this side of the table, so building this bench saved my family a ton of money. Oh, and did I mention it's not hard at all and only took me 2 afternoons? This is a no-brainer.
Another great thing about this bench is that it tucks under the table when we're not using it, so it's perfect for when we're not using the table for dining. So if you're making this to go with a farmhouse table, make sure it isn't too long to fit underneath.
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And lastly, this DIY farmhouse bench doubles as extra seating in an entryway or long hallway. If you're not using it at a table, slide some storage baskets underneath and you instantly have seating and storage in a mudroom. The possibilities are endless!
Supplies You Need for a DIY Farmhouse Bench
- 1 – 4 x 4 x 8 board
- 2 – 2 x 8 x 8 boards
- 2 – 2 x 4 x 8 boards
- 2 1/2 inch Kreg Jig Screws
- 3 inch wood screws
- Miter saw (I have this one, but I'd buy this one if I were purchasing one for this project.)
- Drill
- Circular Saw (This is the one I use, and this kit comes with a drill and circular saw! It's a perfect circular saw for women, because it's lightweight and easy to use!)
- Kreg Jig – find more projects to build with a Kreg Jig here
- Drill bits
- Wood glue (optional)
- Wood conditioner
- Wood stain or paint
- Polyurethane
Cut List for a DIY Farmhouse Bench
- 4 – 4 x 4's cut to 16.5 inches (bench legs)
- 2 – 2 x 8's cut to 14.5 inches (breadboards)
- 2 – 2 x 8's cut to 59.5 inches (bench top)**
- 2 – 2 x 4's cut to 57 inches (long aprons)** – you can make this longer, depending on where you want the legs to sit under the bench top
- 2 – 2 x 4's cut to 5 inches (short aprons)
- 2 – 2 x 4's cut to 12 inches (supports)
**My bench is 74 inches long, so you'll need to add or subtract from these lengths to get the length you need.
How to Build a DIY Farmhouse Bench
Step 1: Cut all of your boards to the correct length, taking into account the length you want. I always measure one board at a time. I never run down a board, measure out all my lengths and cut them all at once. That sounds most efficient, but it doesn't account for the width of the saw blade, so your cuts come out a little short.
Step 2: Drill all of your Kreg Jig holes. All of your boards are 1.5 inches thick, so set your Kreg Jig and its drill bit to 1.5 inches. Set it to the actual size of your board, not the nominal size. For example, a 2 x 4 is actually 1.5 x 3.5 inches.
Place the tabletop pieces together and figure out the best arrangement for your boards. Some may have a slight warp, so they may fit together better in different configurations.
- Short Aprons: drill 2 holes on each end and 1 in the middle of the long side
- Long Aprons: drill 2 holes on each end and a hole every 6 to 8 inches or so along the long side
- Bench Top: choose one of the bench top pieces and drill holes every 6 to 8 inches or so along one long side
- Breadboards: drill 4 holes along one long edge
Step 3: Notch out the leg boards for the supports. Take your circular saw and make a cut 3.5 inches from the bottom and another 7 inches from the bottom.
Then make a cut every 1/4 inch between those two main cuts.
Then use a chisel to knock out the pieces, and use it to clear any bits left behind. I really struggled with this step when I built my first farmhouse table, but it's not hard at all.
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Step 4: Attach the leg supports. Drill a couple of holes in the support with a drill bit. It's hard to drive a 3 inch wood screw straight in, so don't skip the step where you pre-drill!
Measure where you're going to drill your holes before you start, because you want them centered and looking nice.
Step 5: Attach the short aprons between the legs. The aprons should sit flush with the tops of the legs. I used a scrap 1 x 4 underneath the aprons to inset them.
I totally messed up these legs, but not in a way that's a major problem or super noticeable. On my farmhouse table, the supports between the legs face outward. I wanted to copy this on my bench, but I got it wrong when I attached the aprons. I should have flipped the legs around and put them on the other side. I also should have flipped the aprons, so the Kreg Jig hole faces up toward the top of the legs instead of down toward the floor. #oops It turned out fine, but I should have caught it before I screwed them in.
Step 6: Attach the long aprons between the legs. Again, I used the scrap 1 x 4 to inset the aprons.
Step 7: Screw together the bench top. I used glue between these pieces before screwing them together.
Step 8: Attach the legs and frame to the underside of the bench top. Place the frame on the underside of the bench top and make sure it's centered on all sides. Screw everything in with 2.5 inch Kreg Jig Screws
Flip it over and admire your work! You've just turned a pile of wood into a farmhouse bench, and you deserve a pat on the back!! This is always my favorite part!
Step 9. Finish with Paint or Stain. I start by conditioning my wood with Minwax's Wood Conditioner. I did this with my farmhouse table, too.
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I used Minwax's Weathered Oak stain on my bench. It has a weathered gray look, but it looks very different on my bench than on my farmhouse table, probably because I stained the table 5 years ago. I'm going to darken it with a couple more coats of weathered gray before I seal it.
Then seal it with matte polyurethane. I haven't done this step yet, but I will once I get the stain color right. I did 2 coats on the table, I think, and I'll do the same for the bench.
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That's it!! You now have a beautiful, functional farmhouse bench for your family to enjoy for years to come.
See how easy that was to build? It's a simple process that just takes a little time and a very small amount of money, but it adds lots of seating with farmhouse character and charm! It's low profile, doesn't take up much space, and works in all kinds of places around the house! I'd love to see yours if you decide to build one too!
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