How to repurpose a headboard set into a relaxing outdoor bench for two. The perfect spot to enjoy your morning coffee with the one you love or a relaxing glass of wine at the end of a busy day.

Today I'm sharing both instructions for building a headboard bench along with how to add an adorable graphic onto the back of the bench to add that extra special touch.

Repurposed Headboard Garden Bench

The inspiration for the handmade outdoor bench was remembering that we had bought an old headboard set last fall and had it stored under a tarp behind the repurposed louvered door garden fence.

When we pulled the tarp off I gasped because a critter decided it would keep it well fed over the winter!

Thankfully it only gnawed on the bottom half so it could easily be hidden by the frame of the bench seat (pictured below).

The two banisters also pictured above were found at a local online auction for $15.00.

How To Build An Outdoor Headboard Garden Bench

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Instead of a drawn-out tutorial on how we built the headboard bench I've included a pictorial below that I hope will help. I also included some tips for building the bench further down.

Step 1:

Build a frame for the seat with 2 x 4 lumber and attach it with wood screws from the back of the headboard so the top of the seat is 18-inches high.

Step 2:

Attach a piece of 1" x 3" lumber or decorative trim to the front of the seat frame to cover the rough 2 x 4 lumber.

Step 3:

Slice the footboard in half on a table saw, sliding miter saw, jigsaw or a circular saw with a straight edge cutting guide.

Step 4:

This step is optional but to reduce the depth of the seat trim the footboard side pieces 18-inches long.

Step 5:

On a level surface, place a piece of wood under the seat to hold it 18-inches above the ground. Adjust the seat so it is square with the footboard. Also, make sure that the seat is perfectly level before clamping it with bar clamps to hold it in place.

Attach the footboard to one side of the seat with wood screws. Then attach it to the headboard from the back as well. Repeat this step on the opposite side.

Step 6:

We repurposed the stair banisters mentioned earlier for the front legs on the bench. If you're lucky enough to have a footboard with legs then skip this step.

The size you trim the banisters is your personal choice but they must be at least 18-inches long. You can see in photo 8 of the pictorial that we made ours longer to add a decorative element to the bench.

Step 7:

Double-check that the seat is perfectly level and attach a temporary 2 x 4 to hold the bench in place.

Step 8:

Attach the trimmed banister legs onto the front of the seat frame with wood screws.

Pro-Tip

Alternatively, the bench could be assembled with pocket holes drilled into the seat frame with a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig. Unfortunately, we didn't have one at the time of building this bench.

You may have noticed in the pictorial that there were no finials on the front legs like you see in the after photos. As an afterthought, we added wooden ball post caps to echo the finials on the headboard posts.

Now it's time to make the headboard pretty.

Painting The Headboard Bench

Because there were so many different types of wood on the bench and because I was concerned about getting paint bleed, I primed the bench first with a stain blocker sealer. Then I painted the bench Serene DecoArt Chalky Finish paint color.

It went on like butter and I only used 1 1/4 jars to paint three coats, including the underside of the bench. I could have gotten away with only two coats but there were some areas that I missed so I added a third.

Isn't the Serene blue color so pretty?

How To Add Graphics Onto The Outdoor Bench

To add that special touch to our wooden garden bench for two, I created a graphic in PicMonkey using the Silhouette Image Birds On Branch graphic on the Graphics Fairy website.

Next, I downloaded the graphic to the Block Poster website and enlarged it to fit the headboard. The graphic was printed onto several sheets of bond paper and I taped them together.

I rubbed a pencil on the back of the graphic and with painter's tape attached it to the center of the back of the headboard. Next, I traced over the graphic so the pencil transferred onto the wood.

With black acrylic craft paint and art brushes, I painted over the traced details. An oil-based paint pen would also work for this step. My apologies for not taking photos of this step. I tend to go into a zone when doing graphics that I completely forgot.

That's it! I could sit here for hours listening to the birds chirping while enjoying a good book.

While I adore this sweet bench, I'm happy to report that it sold VERY quickly. I hope the new owners are enjoying their garden bench for two.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope I have inspired you to check your local thrift store for headboard sets to make your own romantic bench for two. For more bench inspiration see my repurposed headboard benches page.

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