Day 1: Took a personal day from work and headed right to Home Depot after dropping the kids off at school. Selected sheets of finished wood and had them cut the pieces I'd need for supports. Grabbed wood glue, dowels and some particle board for the backs (no one should see them but I didn't want the contents of the cubbies to fall through).
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| Pieces cut at the store and drilled for dowels are ready for assembly |
At home, it took me several hours to get the holes drilled for the dowels, line up all of the dowels with the appropriate holes, add glue, and smoosh them together. The rug got a few glue drips on it (oops) and I drilled right through the wood in spots... ah well, no one will be inspecting either too closely.
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| Midway through the process of lining up dowels and gluing the supports |
By the time my kids' school day was done, I'd assembled the skeletons and had holes drilled into the top pieces. These took up 1/3 of our dining area and my kids will want to climb on them, so I was pressed to finish this project ASAP...
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| Adding the back at this stage provided some support while the wood glue dried |
After the kids were in bed, I got the tops lined up and popped on with only a little cursing. My husband found some straps we use to ratchet things onto our car rooves... they definitely came in handy. By morning they should be in a state where the kids can touch them. Meanwhile, I attached feet I'd found on sale online (about $4 each) with two-sided screws an old gnarly man at Home Depot suggested. Good call! Also, pulled out my miter box and sawed the trim so the two pieces could come together snugly. If I ever need to use these in another formation, I can add more trim -- I've got a bit leftover and anyway, it looks pretty standard.
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| The pieces are starting to come together |
Trim makes boring, not-exactly-right boxes look so much better...
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| Inexpensive trim cut with miter box and saw, and attached |
I love these feet and they make this look like a piece of furniture, similar to our inherited dining table and chairs. Together I hope it all gives off a hacienda-esque vibe.
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| Feet were found online on sale (www.vandykes.com) |
Days 2-4:
Who knew staining and sealing these would be the hardest part? One fiasco after another... to prevent fumes inside I did this under a covered porch... but it was March and quite wet. The stuff didn't dry quickly and it looked streaky so I kept applying more and more coats... and it had to stay longer and longer outside. On morning #2 the top started bowing and popped off the dowels -- I freaked, woke up my husband and he pulled out the rachet straps again. Between the two of us we got the tops back on reasonably well, but I had to buy some wood putty to fill some gaps. Cushions are now a must.
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| Stain was applied outside because it was too soon to open windows |
Day 5: With fabric from the sale table, and foam that is way more expensive than I expected, I constructed these pillows. Never a patient person, especially with sewing, I just wrapped these like gifts, safety pinned them, then used a curved needle to stitch them up. The roll pillows are actually big dog pillows I found at Home Goods for about $15 each (everything else I found was way too expensive). I folded them on end and sewed a seam down the long edge. The sides are still open so I can unzip and clean them if need by. The larger pillows don't have zippers but I figure I can cheaply and quickly recover them if they get too funky... plus I will eventually get sick of the color and pattern.
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| Finished product with cushions |
Another angle. The clutter is already starting to fill up the cubbies... but at least it's organized chaos. Our entryway has been a dumping ground for too long! And now we have more seating when our extended families come over.
Time to complete: 1 full day + 1 evening + 2-3 naptimes
Approximate cost: $300
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