Beverly DeJulio, host of HGTV's Homewise, gives tips to help you recycle an old bed into a distinctive bench, using the headboard as the back and fronting the bench with the footboard. The headboard and footboard are joined at the sides with plywood panels and topped with a cushion-covered plywood seat. The design of your bench will depend on the structure of the headboard and footboard. The top of the footboard must be about chair height to make the bench comfortable for sitting. Alter the footboard by cutting off the legs, if necessary. After determining the width of the new bench, join the headboard and footboard at the sides with plywood panels. You may need to add nailing strips to the headboard and footboard so you can attach the side panels and support for the seat. Stain and finish the added wood pieces that will be visible so they match the existing components. Beverly added two horizontal nailing strips to the footboard. The bottom strip supports the side piece that joins the footboard and the headboard, and the top one supports the seat of the bench (figure A). A horizontal nailing strip added to the bottom of the headboard supports the seat (figure B), and two vertical nailing strips added to the legs provide a nailing surface for attaching the side panels. The vertical strips on the legs are visible on the finished piece, so Beverly used a router to give them a detailed edge before attaching them (figure C). After the side panels are attached to the footboard, the headboard is attached (figure D). The plywood seat is set in place on the bench (figure E), and a piece of foam is covered with fabric to make a bench cushion (figure F).
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