How Make an Entrance Way Storage Bench

Build the Seat Box

• 1

  Put on safety goggles. Use a circular saw to rip two 16-inch strips from a piece of 3/4-inch plywood. Cut the strips into four panels. Cut two of the panels at 69-1/2 inches and the other two at 15-1/2 inches.

• 2

  Measure the height of the baseboard at the bottom of the wall using measuring tape. Rip the amount off one of the longer panels. This piece is the back of the box and will sit above the baseboard.

• 3

  Form the box by connecting the two shorter panels (sides) between the longer panels (front and back). Make sure the edges are flush. Secure with wood glue and use an electric drill to screw 1-5/8-inch deck screws into the panels.

• 4

  Use a pencil to mark where the sides of the box touch the baseboard. Use a reciprocating saw to cut 1-1/2-inch notches in the baseboard, 3/4 inch on either side of each mark. The box will fit into the notches.

• 5

  Find the studs in the wall using a stud finder. Mark their location with a pencil and use a level to trace a line vertically even with the marks and 7 feet up the wall. Push the box into place so that the sides fit into the notches. Use a an electric drill to screw 2-1/2-inch deck screws through the box and into the wall studs, securing the box in place.

Install the Hinge Support

• 6

  Cut a 2 x 4 to 68 inches with a miter saw. Cut a 3-1/2-inch-wide piece of plywood to 68 inches. Lay the pieces even with one another and use an electric drill to screw 15/8-inch deck screws into them.

• 7

  Put the 2 x 4 assembly along the top back of the box. It should be 3/4 inches below the top edge. Screw 3-1/2-inch deck screws through the assembly and box, screwing into the wall studs.

• 8

  Screw three L-brackets inside the front edge of the box and two on each side. These hold the box in place.

Attach Panel Molding and Trim the Box

• 9

  Cut seven 16-inch strips of 1 x 4, four 10-3/4-inch strips of 1 x 4, and four 30-1/4-inch strips of 1 x 4.

• 10

  Use a circular saw to rip 3/4 inch off the width of two of the 16-inch strips of 1 x 4. Connect the 1 x 4s to the box, starting with the 16-inch strip that sits against the back wall on the sides of the box. Connect with 3d nails and glue. Make the edges of the 1 x 4s flush with the edges of the box. Connect the narrower 16-inch strip to the front corner.

• 11

  Cut panel molding so it will fit inside the 1 x 4 rectangles and miter the ends. Nail the molding to the box using 2d finish nails. Do this on both sides of the box.

• 12

  Create trim for the front of the box by using two frames connected to a piece of 1 x 4 in the center. Overlap the 1 x 4s at the corners so they fit to the side paneling. Put the panel molding inside the frame.

• 13

  Use a saw to cut a piece of 1 x 2 to 71 inches. Connect the piece to the top edge of the box front using wood glue and 3d finish nails. Cut two pieces of 1 x 2 to 16-1/4 inches and cap the sides with them, sitting them flush with the 2 x 4 assembly. Miter 3/4-inch quarter-round molding to 45 degrees at the corner joints and trim the base of the box with it.

Trim and Install the Seat Lid

• 14

  Use a 6-foot-long piece of 1 x 16 shelving board for the lid. Cut strips of 1/2 x 7/8-inch decorative shoe molding with a miter saw, mitering the ends at the corners. Keep the back edges square. Attach the molding to the front and side edges of the lid with wood glue and 2d finish nails.

• 15

  Rip a 72-inch piece of plywood to 2-1/4 inches and nail it to the back edge of the seat box, capping the 2 x 4 assembly. Finish it off by nailing shoe molding onto trim the edges.

• 16

  Screw in three European cabinet hinges with wood screws, attaching the lid to the 2 x 4 assembly. The lid should overhang the box sides and front by 1 inch.

Paint the Bench

• 17

  Sand the bench using 180-grit sandpaper.

• 18

  Caulk the nail holes and gaps between moldings to fill them in.

• 19

  Prime the bench and moldings. Paint them with two coats of semigloss latex paint in your choice of color.