How to Turn a Hutch Into a Bench

Remove all but the bottom hutch drawer. The bottom drawer or shelf will act as the bench’s seat. Screw the bottom drawer shut with your electric screwdriver.

Cut out any excess wood framing with your circular saw. Sometimes, a hutch has wooden framing to hold in its drawers. If yours does, you need to remove it so that nothing is over the bottom drawer and that you’ll be able to sit on the bottom drawer or shelf area. You can use clamps or a vice to hold the piece still while you carefully cut off excess framing.

Apply polyester wood filler to any holes or grooves in the wood that need to be filled in to give the hutch a smooth appearance.

Measure the top of the bottom drawer, the area that will act as the seat.

Cut a piece of plywood the same size of the bottom drawer seat. You can use your circular saw or have your local lumberyard cut a piece that matches those dimensions.

Place the cut piece of plywood on top of the hutch’s bottom drawer.

Screw the plywood on top of the bottom drawer with your electric screwdriver.

Sand the entire piece. You can use an electric sander, or do it by hand, though that could take quite a while. If your hutch is painted, you will need to remove all of the paint. If it is a wood color, remove the finish.

Finish the piece with paint or primer. Apply two coats, letting each coat dry before applying the next.