How to Build an Entrance-Way Bench With Drawers

Entryway benches with drawers provide the ideal seating furniture for those who are coming and going from your home. They create a convenient place to put on and remove shoes. The drawers underneath the bench are well-suited to storing gloves, hats and scarves. Make a high-raised back for the bench and you have a place to hang coat hooks. This classic furniture piece will only get more beautiful with age as the wear creates a patina on used areas of the wooden surfaces.

2 boards, 1-by-16-inch, 22 inches long
2 boards, 1-by-16-inch, 36 inches long
Pan head screws
Screw gun
Board, 1-by-16-inch, 18 inches long
3/4-inch plywood panel, 37 1/2-by-60-inch
Hammer
Finish nails
Coat hook, with screws
2 wicker baskets, 6-by-16-by-16-inches

Instructions

- 1
  Place the 1-by-16-by-22-inch boards parallel to each other on a work surface. Orient the boards vertically lengthwise and space them 36 inches apart from the inside edges. These are the sides of the bench.
- 2
  Insert one 1-by-16-by-36-inch board between the bottom ends of the sides. This is the bottom of the bench. Insert the second 1-by-16-by-36-inch board between the sides and position it 18 inches up from the bottom board. This is the seat board. The 1-by-36-inch edges of the boards should be flush against the work surface.
- 3
  Drive pan head screws through the sides into the ends of the bottom and seat boards using a screw gun.
- 4
  Lay the 3/4-by-37 1/2-by-60-inch plywood panel over the bench assembly. The bottom 37 1/2-inch edge of the panel should be flush with the bottom of the bench. The 60-inch sides of the panel should be flush with the outside edges of the sides. This is the back of the bench. Hammer finish nails through the back into the edges of the bench assembly every 4 to 6 inches.
- 5
  Stand the assembly upright with the front of the bench facing you. Center the coat hook 6 inches down from the top of the back. Hold the hook in place and drive the screws that were included with it through the mounting holes into the back using a screw gun.
- 6
  Slide the 1-by-16-by-18-inch board between the legs and the top and bottom board. Center it between the legs. This is the center divider for the bench. The 1-by-16-inch edges should be flush with the bottom of the seat board and top of the bottom board, respectively. Hammer finish nails through the seat board into the center board every 2 inches. Lean the bench on its back so that the bottom is exposed. Hammer finish nails through the bottom board into the center board every 2 inches and stand the bench back up.
- 7
  Apply a coat of wood finish to the entire bench assembly using a paintbrush. Allow the finish to dry for four hours and apply a second coat. Wait 24 hours after the final coat before handling the bench.
- 8
  Slide the baskets into the openings on either side of the center board. These are the drawers for the bench.

How to Replace Strips of Wood on a Swedish Floor

DIY Interior Board & Batten Shutter Plans

Woodworking