I got this old dresser from my in-laws. It was old when they bequeathed it to us, and we used it for 4 more years after that.

Old Dresser to Bench 1

The drawers were beginning to get stuck and not slide easily, and several were chipped on the edges so I decided to change up the layout to something more useful (and since we got a dresser that fit their new room better.)

First I took off the top and first two rows of drawers using a drill and reciprocating saw.

Old Dresser to Bench 2

After cutting off the two remaining uprights on the left hand side, I nailed on a piece of 3/4 inch fiberboard across a frame on top of the old drawer rail. I put 1×4’s all the way around on edge, with one across the center for support. Then I added in wainscoting around the back.

Old Dresser to Bench 3

I added a top rail of 1 x 3’s and sanded over the edges

Old Dresser to Bench 4

I then painted it gloss black (which was to as fun as one might imagine on a 100 degree+ day, but at least the paint dried quickly)

Old Dresser to Bench 5

After I finished and let it dry for a couple of hours in the sun.

Old Dresser to Bench 6

My wife made a foam pad and pillow covers for the top, and the drawers are used for storage of seasonal covers for the pillows and things that need to be given back to people (lost shoes, serving dishes etc from visitors)

Old Dresser to Bench 7

It now sits our front entryway (which I can’t take a decent picture of since it is so narrow — which was the reason for the bench anyway.)

Total cost — $10 since I had the pain paint, and most of the wood on hand, probably about $25 if I had needed to purchase all of the materials.

Old Dresser to Bench 8

Tip