How to turn an old dresser into an adorable bench for your entryway

If you have an entryway that gets its share of mud and grime, an old or unwanted dresser, some experience using tools and a bit of time on your hands, you can create a bench that looks like a custom piece of furniture. That’s because, for all intents and purposes, it is!

A creative and obviously handy guy posted a video on a YouTube channel called “kooler,” which is appropriate because this upcycle is cooler than any furniture repurposing project we’ve come up with. In the video, he partially dismantles an old, six-drawer dresser that has definitely seen better days.

With some measuring, cutting, nailing and painting, he turns the outdated bedroom piece into a stylish and totally functional bench for an entryway (or, if you’re old enough to remember phone books and landlines, a telephone table).

You can watch the YouTube video titled “DIY how to convert dresser to a bench thingy” here.

To begin, the at-home craftsman pried the top off of the dresser. After removing the “bones” of the furnishing’s left side and peeling away the backing, he essentially cut the dresser’s interior in half, leaving the bottom drawer in place. Once he had taken measurements, he cut and installed wood slats to support the bench. Next, he attached a fresh sheet of pine plywood beadboard to the back of the unit.

He lined the seat’s sides with more beadboard, cut a pine board to fit the top and bench, and bordered the seat with trim molding. Once he had all the pieces ready, he painted, stained and finished putting it all together, creating the perfect bench for putting on, taking off, and keeping track of shoes and other outdoor apparel.

If you are considering this job, collect your tools and supplies, then set aside a fair amount of time. When asked how long the project took him,  the YouTuber said in the comments that he put in a full workday just on the wood pieces.

“Eight hours for woodwork,” he replied in response to a question, “but the gluing the top took 24 hrs and painting took forever.”

As for the project’s cost, he states that the original piece was an inexpensive, mostly MDF (medium-density fiberboard) dresser from the 1980s.

“The dresser wasn’t worth $10, but I put $25 worth of wood in it,” kooler wrote, jokingly adding, “$2600 worth of labor.”

Would you try this project at home?