Simple benches are great, but for this project, we wanted to create fun and conversation! We took a bench that we have had for years and then searched out two old worn chairs from a local consignment shop. We removed the seats from the chairs, attached the backs to the bench then painted a board game on the bench. Along with a few other creative add-ons, we ended up with a great looking game bench! We didn’t spend a great deal of time with any part of the process – we didn’t want perfection, just fun.

Watch the one minute video and then scroll down to see the additional photos of the process and the transformation! Check out the Paintbrush GIVEAWAY at the bottom as well.

The Process . . .

We did a surface sanding over the entire bench, removing any loose paint, then cleaned it with a wet rag.

We took a small hacksaw and cut through the damaged woven seat then cut off the back.

Using the Zibra 2″ Chiseled Wedge to paint the bench produced a great finish and really sped the process up! The brush has loads of bristles to carry and release all the paint you need!

For the chair back with its spindles, the Zibra Round Brush was ideal!

We placed the chair backs at an angle to the bench to provide more comfort and screwed in the backs to the bench!

Stay with us . . . we wanted to tie in the chair backs to the game so we painted bright colored stripes.

You got it, Checkers! We painted a checkerboard pattern in the middle of the bench using the square brush. The Square brush has a great hidden feature, when painting smaller areas, you can flip the brush around to give you more control for painting those smaller areas. The longer side of the bristles creates a nice smooth, feathering effect.

We purchased small square wooden blocks from Hobby Lobby – two sizes: 12- 3/4″ to represent the checkers, 6-1″ to represent the kings. We also tested a new brush we created, a Half-Round Brush. The brush has great paint load for touch-ups and is wedged to provide precision when needed. It worked great for this project and the girls had lots of fun! We are including this brush in the GIVEAWAY so make sure you participate at the bottom of the post!

 Painting the squares and a few fingers with the Half-Round!

The only thing left to complete the project was the purchase of a wooden box with compartments and painting it with the Square Brush!

We drilled two holes in the back of the box so we could remove it from the bench when not in use.

Now for the final reveal!

This was fun to work on with the entire family and will continue to provide lots of outdoor fun over the years!

We couldn’t resist playing Chess as well!

Don’t miss this PAINTBRUSH GIVEAWAY!

We are giving away the brushes used in this project: Zibra Square Brush, Round Brush, 2″ Chiseled Wedge and our test brush, the Half-Round Brush. It comes in a custom painted wooden box with handle! HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell us where you shared the blog post and you will be entered in the paintbrush GIVEAWAY. All those that comment and share will be entered into the random drawing. Contest closes Friday, June 9, 2017, at 3 PM EST. The winner will be announced below the kit photo Friday at 5 PM EST! Contest open to US and Canada residents only.

Congratulations to Brandi K. for winning the GIVEAWAY!

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