Window Bench Seat

With National Hardware

I’ve always wanted a bench seat under a large window . When my husband agreed to help me build a bench seat AND built-in shelves in my office, I was ecstatic! He helped me with the design and together we built an incredible bench seat and wall of built-ins.

First we built a simple frame for the bench out of 2”x4”s to be the same length as the window. We attached the 2'“x4”s by making pocket holes using the Kreg Jig System and screws. We did 4 legs, 2 additional support legs in the center of the longer sides, and a frame around the top. Then we used 3/4” plywood on the sides and front to basically build a box.

I knew I wanted a shaker style trim detail on the front of the bench. We used 1”x2” primed pine boards and a pin nailer to secure them. I painted the entire bench with Valspar ‘The Perfect White’ paint in semi-gloss using our paint sprayer and let the bench dry for 24 hours before moving on to the bench lid.

The most important part of this bench design was having the ability to easily open the lid of the bench and that was made possible with the hinge we received from National Hardware. The lid of the bench was made of 3/4” plywood. We started by securing a 5.75” wide piece to the frame on the back of the bench using wood screws. Then we measured and cut another piece of 3/4” plywood which would be the part of the lid that opened. This piece was 18” wide.

The hinge we used is from National Hardware and is 48” long continuous hinge and is made of stainless steel. We lined the hinge up in the center of the bench with the top piece of the hinge on the 5.75” board and the bottom part of the hinge on top of the 18” board (see photo above). We decided to pre-drill all the holes using a self-centering drill bit to ensure each of the hinge screws would go in perfectly straight.

A very important step is to make sure the lid is perfectly straight with small equal gaps around the edge of the lid. We placed quarters around the edges for a uniform small gap. Then you need to make sure there is a very small gap between the 5.75'“ board and the 18” board. If there is not a small gap, the two boards may rub and bind when opening the lid. We used two business cards stuck between the boards to make a very small gap. Then we screwed in 6 screws - 2 on the left end, 2 on the right end, and 2 in the center - and then tested opening and closing the lid. The lid opened perfectly and so we screwed in all the remaining screws.

Just like that, our window bench seat was complete and we couldn’t have done it without the hinge we received from National Hardware. Be sure to checkout their website - www.national-hardware.com - before starting your next project. They provide ‭quality products and have outstanding customer service which is why they are my go-to hardware company for all our DIY projects!