mr. i

It’s round three of making use of the pile of goodies my dad found for me either on the curb or at his rental leftovers. To see where I started, first you can visit my repurposed changing table post, and then my side table repair and makeover. Today is all about taking a repurposed piano bench and turning into new useful projects. Let’s get our DIY on!

So, here’s how the story goes. My oldest, Mr. I, does daily exercise that takes him up and down the street many times. On one of his adventures he came home to tell me there was a piano a few houses down sitting curbside. Me, who has absolutely no room for another piano felt bad, but left it there.

Next day, neighbor comes over to tell me the same thing. I told him the same response that I had no interest in another large piece joining my “collection”, so there it sat. Then the next day my dad came bringing the items I showed in my last post and mentioned the piano. hahaha…see a trend? Well, I didn’t know all this time that there was a bench too, so I had him snag that for me since pickup of trash was that day.

I really hated to see a beautiful instrument go to the trash as I love to play piano and teach my children to do the same. However, I can’t save everything. sigh… The poor set had been left out in the rain for several days and then looked like this…

Now I have water damage and also time-worn wear like the damaged veneer to fuss with. Not too bad, and certainly salvageable. See where they used tape to hold the veneer in place? hahaha…

*post includes affiliate links so you can find the products I love to use too. (see full disclosure)

Here begins my repurposed piano bench creation. Hang with me now. I sit and stare at this thing trying to decide what to do with it. It’s too long and a bit too short to be a side table. It’s too long to be a vanity bench, and too small to be an entry bench. Hmmm…. I debated on flipping it over to turn it into a dog/cat four poster bed, but didn’t feel that was as functional as it could be. After a few weeks of mulling it over, here’s what I decided to do.

I took off the top and plan to save the legs to make into a vanity bench when I get to work on another one in the future. Then, I began to repair the piano bench top using wood filler, and then my sander to take down the worn finish. Once prepped, I use my Provincial Stain seen in these posts, to give a fresh new look.

Once that was dry I used some tape to make a funky design with paint and let that cure. While that was going on, I set about building the rest of my vision. I built a base using miter saw to cut my boards to length. Then using my favorite Kreg Jig and Clamp Trak system along with my jigsaw, I was able to get my pieces to where I needed them to be.

Time to assemble! These right angle clamps save me a thousand slams to my forehead of frustration as they are like a few extra pairs of hands to allow me to assemble sanely using my drill. hahaha… Aren’t they cool? I actually gifted them to JC for Christmas and we both love using them.

Okay, so now I essentially have built a box and here’s what I did with it.

That tired piano bench has now been repurposed into a lap desk. Woot!

This was absolute fun for me, like figuring out a puzzle. I had to design this repurposed piano bench based on the pieces I had, and also make it practical for everyday use. Thanks to sites that offer build plans like Ana White, The House of Wood, and many others, I was able to piece together my design.

It is functional for holding your books, tablets, phones, laptop, …you name it. Then, open it up for storage while not in use.

When you’re done using it, just fold it up and store for the next time you need it. Fun!

Isn’t that fun? So many uses for it and this project spurred on many new ideas and that leaves a wonderful feeling. I love to build and create, especially using reclaimed or repurposed materials.

If you are loving the desk and want it as your own, you can find it available in my shop along with many other goodies. We ship anywhere.

Do pin and share this repurposed piano bench because I know there are others out there looking for a new use. What could be better than a lap desk, eh?

Up next, I’ll be sharing what I did with the last of the goodies my dad brought over, plus another curbside find. Any guesses before peeking?? Head here to see. 

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