Entryway upgrade with bench seat

[KellieN]

An old timber window and bench seat were upcycled to help create a welcoming entryway.

• The project
• Steps
• Tools and materials
• More inspiration for your entryway

The project

I turned an old timber window into a mirror and converted a wide bench seat into two narrow ones to place against an entrance wall. With a few added accessories, a blank entryway was turned into a practical and welcoming entrance. 

Steps

Step 1

Sand the paint from the window leaving random amounts to give a distressed look. Apply mirror effect spray to the back of the glass.

Step 2

Using a tile cutter, cut narrow strips of tile to fit into the recessed area of the window. Having never used a tile cutter before, I found it extremely difficult to cut thin pieces so I broke a few tiles. I ended up still using them as a mosiac effect. Use liquid nails to attach to the window and once dry, apply grout. Apply Beeswax polish to timber, attach hooks and then attach to wall.

Step 3

Separate the bench seat by sawing the wood joins. Sand the top, then apply stain using rags. Paint the rest of the seat with satin paint. Apply Beeswax to the stained top only.

Tools and materials

Materials used in the project:

• Sanding pads
• Tiles
• Mirror effect spray 
• Building adhesive 
• White grout
• Picture hooks
• Beeswax polish
• Wood stain
• Satin paint
• Paint brush 
• Rags.

Tools used in the project

• Sander
• Tile cutter
• Hand saw.

More inspiration for your entryway

Bunnings Workshop member sez created an entryway organiser for coats, bags and shoes.

Community member kileycarbin added wainscoting feature walls to her entryway.

Get more inspiration for your home from 10 ways to refresh your entryway and our collection of 15 mud room storage projects. 

[projectmumdanni]

Absolutely love 🩷 @KellieN have been looking at the mirror in window frame for ages, you nailed it!! Those bench seats are 😍 love this style.

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @KellieN 

Love it! That reuse of the window into a mirror with the mosaic tiles! Brilliant

How long did it take to rejuvinate your foyer?

Im currently redoing mine So wierd when you see other peoples projects

Dave

[KellieN]

@projectmumdanni  thankyou so much for your kind words. I'm really happy with how it all came together.

[KellieN]

@Dave-1  Hi Dave, it took me a few weekends to finish the project. I only had a small sander ( A Ryobi Multi Tool) so it took a long time to sand the bench seat back to bare timber.  I've since bought myself a Ryobi Random Orbital Sander which would have been handy back when I did this project! The Multi Tool sander was a great size to sand the mirror which didn't take long. Cutting the tiles took some time too as I kept breaking them due to wanting  them to be so narrow to fit into the space. That's why I ended up using some of the broken tiles in the project because it was getting very frustrating for someone who had never used a tile  cutter before. If I was consistent with the project, I think I could have done it in 2 maybe 3 days. 

[Dave-1]

Evening @KellieN 

Nice timeline and we have to do the hard slog before we know what tools we need for the next jobs Anything else on the horizon?

Dave