I shared a DIY cinder block bench sneak peek from the birthday/ gender reveal party post last week. I’m finally spilling the beans on how to make the cinder block bench. Cinder blocks are like really heavy building blocks for big kids. Here is the before of the outside patio situation pre bench. Remember when we painted our free outdoor furniture white?
Here’s what you need to make a cinder block bench
- Cinder blocks (We used 75.)
- Ply wood
- Circular saw
- Outdoor fabric
- Staple gun
How to make a cinder block bench
I know I wanted a large bench to fit under the windows. How to make that happen was the problem, until I saw this awesome pin from Better Homes and Garden.
Step 1- Buy & move cinder blocks
Andy did a little Craigslist search for cinderblocks and we found some for $1 each. That’s a steal considering if you buy them at a home improvement store, each one is $1.50. Andy and I took a craigslist adventure to the hill country and found tons of cinder blocks. (This pic is an instagram from Oct. 26th when we picked these suckers up.)
Step 2- Build the base
There is no right or wrong way to build the base of a cinder block bench, and remember you can always move the cider blocks if you don’t like the first layout. Andy and I decided to do a bench plus arm rest and side table to fit our space. Carrying these blocks from the back of the truck to the backyard did not look fun. Good thing I was just the photographer, I mean I am pregnant after all!
Step 3- Add a second layer
Once you decide on a cinder block layout, add the second layer. We decided to add arm rests and even a little table for Andy to use when he grills since we had extra cinder blocks. The awesome thing about this bench is you can make it into a million configurations, and even switch it up whenever you want.
Step 4- Make cushions
We bought one sheet of plywood from Home Depot. Andy used a saw to cut the plywood into 3 pieces to fit the top of our bench. Home Depot will typically make a few cuts for you if you don’t have a saw at home. I made each cushion is 30.5 x 41. Don’t mind our makeshift workshop and saw horses.
Step 5- Upholster cushions
I bought foam and batting from Jo Ann’s and found some fun outdoor fabric for cheap at IKEA. I really wanted black and white stripes, but ended up settling for black and white polka dots after searching high and low for stripes. I made the 3 cushions the same way I made the cushion for my free chair I reupholstered. I cut the foam to fit the board. Then, cut the batting to wrap around the foam and stapled the batting to the underside of the board. Next, I cut the fabric to wrap around the entire thing and stapled like crazy. It’s really not hard. Do I think it will last outside forever, not at all. But, by the time it’s crusty, I’ll probably be ready for a fabric change anyway.
The polka dots made it easy to keep the fabric straight from cushion to cushion. And here’s the finished bench, or at least finished for now. I think I might paint the cinderblocks. White maybe? Turquoise? Who knows! Oh and some of those are real outdoor pillows and some of those are from the nursery and only living on the bench for the purpose of this 15 minute photo shoot session.
Here’s a good side shot of our new giant bench…
And here’s one more before and after of the patio:
How much does a cinder block bench cost?
Here’s the breakdown on the cinderblock bench:
- 75 cinder blocks from Craigslist= $75
- 1 piece of ply wood= $25
- 2.5 yards of 1 in. foam (with 40% off coupon and I had a gift card)= $34
- 2.5 yards of batting (50% off sale and I had a gift card)= $30
- 3 yards of fabric from IKEA= $18
- Stapler and staples= already owned
- Pillows= already owned
How much is costs to build a cinder block bench= $182
Not bad for a giant bench, huh? Have you ever made anything out of cinder blocks? I’m brewing up more cinder block ideas over here!
If you like this garden DIY, don’t miss:
This is amazing! Great idea!!!!
I just found this site today thank you for being so creative, and willing to share it with the rest of us. I want to plant a vegetable garden but I’m mobility-impaired and on a fixed income. I am looking for inexpensive Planters to build on my front porch. The best I have come up with is five gallon and cinder blocks. Any other ideas?
The idea is great but i would have painted the blocks to really make the bench stand out. Awesome tutorial:)
I think the bench is so cute! I’m always looking for outdoor projects- and I can do this myself.
I would have put the ‘table’ on the left side next to the door steps so the actual bench was lined up with the window.
I llove how you solved your problem in such a creative way. Love the fabric – such a cheerful place to sit now. Thank you for sharing at Share It One More Time. Cathy
What a great alternative for an outdoor bench! Thanks for sharing on Snickerdoodle Sunday.
Spectacular! – I was thinking for myself that I would paint the cinder blocks for a pop of color…..
Hi! I love your bench idea. Do you think this would still work on dirt? I can level the earth, but I live in the Seattle area where it rains frequently, I’m worried of it shifting and sliding
We are in Chicago, not too different weather…We made a cinderblock bench but bought landscape gravel/ large pavers as a foundation.
Thank you for linking up with us last week at Sunday Features. Hope you had the chance to do so this week. Didn’t have a chance to comment but last week we featured this wreath on our fb page. I love it. And I love burlap so I pinned as well. Thanks again!
What a creative way to add outdoor seating! Thanks for sharing at Motivational Monday. Hope you will link up again tonight!
love that! something like this is on my outdoor pinterest board, so love to see something come to fruition.
b
Love this. We have raised garden beds in the back yard with cement blocks. This would be perfect to give some compliment to the wood, love it!!! Pinning to keep in the forefront of my mind. Thanks!
WOW! Came across this on pinterest and the first thing I noticed is that we have the exact same kind of stone on our house!! Whoa – where is this person!?! 😉 It’s called Austin Stone and it comes from a Quarry in Austin that is no longer open. We know this because we had to have some masonry work done and the Mason was very complimentary and told us all about it. I would love to see some exterior pics of your house because I am trying to pick out some color scheme options. What colors do you have now and what colors have you had? Thanks! And nice bench too 🙂
Did you know that Home Depot will cut your plywood for free? My husband doesn’t have much of a shop either so this little tip came in handy for us 🙂
You could use table cloths from the dollar store
Good idea!
Cute. I am looking to build something similar with a curve for a fire pit. I wonder if I can use regular pavers. Also, I think your math is wrong…I didn’t see the total of $118 in the break out…
I think she must’ve put the actual price in the itemized list, but she mentioned that she had the discounts and coupons, so the grand total *for her* was $118, but to buy it all full price would have been $182.
What about painting the cinder blocks a fun color? They look pretty drab against the light colored wall. Just a thought. =)
This is amazing! Great idea!!!!
I love this Jamie! and that fabric is adorable!
Thanks, Ashley! It’s a pretty easy project 🙂 (Minus the heavy lifting part!)
Wow! This is chic! The fabrics are so powerful!
<3 Carsla
Founder & CEO of Connect-the-Cloths
connect-the-cloths.com
So creative and it looks fantastic! I may steal this idea if I can find some cheap cinderblocks.
I love that you took a semi harsh material (CMU blocks) and turned it into a lovely seating bench! Way to go.