The Supreme Court upheld petitions against the NY state’s enforcement of attendance limits, prompting many churches to institute their own mitigation measures. One of which is the replacement of church pews, putting in place individual chairs instead. in places of worship. That way, attendees congregating during mass celebrations or special church ceremonies lasting from 30 to 150 minutes, can safely distance from each other.
Many of the old folks were opposed to the idea, worried that their place of worship would end up looking like a movie house. Nonetheless, they eventually agreed since they now find the cushioned individual chairs more comfortable. Those who put aside their sentiments about how their generation grew up sitting in church pews; ended up rationalizing that God would not mind whether they’re sitting on a pew or a chair, or for that matter kneeling on the floor.
Church members on the other hand, were willing to buy the discarded pews as a way of raising additional funds for the project. Actually, the lot of us who bought the vintage wooden benches launched our own pew-repurposing projects, whilst coming up with ideas on how to put the vintage furniture into good use in our homes or place of business.
Some Pew Repurposing Suggestions
Church members who bought the discarded pews launched pew painting projects with the following repurposing ideas in mind:
Rustic Seating for an Indoor Patio – Those whose homes have an indoor patio, used their church pew as a rustic addition. It proved to be a practical piece of furniture for taking short naps or for lazing out while trying to get a good signal when texting.
Foyer Seating in Homes or in Offices – Family members or office employees have found the pew seating useful, when needing to remove outer garments or when disinfecting before entering the living or office area. .
Garden or Outdoor Seating The open space underneath the pew provides an excellent outdoor spot for pets during the day. Some others found the wooden bench useful as receptacles for delivered orders, especially for food items.
Actually the repurposing ideas are countless as some also converted their old church pews into a storage space by adding boxes or drawers to the bottom portion. Repainting the pews was of course an important step before the vintage furniture took its rightful place in their new setting.
Being one of several church members who embarked on a pew repainting project, borrowing my neighbor’s orbital sander was not immediately possible. The husband was already giving their church pew a good sanding as preparation for the painting process. Anyway, I decided to buy one for myself, as waiting for my neighbors to finish their pew painting project was taking longer than I anticipated. Since the brand choices are many, I first looked up the selections reviewed by Bob Smith Tools, before deciding on the Black & Decker orbital sander.
On my part, buying one was the sensible action to take because I’m loving the repainting project so much. I am now sanding an old dresser to make it look modern but at the same time make it look vintage. By the way, have I mentioned that you can also use an orbital sander to distress newly painted wood furniture. You’ll be amazed at how quick it takes to distress a newly painted wood furniture with the handy DIY power tool.