30 Things To Do With Old Church Pews

If you’re looking to remodel your church, you may find that replacing old church pews with church chairs is a good decision. Chairs can provide more church seating capacity, more versatility in your worship space, and better comfort for your congregation. 

If this is the right direction for your church, you’ll soon be asking what to do with your old church pews. Here are a few ideas of things that you can do, and items that you can make using church pews.

What to Do With Your Old Church Pews

1. Entryway Seating

There’s no better way to start and finish your day than with a pew at the front door. Here you can have a place to store your shoes and take them on and off without worry of trekking mud through the house.

2. Rustic Bench

With a bit of touch up and a few added details, you will quickly have a beautiful rustic bench for indoor or outdoor seating.

3. Dining Seating

Why not add some variety and use a pew in the dining room, perfect seating for a gaggle of kids at meal time.

4. Add Storage

A pew can double as a seat and storage when you use the open space underneath for storage. You could place decorative container beneath or do some DIY and build some custom boxes or drawers.

5. Fireplace Seating

Accent your fireplace with gorgeous wood pews and watch them glow by the firelight.

6. Fireside Seating

Take that feeling to the outdoors and use the pew for campfire seating. Short pews are perfect for sitting up around the fire with family and friends and enjoying the night.

7. Add Slip Covers

Give the pew some character by covering the back with some fabric. You could give the piece some color or a pattern to make it your own.

8. Garden Seating

It’s hot work in the garden and sometimes you need a place to sit and relax among your plants. A pew will make an excellent addition to the yard.

9. Pad It

Make some custom padding for the seat for extra comfort. Stretch out with a good book and some seat pillows and you’ll never want to leave.

10. Backboard and Nightstand

With a little bit of saw work you can turn this bench into a combined backboard and night stand for your nighttime use.

11. Extra Seating

Easily double your dining room seating with a pew in addition to your typical dining chairs.

12. Seating for a Wedding

Outdoor weddings are in. Why not use some refurnished pews for seating to give it that classic wedding chapel feel?

13. Window Seat

Give yourself some easy window seating with a short pew situated in front.

14. Bed Seat

Use a short pew at the foot of the bed to give yourself someplace to sit as you get ready for the day.

15. Corner Bench

With a little sawing and some glue, you can turn a long pew into a corner bench for indoor or outdoor use.

16. Mudroom Seating

Give yourself a place to sit and tidy up before heading into the rest of the house with a mudroom pew.

17. Bench Swing

If you remove the feet from the pew and attach a few lengths of chain to the arm and backing you could turn this pew into a bench swing for your porch or backyard.

18. Add a Backboard

You could switch out the current backing with that of a tall backboard to give your pew some character.

19. Vintage

Rough up the paint to give the pew a vintage, washed wood look.

20. Modern

Go the opposite direction and give it a few coats of paint for a more modern vibe.

21. Loft Seating

Long pews are perfect for the long dimensions of loft living.

22. Outdoor Bench

A pew is a great addition to any backyard. Its sturdy frame will hold through some of the roughest weather.

23. Breakfast Booth

If you remove the arms from a few short pews you can turn them into a booth for meal time for two.

24. Corridor Seating

A few pews along the side of a wide hallway can accent its size and beautifully frame doorways.

25. Theater Seating

Whether you use it as outdoor amphitheater seating or indoor theater seating, pews are perfect for viewing with friends.

26. Coffee Table

You could remove the backing from the pew to turn it into a coffee table or foot rest for living room use.

27. Table

With some disassembling and rearranging you could turn two pews into a table using its backing as the surface and by situating the frame on the pews as the table legs.

28. Japanese Table

By removing the back of two short pews and combining them you could create a Japanese table for dining on the floor.

29. Woodwork

Remove the pews sealant and etch in names, history, and designs to make the pew uniquely your own.

30. Chest

Turn the pews seat into a chest by adding storage underneath and turning the seat into a hinged lid.