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I have a garden bench that I have had for 2 or 3 seasons. I believe that I used some sort of tongue oil on it initially. What type of weather protectant is best for this?? (I am cleaning and sanding it...)
Can I use something that is used to protect wooden decks?

I really like linseed oil - goggle both linseed and tongue oil - the commercial water repellent crap has never worked for more than one season, but they sure get more press.

2008-06-22 20:54:40 by jackie99

mygardenbridge.com Cedar wood garden benches are naturally rot resistant and make a great resting place to view your garden. Find a great ...

oak, very durable, relatively easy to get
teak, iroko etc cost lots more

alternative pressure treated softwood, cheap and quite nasty

2008-07-20 02:34:13 by drd_williams51

Price: $50.99

Bronze color
Hardwood slats
Cast iron animal design back

should I use a pressure washer lightly?

Wood naturally fades with weathering. You need to scrub it clean before you can ascertain if you can re-stain it and reseal it. Anything you do will alter the color.

It doesn't sound like you want or need to strip it bare and start over so i will skip that.

Before you attempt to stain it try some OUTDOOR RATED stain on a small part on the underside and see if it takes the stain and if this is close to the color you want. Some outdoor stains will allow you to apply a sealer and some won't so decide before hand what you want to do and READ THE LABEL.

Don't forget that when you add a sealer (OUTDOOR RATED polyurethane) it will darken the color a bit and polyurethane tends to yellow a bit. There are several good outdoor rated sealers you can use. Marine spar varnish comes to mind. Very tough heavy duty stuff, probably much more than you need. DO NOT use regular polyurethane that does not not specifically say it is for outdoor use, it will crack and peal.

2008-04-19 19:59:17 by Dinosaur

Price: $4.95 $4.95

I live in California and im building a garden bench.. of wood...please help.

Buy (2) 2"x10" boards 8' long, determine how high you want it and cut that amount less 1 3/4" off of each 2"x10" for end legs.
(15" high would equal a cut of 13 1/4")

I suggest cutting a half circle with jig saw on one end of each leg piece so there are four contacts on the ground to increase stability. Or you may cut a V instead. V is probably easer as can be done with straight saw. Maintain at least one inch from each edge of V to each edge of 2"x10" legs pieces for contact to ground.

Take one of the long pieces and attach the legs to each end approximately 6" from the edge. I would predrill and use coated deck screws for attaching as they don't bleed and stain the wood and will provide a strong joint Try to get 4" deck screws if you can, 3 1/2" would probably work.

Take the remaining long piece and cut to fit between the legs. Attach to the bottom of the bench in a T fashion. Drill and screw from the top of the bench and from the legs on each end.

The lumber will probably be wet and heavy, you may want to let it dry a day or two before you put it together. You would be surprised how much lighter it gets. Thus easier to handle.

Project can be stained, and waterproofed or painted.

Dont worry about knots - they add character as long as they aren't big holes where attach points are. Could weaken joints at attach points.

Talk to the lumberman and paint department for additional help.

Good Luck!!!

2006-07-24 18:01:18 by elisiolloyd

We are renovating our house, and uncovered a very old bench in the garden, im not sure if it was originally a park bench or for the garden.

It has very unusual iron legs/frame, and has two simple pieces of wood for the seat and back.

The very unusual thing about it is that the back is on a hinge, so you can move it over, and sit on the seat and face the other direction.

Does anyone know what kind of seat this is, and what it may have originaly been used for?

When I was a little girl growing up in Glasgow we had trams with seats like that.
As the tram got to the end of the line it couldn't turn round because it travelled on straight metal rails.
When it reached the end of the line the driver just moved to what had been the back of the tram and the conductor moved the back of the seats so they then faced the front again. The seats were often made of metal and wood.
Maybe your seat is a left over from those days.

2009-09-06 07:54:40 by sally o