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Wooden benches
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here to see our selection of Wooden benches.
 Wooden
benches can be a beautiful addition to any garden, yard, or patio.
It seems only natural to have a bench made from such a natural material
in a place of nature. A wooden
bench does not just offer you a place to sit in your
garden and observe your flowers growing, it also adds an element
of beauty to your yard.
Here are some things that you may want to consider when buying
wooden benches. First of all, wood is an excellent material for
a garden bench. As already state, wooden benches do not take away
from the natural feel of your garden or yard.
Also, a wooden bench remains a good temperature. That may sound
strange, but a concrete bench can feel awfully cold on your posterior
if you sit on it in the early morning. Likewise, a metal bench can
feel rather too warm if you sit on it on a hot and sunny day. Just
as Goldilocks found with the three bears porridge, a wooden bench
is neither too hot nor too cold, but just right.
Of course, if you plan on having wooden benches in your garden,
you want to be sure that they are treated. An untreated wooden bench
can get cracks and splits in it in a matter of weeks. Without some
sort of sealant, the natural minerals and oils of the wood are allowed
to evaporate.
If you paint your wooden bench, be sure to use a microporous paint.
This type of paint will allow the wood to still breathe. Otherwise,
moisture could become trapped beneath the surface.
Speaking of moisture, wooden benches can remain damp for a while
after a storm (or a sudden onset of the garden sprinklers!) Even
if you wipe the standing water off of a wooden bench, it may still
remain damp.
Along with the dampness can come algae. You can remove algae by
lightly sanding your wooden bench and keeping your bench away from
areas that are damp.
Wooden benches can be heavy and therefore difficult to move…
so pick a good spot the first time!
If you are looking to perform very little maintenance on your wooden
bench, you should consider buying a wooden bench made out of teak
or iroko. Such a bench can last a lifetime with very little maintenance.
Of course, you will not be able to have such a bench without dishing
out a little extra money.
Also, if you are considering buying a wooden bench made out of
such a durable material like teak or iroko, you may want to look
into just how “environmentally friendly” it is. Some
of these woods do not come from sustainable sources. If you want
to be sure to get an environmentally friendly wooden bench, look
for the “Soil Association Wood” mark label.
You still need to treat these hardwoods. If not treated, these
wooden benches will turn silvery grey. To maintain the natural color,
treat the wood with teak oil (when dry).
If you do not want to dish out the extra dough for a hardwood bench,
a softwood bench (like pine) may be the ticket for you, or even
a non-durable hardwood bench (like elm). These wooden benches may
not last a full lifetime, but when properly treated, they can still
last around 20 years.
These wooden benches need to be treated every year with a solvent
or oil-based wood preservative (again, make sure the bench is dry
when you treat it). For full effectiveness, do not use a water-based
stain.
You should also place the feet of your wooden bench in a pot of
preservative for 24 hours.
Good luck finding and maintaining the perfect wooden benches for
your garden, yard, or patio.
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