park bench for my yard

[micky]

I wanted to get a two-seat park bench for my yard, but I don't want the legs to sink into the ground, and I want it to last a long time.

1) I don't have patio space to put it and don't want to make more, so I want to put it right on the grass or in the bush/ivy bed. In either place won't it sink fairly quickly (an inch or two a year) into the dirt?

How about if I put a brick under each leg? Do they make bricks with square cut-outs, like 1/2" deep, that might keep the leg from wandering until it falls off the brick? If they don't, could I chisel out a piece of the brick myself to have this? It would also keep the whole bench from moving.

2) IIRC only ACE Hardware had benches to try out. If you want to look: which I would buy if I knew how long it would last, and I could keep it from sinking: fwiw,, more expensive on ebay than at Ace Hardware. I like Ace Hardware: Some were more comfortable than others and all of theirs were more comfortable than some I've sat on. The seat curves down a little at the front. But they don't say much about the wood slats, except that they are hardwood, or how long they will last if left out all year long in Baltimore, which can have a warm day in any month (plus one never see park benches in real parks covered for the winter) ..

Must I buy an all-metal bench? Most are not as comfortable. Should I make my own somehow out of treated 2x4's, that will weigh a ton?

And oh yeah, I don't want to spend more than 200 dollars, although maybe I would, but surely not the 700 I've seen for some.

Thanks a lot.

Micky

FTR, from

What does my warranty NOT cover? Q: Storm damage and damage from exposure to the elements is not covered by our exclusive warranty. Please use caution to safeguard your furniture from harsh elements and inclement weather."

And t his elusive FAQ:

1. What can I do to protect my furniture and make it last longer? Q: With proper care and maintenance, your product should give you years of enjoyment.

[NotMe]

If you want to go cheap get a post hole digger and dig 4 holes one under where each leg of the bench will rest.

Use any combination of the following.

A treated 4X4 however long you want (we've use 3-4 feet) and surround with sand and small rocks (think pea gravel).

You can use cement but that's a bit of over kill or you can skip the wood and go for only rocks/sand. Much depends on the sub surface soil.

Last. Look into those concrete pads you can buy for the outside unit of HVAC systems. One big one or two small ones will work nicely.

[hrhofmann]

A brick under each leg should spread the weight nicely. Keep the wood finished, recoat every year rather than waiting for signs of damage and then recoating.

[Dan Espen]

They make pavers about 12"x6". Commonly used under above ground pools to support ladders etc. You want 4 of them.

Don't worry about the bench sliding around on the pavers.

[Jim Elbrecht]

I like a pressure treated 2x4 'ski' under each side. We're all tall folks, so we appreciate the extra 1 1/2". I put a bit of a 45 on each end so when I mow it slides out of the way easily.

Most legs have holes for screws so you can screw it fast tot he 2x4.

Jim

[micky]

My house came with a post hole digger, so that works out well (I think the prior owner used it to plant bushes.)

Maybe from the front leg to the back, on each side.

Too big.

Thanks a lot.

[micky]

I'm not very good at regular maintenance. But since I posted I went to HDepot where they had only two benches on display, outside, but one looks pretty good

webpage doesn't give the price and when I click Local Store Pricing, it doesn't work, but at the store they said 150 marked down to 120 . I maybe should go buy it now, but I'll wait until tomorrow.

All aluminum with some sort of bronze finish

(Will that wear off? It comes painted black, too. That I could repair.)

A little narrower than most, 43 inches, but that will look better in my situation.

And t he seat was comfortable. The back could have been more comfortable but it was still good. It's not like I will sit there for hours. If I could find something like it with a different pattern, I wouldn't be able to sit in it before ordering. .

4.9 out of 5 on 7 ratings, a lot higher than all the other HD benches.

Thanks.

[micky]

I don't think I knew about that. I only remember 12x12 Thanks.

Okay, thanks.

[micky]

Eveyrone gave such good advice. Thank you all.

It's too hot right now to do more than put it down, but when the weather is better....

This sounds good. I'm not tall, so I may bury the 2x4. Since it's not a brick, I can drill a hole for each leg if I find it's moving from side to side. Plus I have some scraps of 2x4 and 4x4 lying around

Some of them don't though, I noticed, including the one I've almost decided on, and the one I prerferred before today that was at Ace Hardware. . I didn't look that close at the bottom of this one.. I think it's all cast aluminum, so I'll leave it alone, but I may bury most of the 2x4 after I run some black insulated wire around it and around the ball-like parts at the bottom of each leg.

[hrhofmann]

To prevent it from walking off with some kids some night???

[Vic Smith]

Any of these is much better than digging holes or pouring concrete. That's for public parks and to keep them from being stolen. I've had one similar to the one on top of the page for about 5 years. Slats are weathered and starting to feel weak, but it's comfortable enough. Might make new slats, or just buy another one. All-aluminum avoids that.

[micky]

I'm going to tell mysel and others that it's so it won't blow over in the derechos we suddently have.

Probably not kids, I think. I think the kids are okay. Any crime around here is probably by people over 30 with a car who do it full time. I have a convertible, but they probably can't get the bench in their car.

Actually, the first summer I was here, someone kicked in my front door while I was out for dinner for about an hour on a summer Sunday. He didn't take anything.**

About 10 years later, someone stole two lawnmowers. I'd worked on both for hours and hours trying to get even one to start. I was happy to be rid of them.

Then about 10 years later, someone stole a bike I had gotten out of the trash. I had the seat and post out while I looked for a longer post. But because it was a cheap bike, no bike store sold a 1" post. Sort of happy to be rid of it, too.

**He didnt' take the new car radio on the bench in the basement; he didn't take the new bag of cookies on the kitchen table, and he didn't take the new burglar alarm, still in its boxes spread over my bedroom floor. I stayed home the next day, fixed the door and finished installing the burglar alarm.

So 3 tries in 29 years and nothing good taken yet

[micky]

Thanks. That's just what I was worried about.

So they opend at 8 and I was there by 8:35 and I bought the one I saw. It turns out there were 3 at another nearby store and 8 at another (and 0 at all the others) but this was already assembled and 30 dollars off to boot. They even had all the protective caps on the screws that pointed backwards. I plopped it on my convertible, where the window folds in, and just stayed between 10, for bumps, and 20 mph, where the road was smooth, on the way home, so that was no problem. And it looks nice.

When it was upside down, I saw there were parts where the bumpy bronze paint was scraped off and the shiny aluminum showed. If I scratch it with a beltbuckle or something, I can get bronze spray paint, or bllack.

IT TURNS OUT THAT the round buttons at the bottom of each leg screw in**, so I can probably take them off and screw the 2x4's to the legs. **No mention of that in their description.

One of the raterrs, probably the son of the guy who manufacturers or imports these, says "I purchased 3 of these 4 years ago, they have been outside in the Arizona heat 24/7 they are still like new, no defects, corrosion or problems, I will be buying 3 more of these to set up around more areas of my property."

Thanks again to all.

[HellT]

Have you considered buying a glider instead of a simple bench? I find gliders to be more relaxing, myself.

[Norminn]

especially, which I would buy if I knew how long it would last, and I

You can use large pavers with river rock filler between them and landscape cloth under all...not that much work to putting in or removing. Level.