I have acquired two old(ish) garden benches which have cast iron ends in reasonable condition but rotten wooden slats. I had intended to repaint the ends and replace the slats with hardwood, however my partner spotted Homebase were selling new benches for only £30 each.
The Homebase bench is shown here:
So the question is, can I obtain new hardwood slats and fixings for less than £30 per bench, or do I just give up and buy two new benches from Homebase?
If I buy slats, what combination of type of timber and preservative (or paint) would be best, taking into account its strength, resistance to rot and appearance?