Replacement wooden slats for garden bench?

[Bruce]

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:

bench ends are more attractive but those on the Homebase benches are just about good enough. I already have some dark blue metal paint and they should come up well with a couple of coats of this.

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?

[OG]

What would give you more satisfaction, bringing the old benches back into active use, or buying and assembling a couple of benches from a shop?

If you decide not to attempt to renovate the old benches, can I suggest you see there are any local projects that would be interested in taking them on - something like that can be used for helping 'naughty boys' get back on the straight and narrow, or sometimes as occupational therapy for people with learning difficulties.

[Bruce]

Definitely bringing the old benches back into active use! The cast ends are very attractive and they are much higher quality than the Homebase version. I strongly suspect they were cast here in Britain rather than in China or Eastern Europe.

That's a great idea, thanks. But I am keen to restore them, and just need a little advice on what timber and finish to use, then I will see if it can be done within the budget. If it can't, I will do what you suggest.

Thanks for your reply.

[Frank Erskine]

Supermarket garden benches are usually pretty flimsy, so you would really be better off getting some oak (or similar) slats, even if they do cost a little more than 60 quid.

Another advantage is that your reconditioned benches would likely be more recognisable should they be nicked from your garden/patio/whatever.

And of course you can make the benches to the optimum length to fit your available space.

[meow2222]

In both cases, whatever you want. You may be able to fit wood a wee bit thicker in there, which would make it more robust than the standard chinese offering.

NT

[Rod]

IME, most "supermarket" cast iron is in fact cast aluminium. Which is obviously much lighter. In turn the bench is much more likely to be moved by people, wind, whatever than the heavier real cast iron. And it will have a different and horrible "sound" - especially if it scrapes and scratches over a hard surface.

(I really don't know why, but even when thoroughly painted, cast aluminium is obvious at 1000 paces.)

As for finishing, surely either untreated oak or use an oil - much previous discussion here over the relative merits of the various oils available such as Danish and Tung oils.

[Bruce]

That's what I thought. But the Homebase bench actually has sturdy slats. I sat on one (I'm not light) and it didn't budge. However, the cast metal ends look a bit flimsy.

Two good selling points ... all I need to do is convince my partner!

But another factor has come into play - the local Homebase is out of stock. ;-)

[Bruce]

I agree. But that's about the only criticism I can find of the Homebase product.

I'm certainly leaning towards oak, and your suggestion of oil is a good one. I will search Google Groups for previous discussions.

[Andy Dingley]

New benches will give you flimsy crapwood slats.

Buy some timber and fit larch slats, from a good timberyard, NOT a DIY shed, they'll cost a fortune. This is strong, springy, and just about the most rotproof affordable softwood you can get. Finsih it with either Danish oil (Screwfix cheap) or a more expensive oil such as Organoil. Otherwise varnish with one of the Sikkens products (still the best outdoor varnish).

Locally to Bristol I'd suggest Bendrey Bros. Compare prices from their website to get an idea of what's reasonable.

I wouldn't use oak. It's not as strong in a thin section (larch will bend further than oak without breaking, even though it might take less weight to do it). It will also go grey in no time, even though it might last slightly longer overall. If you really want UK hardwood, go for sweet chestnut instead. That's much better at resisting rot.

[Bruce]

Thanks for that, Andy. I've been given the go-ahead to buy new slats and restore the old cast iron ends, mainly because Homebase are now out of stock of that bench in our area.

To be fair to Homebase, while the cast alloy ends are not great, the slats appear to be made from good quality hardwood, are firm to sit on and nicely finished.

[Andy Dingley]

Web search for "electrolysis" too. It's a good way of de-rusting cast iron, particularly when there's awkward detail to fiddle around.

[Bruce]

Thanks, Andy.

[Frank Erskine]

It's also good for removing unwanted hair...

;-)

[Rod]

And I thought you were meant to spit it out. :-)

[santa]

replying to Bruce, santa wrote: I know this is old but could you not of used your bench ends and justused the wood and braces to replacce the slats

[tabbypurr]

I doubt he's still here 6 years later. You need

NT

[Davey]

I know this is old but could you not HAVE used your bench ends and just used the wood and braces to replace the slats?

There, fixed it for you. The time delay, I cannot fix.

[theresafishing]

Dear Bruce did you ever manage to get the answer that u requested and repair the bench. i now have the same problem. I just want to purchase the slats to repair my bench which is 4 foot in lenght

[tabbypurr]

He probably hasn't been here since 2008. Here is newsgroup uk.d-i-y.

I reslatted mine. Not difficult. Used ss roofing bolts.

NT

[dd.gilbert9]

I've seen slat replacement kit selling for £100 which is ridiculous co mpared to the price of a new bench.