Bench restoration

Nice Gail...a garden needs to have something sentimental I think. Your willow is now more than just a plant; its a lovely memory of your dad

 

I think it's nice when you've had some one close and special in your life and a plant alone besides a bench your thinking off can be a nice memorial for them.

When i first lost my dad Verdun i used to place roses there and if the neighbours thought me mad i didn't care and i did it for the loss of my dog...until the final hurting eased

 

Thank you DH that's how i bought them when time permits i will restore them, someone has used softwood and painted it, it looks ok but you cant beat oiled hard wood for appearance and long life,

Bench looks good DH i know the feeling about never having time to sit down maybe in the near future i will find time to sit and enjoy the garden.

 

I used to sell something similar in the gardening section of my stores, they were made by Coleport. They also made a Victorian style table and chairs.




At the end of the season, there's always stuff that gets written off. One year there was one of these benches with a broken side frame, for which we got a credit from the supplier, (too costly to send back).
So I took the slats home. As they were hard wood, they came in handy to make two of these side window frames. There's a matching one to the left of this one. It's just hardwood beading stuck onto a sheet of opaque plastic.
No rot in thirty years.


Digressing..... the things you have to do. I had to make that other window at the end of the balcony to stop cats using the rail as an easy way to get out of our garden after they'd got in!

 

Well after getting distracted by various other work, garden and holiday projects, I've finally made progress with this. Went down to the local wood reclamation yard this week (if any of you are South West-based then I really can't recommend the Bristol Wood Recycling Project enough - it's a treasure trove there) and ordered the replacement slats. They're cutting them to size for me from old hardwood floorboards, which will take a couple of weeks, so in the meantime I'm going to work on cleaning up and painting the metalwork. Which means commiting to a colour scheme first!

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing how your bench turns out. What are you thinking of with your colour scheme? Something subtle, classic or bright and contrasting? I saw the metal ends of benches at Hemswell Cliff on holiday last year and almost bought them to do exactly what you are. Decided not to at the last minute, but still occasionally wish I had. I've just got home from holiday with five used pallets at £1 each to play with.

 

@Irmemac what are your thoughts for the pallets?. I hope you are feeling better now?

 

Not pallets i made this early this week just varnished it tonight i need to sand the base before i can finish it, a few bits of decking and planed wood and a coat of varnish.

 

I've got several things planted in memory of different people. Also got pets buried in pots so the flowers above them - if I move I can take them with me.

 

Thank you for asking, @luciusmaximus, I am definitely feeling a lot stronger. Just back from a week in Yorkshire, which has helped immensely. What a fantastic idea about burying pets in pots so you can take them and their plants with you when you move. I'm planning to move within the next few years, and have a dearly loved cat buried in the garden. Wish I had thought of that idea.

What to do with the pallets? I have no idea! I'm not especially skilled in construction work, but can hit a few nails into wood and use a saw. I'm thinking of a window box outside the kitchen window, but beyond that I will have to think of what would be useful.

 

@Irmemac at the moment I'm thinking classic - black ends/natural stained wood - but we'll see! It's going in a permenantly shaded area of the garden so maybe brighter/lighter colours would be better...

When we eventually move from this flat we'll be leaving a much-loved cat in the garden. I planted a rose over her last summer and my plan is to take cuttings from that at some point as a way to keep her with us.

 

I think your idea for colour is lovely. If it's a shady spot it will be very subtle, and will blend in with anything else you put or build in the garden. What a great idea for your cat. I'm going to put in a nice plant and do the same when we move! Although we lost ours in 2013, we had had her for 20 years and still miss her.

 

As with all things this has taken a lot longer than planned, mainly due to other distractions, but it's finally almost done! In the end I used Hammerite for the metalwork and decking stain for the woodwork. The wood itself are some old maple floorboards from the Bristol Wood Project, who reclaim and recycle other people's cast-offs.






The (almost) finished product:



There's still a little more to do, the metal bracket under the seat needs reattaching and the stain needs topping up in a couple of places, but otherwise it's good to go

Total cost:
Metal frames = £0
Hammerite paint = £9.99 (with a lot left over)
Maple planks, cut to length = £45
Wood stain = £2.99
Replacemnt nuts/bolts/screws = £6

So just shy of £65 for the finished product, which I'm happy with - plus added personal satisfaction!

 

Well done @2nd_bassoon - it looks great! Will you leave it out year-round, or are you able to give it some shelter over the winter?

I have a set of aluminium and teak chairs, inherited from my grandmother, which must be getting on for 50 years old now. They have to live out of doors year-round, and were so sturdy that for years I was able to get away just with oiling the teak. However this year I could see that was beginning to crumble a little, so I had to do some filling, and finish off with a Ronseal exterior varnish. It'll be interesting to see how that stands up to the winter weather....

 

Thanks @Clare G It'll have to stay out over winter, I've not got anywhere sheltered to store it. I'm considering getting a cover of some sort to give it at least a degree of protection, I got a very cheap one for the patio set in the sales last year so will keep an eye out for something similar.