Make a Garden Bench in a Few Minutes

If you've got a beautiful garden at your home what better way to add more beauty to it than a nice garden bench? You've probably seen the benches before, usually made of cement. Then there's the wooden slat-type bench that's set on a wrought iron frame. These types of benches are expensive to say the least. There's no need for such expense - make the bench from any number of things.

Two identical things, whether they be giant flower pots or large figurines, can make a unique garden seat. If you're using flower pots, for example, just turn them upside down and set a wood piece across them. Get the wood piece from a small saw mill, cut a piece of plywood, or align two-by-fours across the base and nail together.

Some great ideas for the base are pairs of lawn statues, cement pots, same-size log chunks, metal wash tubs, large plastic tubs, 55 gallon metal drums cut in half, or even two old, large, metal stereo speakers. As long as the two items are equal in size, and will not fall apart in the rain, you can make a bench. Use spray-on waterproofing to keep certain items from corroding.

One unusual design can be made from bird baths. Even if the bird baths are hard plastic they can still work. Turn the bird baths upside down, using the bottoms of the bird baths to support the bench, or dig down into the dirt and insert the bottoms of the bird baths. The dirt will help support the "legs" of the bench.

It's very inexpensive to make concrete blocks to use as the base of your bench. Simply by the mix and fill up thick cardboard boxes. It's very important to choose two identical boxes and fill them each with an equal amount of concrete. You can use a giant cardboard lid, or make something similar, for casting a concrete bench, too. After the concrete sets, peel away the cardboard. For stubborn pieces that want to stick, use a little water but make sure the concrete has completely set. Carefully set the bench on top of the base and you've got a concrete garden seat for a fraction of the cost to buy one.