Garden bench

Submitted by Tamra on Wed, 07/24/2013 - 14:51

I used Ana's garden bench plan and had a blast finishing this project. The plans are well thought out and finished very square and sturdy. I altered the depth of the bench to 18 inch seat supports as I am short and felt the 24" span would leave me feeling like Edith Ann. (This also required shortening of the armrests to 24") I also was inspired by an abandoned headboard that had nice detail and some Oak spindles. My son, bless his heart, carried it on his back about 6 blocks so I could make this. (He knows how to stay on my good side.)
I spent more time painting the project than cutting out the boards. I prepainted all the pieces before assembly. I wanted it to withstand the Wisconsin weather so I diligently primed it and then did two coats of outdoor latex paint. I elected to tint the primer as I was not sure how much paint I might need. One quart of Zinsser 123 primer and one quart of Dutchboy Maxbond semi gloss paint in plum mauve was enough. The dark paint is Rustoleum spray paint in purple. If I thought it was cost effective I might have spray painted the whole thing but it was summer and I didn't want to deal with the fumes. Of course, I picked the hottest two weeks so far this year to do this project. My sewing room became my painting station.
The width is close to 62", seat height 20" and seat total depth is 22". I trimmed about 3" off the leg post of the headboard.
I am eager to pick another project from Ana's plans.
My cost is higher as I had no scraps to work from and needed all the screws and paint. I also bought $90 in cordless tools and some collapsible sawhorses. All of these items I will use again for other projects.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Semi Gloss exterior paint Plum Mauve over Zinsser 123 primer. I tinted both paints the same color. I spray painted the spindles purple, then protected the spindles by wrapping them in plastic wrap and then just taping it in place. It is not perfect but I like the details.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Thu, 07/25/2013 - 05:02

Great job of recycling and incorporating it into a new build. Had to laugh at the Edith Ann reference. I did the same recently with a couch my hubby and I have on order as it's quite deep. Ha, I'm not sure Ana and those in her age group will get the reference. I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed it!