Benches in the garden provide a place to relax and reflect. It’s easy to make garden benches to fit a secluded corner of your rose garden or to enjoy the panoramic vista of your landscape. You can make a simple garden bench with minimum building skills and even fewer tools. Have the wood cut to size at the local lumber supply shop and you can assemble the garden bench components in less than an hour.
Place the three cedar boards face down on a flat work surface. Arrange the boards in a vertical row, with 1/2 inch of space between them. Make sure that the ends of the boards are flush on both sides. Cedar is a good choice for a garden bench as it contains a natural oil that will resist insects and mildew.
Measure 10 inches from one end and mark a straight vertical line across all three boards. Repeat this step on the other end of the cedar boards.
Place a treated wood strip over each line. Insert two 3-inch decking screws through the wood strips into each of the boards. You will have a total of six decking screws holding each of the strips in place. This is the seat for your garden bench.
Attach an L bracket at the edge of the top and bottom vertical boards with 1-1/2-inch decking screws. The brackets should be on the side and 2 inches from the edge so that you can attach them to the cedar plywood panels. Place L brackets on both sides of the cedar bench seat boards.
Stand one of the plywood panels against the L brackets on one side of the bench seat. The 13-inch width of the plywood panel should fit exactly across the three boards. Attach the L brackets to the plywood panel. Repeat this step on the opposite side of the bench.
Add water sealer to the garden sprayer. Spray the underside of the garden bench thoroughly. Flip the bench over and spray the top of the bench seat and the side supports. Allow the water sealer to dry and place the bench in your garden.
