Brought a cheap second hand garden bench today. Cast ends with slats bolted to them. Bit rougher than in the photos, half are loose and someone had poured a tin of paint over them. Probably a bit overpriced but I thought hey, just replace the slats for a few quid and as good as new.

Turns out replacement slats are horrendously expensive! WWSTWD?

£100 doesnt sound too horrendous 😕 or is it, I dont know what you think the budget for such would be.

Alternatively if you dont want hardwood – 4 quid a slat.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185199045674?hash=item2b1eb92c2a:g:jNUAAOSwO7Vhq2PL

Op I’ve been here myself a couple of times and it’s an expensive game for something straightforward, even if the cast ends are free.

I went to my local timber merchant and bought the best match I could find size wise in a long length, then cut accordingly. New coach bolts too and it all adds up . I used standard softwood and it’s lasted 10 years in the Highlands with no real issues. I wouldn’t bother with anything fancy. Best thing I did was paint the ends, they look great

Pine slats routed to curve the edges and then sanded – could have just used courser sand pap[er to round them – stainless steel replacement bolts and fresh paint on the old bench ends.

It was a little flexy when I took this picture so I added a strip of flat 2cm wide steel in the centre just screwed into the slats from behind and it has been fine.

@WCA

Theres usually a metal strip like brace running from the lower leg stay to the underside of the slat to prevent wobble(parallelogram) one on each side and the central metal strip is normal on these benches too.

If the wood is decent hardwood grind all bolts off, remove slats, take them to someone who has a thicknesser/planer run then through that and then re-stain them.

Fresh bolts and job done.

I was given ends for free. I took them along to the local Mens Shed and they cleaned up the ends and painted them, made slats and oiled them and put it all togther. £100 donation.

Then I ripped a massive chunk of paintwork off my car whilst unloading the bench.

Just refurbished one. Cleaned up and painted the ends. Made the slats from from recycled plastic. They aren’t hard to make. Cut to length and drill a couple of holes. Not especially cheap but they don’t need any finishing and should last a very long time.

The last one I did a few years ago, the wood had gone a bit at the ends so I unbolted it all chopped the ends then reassembled it a little shorter. Wasn’t too bad but needs a some TLC now.

I’ve actually a pair of these too, i found out at the bin several years ago and keep meaning to renovate, though I have a pile 800x38mm Afrormosia(or it might be teak) boards which is ideal for such a project.

The sides I have are quite ornate, usual cast metal but ornate in the way of flowers and other botanical shapes. I think the main central plant is a poppy, with petal type flowers, long grass stems and the like.

My intention is to paint each flower as a flower, say white petals, yellow center,greens,blues,reds etc and to do each and all in different colours, a bit like that style we see on canal boat painting. I’ve about 50 tins of Humbrol enamel in just about every colour, so i can be quite creative.

I just have to finally get around to doing it. I think it will make the bench(or wide single seat as its only 800mm) quite unique.

Pic

I had a similar thing and it was mush cheaper to buy wider bits of hardwood and cut them down and route the edges myself

Dyna-Ti – There is a length of threaded rod you cannot see in the photo pulling the two sides together instead of the side braces you refer to. It works fine and matched what I had spare in the garage

How handy, I rescued a pair of ends from the scrap pile down the street a few months back and have been intending on getting them cleaned up and rebuilt. We have a blacksmiths in town so could probably get appropriate braces or the material for them from there.

I did similar when we bought this house 7 years ago, they left a bench with rotten slats but OK ends. Wire brush and hammerite for the ends, spent a bit on some sapele slats and made the mistake of varnishing which quickly broke down and it’s been flaking and grey for the last few years.

Few weeks ago did a jetwash, scrape off and a quick sand and some Sikkens and it’s back to looking new again. Worth spending the extra on decent hardwood slats if possible.

Slats lovely that 👍

Blimey, this place! Now I need to try and find some cast bench ends!