Garden benches can be a purchase for life. The bench for the garden, the terrace or the large balcony should be weatherproof and do its job for many years. Anyone who wants to buy a garden bench should therefore pay particular attention to the quality and less to the price.
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Horticultural stores exhibit a manageable number of different models that can be tried out on site. However, online furniture retailers offer an even larger selection of different brands. A wide range of different models can be admired on Pharao24.
Three materials are most commonly used to make garden benches: wood, metal and plastic. With wooden benches, it depends on the type of wood and the processing whether and how long the piece of furniture will serve its purpose. Hardwood is particularly good for outdoor furniture. The same applies to the popular and cheap garden benches made of plastic. Inferior quality leads to discoloration and makes the material porous and brittle. With garden benches made of metal (whether filigree or robust), good welding and connecting seams as well as the right rust protection and paint ensure a long service life.
Where is the best place to place the garden bench?
Traditionally, there was a bench right next to the entrance to the house. It served as a seat for many occasions. In the meantime, the garden benches can be found more often in the back part of the property. The home garden is no longer primarily used for food supply, but for recreation. But where does the garden bench come into its own?
Many people attach great importance to aesthetics and a successful garden design. Whether rustic, elegant or playful - garden benches suit every garden style. Outdoor garden benches are more for decoration. A garden bench fulfills its function as a comfortable piece of seating furniture best when it is set up in a sheltered area with a back cover. House walls, stone walls, hedges or privacy screens can be used for this. A garden bench under a large tree or by a small garden pond is particularly inviting.
How are garden benches cleaned and cared for?
Plastic garden furniture needs winter quarters to protect it from frost. Garden benches made of metal and wood can be left outside all year round. Metal benches need to be checked regularly for rust spots and need a coat of paint about every five to seven years. The same applies to color-lacquered wooden benches. The maintenance required for garden benches made of natural wood depends on the type of wood used. Hardwoods such as teak or oak are significantly more resistant to weather influences and insect infestation than softwoods such as spruce and pine.
A kitchen sponge and some washing-up liquid are sufficient for cleaning the wooden surface. The impregnation (glaze) of newly purchased garden benches wears off after a while. Softwood then swells and becomes vulnerable to pests. That is why softwood furniture has to be treated regularly and rubbed with linseed oil. A swollen, fibrous surface is first smoothed with sandpaper. Nourishing oils penetrate the wood and impregnate the wood surface for several months. The maintenance treatment for high-quality wooden benches is carried out twice a year as required: in spring and in autumn.