Broken Collapsed Vintage Garden Bench - Complete Restoration

[@KarenBAKER-f3f]

Fantastic bench! Great that it was rescued 😊

[@NowFixit]

Thank you! Yes, I would have been a real shame for it to go to the tip!

[@Manojero]

Came out nice!

[@MazSwanboroughSmith]

Wow, that looks amazing! Must admit I thought the colour was too bright to start with, but no, it looks fantastic! A really lovely restoration ❤🇬🇧

[@NowFixit]

Thanks very much! I had seen a vintage bench with bright pastel coloured bench ends and thought I would go for something similar. Although the wood on the other bench was painted I thought the contrast of the paint against oiled hardwood would look better. My wife’s favourite colour is purple, so that also influenced the choice. 👍 Thanks, Phil

[@chewbacca8748]

Fantastic job - looks great 👍

[@NowFixit]

Thank you! 😊

[@joemata1410]

My wife and I like the color used in this project. Awesome job!

[@NowFixit]

Thanks! The paint is Rustoleum Combi Color and I used “shades of violet & purple” Cheers, Phil

[@lindsaybrown7357]

Doing the same at the moment but taking the lazy way. Cast iron sand blasted and powder coated.

[@NowFixit]

Sounds great! I think it will come up really nice. I have a blast cabinet but not big enough for my bench ends and I couldn’t be bothered rigging up the blast pot for blasting it outside. Going for any interesting colours? Or sticking with the classic green? Cheers, Phil

[@lindsaybrown7357]

@NowFixit Considered the classic green, boring black, even fire engine red, but ended up with a deep blue. Who'd have thought garden furniture colours could be so challenging. Think Henry Ford had it right - any colour, as long as it's black 😄

[@philipsurridge6300]

I found a bench identical to that one and renovated it,mine didn't need new slats but done everything the same as you did.Great job.

[@NowFixit]

Good work! Not needing slats, will have saved you a lot of money! Did you use the same colour? I really like pastel colours for the brightness but some people like a classic dark grey or green. Cheers, Phil

[@jt9498]

Nicely done! I have the same bench that I have to get to soon. Probably this spring, I hope. :)

[@NowFixit]

Thanks! Yes, it was very rewarding to fix it up and should last a long time too! You should definitely fix yours up in the spring, looks great in the back garden and is a very comfortable bench with the profiled back rest 👍😎 Cheers, Phil

[@grivolas2144]

Looks great! Did this to wife's parents bench 16 years ago. I used electrolisis to strip the cast iron parts of rust and paint. Took a few days and a childs swimming pool, but it took off everything. I also had to replace the metal support strips as the had rusted away. I wish i could have predrilled the slats like you did but it was not possible as the holes on the bench we not consistent. I had to put the slat in then drill and bolt it place. My guess is this bench has to be very old if was made like that.

[@bamortensen28]

Where can i get a replacement of the back slat support. Ive tried getting them off other benches but they're either broken or missing.

[@lorenamann8389]

Wow! Muy bonita quedó la banca. Ese color está perfecto va con su estilo original, me encantó. Excelente trabajo de restaurante. Gracias por compartir esa idea

[@NowFixit]

Thanks! I really love that colour too and have used the paint for some other small projects too! Really happy with how the bench turned out. Cheers, Phil

[@catherinethomson4879]

Hello, looks great! What did you clean it with before painting?

[@NowFixit]

Thanks! I used panel wipe to make sure any residual grease and dirt was removed. Gives the paint a better chance of adhering properly 👍 cheers, Phil

[@simonboyes2550]

Super. I'm at the cast iron prep stage and was looking for tips and how to treat before painting the hammerite. I see you used Panel Wipe but white spirit also seemed to do a decent job

[@NowFixit]

Yep, white spirit more readily available for most and does a great job! Just out of interest, What colour did you go for? Cheers, Phil

[@simonboyes2550]

@@NowFixit Sugar soap prep and Smooth black hammerite

[@NowFixit]

@@simonboyes2550 oh yes, nicely oiled or lacquered boards and black bench ends would look great! 👍😀

[@vilangel78]

Para las piezas de forjado, personalmente, me habría decantado por un blanco intenso, mucho más conservador. Por lo demás, excelente trabajo. Ha quedado como nuevo.

[@mandydeane5824]

Hi Phil, Which type of wood would be economical without compromising on quality? I see you used Iroko which is what I was thinking of using but wondering on the cost.(I have a bench, two chairs and a table)

[@NowFixit]

Hi, if you want hardwood, the Iroko is one of the most affordable choices. Softwood is a lot cheaper and can look really nice but won’t last anywhere near as long unless you ensure you protect the wood. Bench slat packs are quite expensive, if you have the equipment or know someone that has a table saw and a planer, you might be able to buy wood more cheaply that then needs to be cut to size. Hope that helps! Cheers, Phil

[@katehenson188]

This is great. I'm doing exactly the same thing but my ends didn't come with the metal supports attached. So you know where these would come from?

[@NowFixit]

Sorry for the slow reply! Sounds good, hope your bench turns out good! 👍 On mine, they are just strips of 2mm thick steel with a hole drilled at each end, so it should be relatively easy to make some up. Hope that helps! Cheers, Phil

[@MrScottie68]

Where did you get the replacement wood slats?

[@NowFixit]

Hi, I bought it from eBay, you can buy slat kits. Measure your slats (sometimes you have one or two narrower slats) and choose the wood type you want and you will find a lot of kits on EBay. I was actually going to plane down my own wooden slats but was short of time to get it done before Christmas… Hope that helps! Thanks, Phil

[@MrScottie68]

Thank you very much!

[@dt3550]

Go to home depot & get some Simpson strapping..18 gauge x 36" long. Paint that black & apply to underside of slats with stainless 3/4 " truss screws and form to the contours as you go along..

[@ShariGarcia-ut6fm]

Gorgeous , not a fan of the purple...but not my bench ☺

[@NowFixit]

Thanks! The purple is proving divisive 😂 but it’s my wife’s favourite colour. Happy wife, happy life! 😁

[@ShariGarcia-ut6fm]

@@NowFixit facts!

[@homaticaya]

it came out nice but i hated that purple. The original colour was much better for the legs

[@paulorth2251]

Enjoyed the show, not a fan of the color would have gone the traditional route and used either black or white, but as someone else said, not my bench.😊

[@josefinarubalcavalopez4044]

Todouy bien, pero el color lila le quito.presencia, tache

[@NowFixit]

Lilac not for everyone, but I have had quite a few people comment who really like it! Cheers, Phil

[@mishkaseverokavkazskiy230]

Покраска по ржавчине🤦

[@NowFixit]

Still no rust coming through! 👍