What material would you prefer for an outdoor bench?

[Don Morris]

My community has a small park area and two benches need replacing. The committee to replace them is looking at PTP, and other materials like composite ($$$). I'm not really against PTP, but it does need upkeep (staining, sealing, etc) to keep it looking good or to keep it from fading, splintering. It does last a good time with care. Any wood would require similar care and longevity would be a concern. Composite looks good with little care but is expensive. Any of you looked into other materials, like metal, or plastics for benches and done a cost/comparison? Would appreciate any opinions from someone who has been through this.

[Kent A Bathurst]

This won't help you on the $$$ side, but for long-term fire-and-forget..........Iroko [aka African Teak]. Here in Atlanta, it is $6.50/bf for 4/4 and $6.75/bf for 8/4. Doesn't need staining....let it go silver grey over time. Extremely durable outdoors.

[Mike Cutler]

Teak, or IPE would be my first choice for long term. PTP, Pressure treated Plywood, would not be one of my choices.

[Jeff Monson]

I have not heard great things about composite either. Seems to be alot of mixed reviews yet, more time will tell. For cost effective wood, cedar is hard to beat. Ipe is great looking but expensive.

[Chris Tsutsui]

I know it's not the most elegant of materials but concrete is very durable outdoors.

You can make a mold out of melamine, cast a structural concrete in there with a suspended rebar grid.

1 slab for the bench top, and two rectangular side supports for the bench.

Concrete stain/seal to color or paint with epoxy and it's going to last a long time.

For a 100 year design life with no maintenance you can tie-in a titanium mesh to the rebar to act as a sacrificial anode system. This will prevent the rebar inside the concrete from corrosion.

[Erik Loza]

Our neighbors have some Adirondack chairs of Ipe and they like them a lot. Pretty as it ages and looks nice with stainless fasteners. I would definitely consider it if that was something I wanted to do.

Our backyard deck has composite planking and there are two thing which I dislike about that material:

1.) The boards get incredibly hot to walk on in the summertime. I could not imagine sitting on a sunny bench made of composite. May or may not be a factor in your climate (we are located in TX).
2.) The composite stuff lacks grain and thus, "sags" if you don't support it. Again, may or may not be a concern for the design of a bench.

Best of luck with your project.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Brian Kent]

I like white oak but it needs finishing.

[phil harold]

ipe mahogany teak cypress
I like cypress for outdoor furniture

[Sid Matheny]

I also like cypress for outside projects but it is a little softer than say teak IMHO.

Sid

[Jim Andrew]

White Oak and Walnut both last pretty well out doors. Seems like their stumps last forever in the ground.

[Rich Engelhardt]

My community has a small park area and two benches need replacing.

Public area = vandalism.

Go PT & save the "good stuff" for home use.

Concrete is ok - but - "heavy weight" outdoor stuff in a public setting seems to pose a dare/challenge to some.
They tend to view it as their mission in life to find a way to destroy/deface/steal it.

Please note - this is not a reflection of your community.
Defacing of public fixtures crosses all levels of society.

[Matt Meiser]

I made a bench from some cypress that sat outside for a few years until we redid the landing in our garage and moved it there. I made a screening fence around an AC unit with more of it 2 years ago. I really like the stuff.

But I agree with Rich. Its going to take a beating in public. Keeping it stained is probably the least of your worries.

[Jerome Stanek]

Our park district uses composit deck material for their benches.

[Walter Plummer]

In the 80's into the 90's the playgrounds around here were all pressure treated wood, but the upkeep and liabilities from splinters, tripping hazards, etc. killed them off. now they are all plastic or composites. I used to build museum exhibits and trade shows. Forget deliberate vandalism, everyday wear and tear is amazing. I vote with Chris for concrete.

[scott vroom]

I don't know what's best for your situation. Not sure if this is any help, but here's a website that will give you some ideas on public park bench designs.

http://www.belson.com/benches-nav.htm

[Ellen Benkin]

Much as I love wood, I'd go with some plastic or composite material just because of maintanence issues. No wood will last very long and I agree with those who mention vandalism.

[kevin nee]

What about JARRAH the use it in hot tubs

[Richard Wagner]

Teak but I can't afford it nor can I afford the saw blades that it would dull.

[Jim Matthews]

I built my garden bench with IPE over runs from a decking job.

Dirt cheap, durable and finishes beautifully.
I wouldn't want to invest my time on materials I dislike, threat of vandalism or not.

[Lloyd Kerry]

I'd use cedar. It weathers nicely and needs no finish. I hate PT wood, any time I'm building a deck with it, a splinter will fester in no time. I'm scared sh**less of those chemicals, especially when you think that people will be parking their butts there!

[curtis rosche]

buy some aluminum plate and take it to a person with a flow jet,,,,,

assuming vandalism like other have mentioned, metal can be rewelded easily. and pressure washed without damage. wood will wear away with pressure washers, and concrete will crumble with vandalism

[Rich Engelhardt]

It just occured to me that my late father in law built his picnic table out of Doug fir some years before I met my wife.
The picnic table was left outside year round and I don't recall it ever having anything on it to protect the wood.
I've been staining it the last 4 years or so and last year sanded it all down and gave it 5 coats of spar varnish.

We've been married for 31 years.
The table was there for a good 15 years prior to that.

No splinters, no warping.

[John Adank]

Not sure if it grows near you but Black Locust is a great wood for outdoor use. It was used years ago for fence posts on farms. It can last up to 100 years and is one of the heaviest and hardest woods in North America.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Not sure if it grows near you but Black Locust is a great wood for outdoor use. It was used years ago for fence posts on farms. It can last up to 100 years and is one of the heaviest and hardest woods in North America.A black locust fence post will outlast two post holes.