Simple, Sturdy Benches

Since revamping our firepit a few weeks ago, my wife wanted a couple of sturdy benches to accompany the logs we use for chairs during bonfires.

So we went shopping around a bit and didn't really finding anything to our liking... We did however get quite a few laughs at the prices of outdoor benches.

$150 each for a shoddy built and crappily painted metal bench? ... Nice try retail stores, nice try.

My goal was to build two for under $100 which I did. Although it can be done for a lot cheaper if you already have materials on hand, especially the stain/paint (The Restore 2x paint was over $30!).

Materials per bench:

I used framing lumber because its cheap, easy to work with, and cheap:

3x - 2x6s cut to 72"

2x - 2x4s cut to 67.5"

4x - 2x4s cut to 11.5"

6x - 4x4s cut to 12.5" (this will give the bench a total height of ~14")

Box of exterior deck 2 1/2" screws

1 gallon Rustoleum Restore 2x paint (there will be a lot left over)

Tools needed/recommended:

Drill

Miter saw

Caliper with thumb lock

Tape measure

Countersink

To make assembling the bench really easy, I went through and marked all the points where a screw was going to go and drilled a small pilot hole. I also used a countersink to make sure none of the screw heads would stick out after assembly.

My technique for marking all the screw holes is to use a metal digital caliper with a thumb lock. I set and lock it to my desired measurement and then use it to scratch a faint line into the wood and essentially create a crosshair to mark where I want to drill my pilot hole. This can also be done with a tape measure and pencil just as easily.

To build the supporting frame, I made a rectangle out of the two longer 2x4s and two of the shorter ones. I just used one screw at each corner.

I chose to put the top screws centered and 3" from the ends of the 2x6s and attached it directly to the support frame.

*Update: I forgot to add that the top boards have a 1/2" gap between them

To attach the legs, I flipped the bench upside down and just free handed the corner legs, driving in screw from each side.

For the middle two legs, I measured the midpoint and drilled a hole in the 2x4 before attaching the legs. Since there was only one screw holding these legs on, I added a 2x4 on each side of the legs and screwed it all together. This also provides additional support for the top boards in the middle since they are not screwed to anything.

*Note: I knew my benches were going to be placed on very uneven grass, so being super precise with the legs was not necessary. Although mine turned out almost perfectly level... I would definitely take more time and be more precise if the bench is going to be used on a flat surface.

I did not take any picture when I painted but there's no magic or mystery to it. I used a standard paint roller where I could and a brush to get the rest. The Restore paint I used is very thick and one coat seemed to cover very well.

I gave it a couple of days to dry in the garage and they were ready to use!