"OG" wrote:
"Bruce" wrote in message
news
I have acquired two old(ish) garden benches which have cast iron ends
in reasonable condition but rotten wooden slats. I had intended to
repaint the ends and replace the slats with hardwood, however my
partner spotted Homebase were selling new benches for only £30 each.

The Homebase bench is shown he
http://tinyurl.com/6c99x4
or
http://www.homebase.co.uk/wcsstore/h...7UC318746X.jpg

Our bench ends are more attractive but those on the Homebase benches
are just about good enough. I already have some dark blue metal paint
and they should come up well with a couple of coats of this.

So the question is, can I obtain new hardwood slats and fixings for
less than £30 per bench, or do I just give up and buy two new benches
from Homebase?

What would give you more satisfaction, bringing the old benches back into
active use, or buying and assembling a couple of benches from a shop?


Definitely bringing the old benches back into active use! The cast
ends are very attractive and they are much higher quality than the
Homebase version. I strongly suspect they were cast here in Britain
rather than in China or Eastern Europe.


If you decide not to attempt to renovate the old benches, can I suggest you
see there are any local projects that would be interested in taking them
on - something like that can be used for helping 'naughty boys' get back on
the straight and narrow, or sometimes as occupational therapy for people
with learning difficulties.


That's a great idea, thanks. But I am keen to restore them, and just
need a little advice on what timber and finish to use, then I will see
if it can be done within the budget. If it can't, I will do what you
suggest.

Thanks for your reply.