Do you love vintage, also in your garden? Then use our instructions and tips for building a garden bench with a vintage look yourself.
The new favorite spot in your garden could be a vintage-look garden bench. The ravages of time seem to have already left their mark on the wood. With just a few simple steps you can help and give the wood history. Garden furniture with a vintage look is particularly effective in a romantic cottage garden. The result is a cozy retreat where you can end the day and where the family can take a little break. We will now tell you how to give the wood a natural patina and build a comfortable bench for the garden.
Vintage Garden Furniture
In the garden, vintage furniture looks particularly good because it seems robust and literally up to the task. Nothing seems to be able to harm them, even if the ravages of time have already gnawed at them properly. Vintage benches are robust and forgive scratches and stains. Natural wooden furniture with a vintage look is an asset for any outdoor area, and the seemingly outdated pieces of furniture look particularly harmonious in a cozy country-style garden.
How does the wood get its vintage look?
The secret is very simple - the wood has to be painted several times and then sanded. Then the superficial layers of paint are removed and the paint in the depressions is retained. You start painting with white acrylic paint. Let this dry well and then apply a light brown varnish glaze. Once this layer has dried, a layer of dark brown acrylic paint is applied over it. When all layers of paint have dried well, sand down the boards until the desired look is achieved.
» Tip: The best way to achieve the desired vintage look is to grind by hand rather than with a grinder.
Garden bench in a vintage look and your favorite color
Acrylic paint is just one way to give a vintage look to a garden bench. However, the effect is even better with chalk paint. This allows you to achieve any desired color and you can use the garden benchin white, blue, green or other trendy colors for outdoor use.
Painting the garden bench in a vintage look - this is how it works!
If the wood is older, it is first treated with a damp cloth. You can use denatured alcohol as a cleaning agent. When wood comes into contact with moisture, the wood fibers stand up. The wood should be lightly sanded after cleaning so that the color later covers better.
If oak wood is used for the garden bench, the wood must be pre-treated with insulating primer before the chalk paint is applied. This primer protects against unsightly staining after painting. These stains can be caused by the ingredients in the wood, but wine stains, coffee stains or water stains cannot simply be painted over. If the subsoil is not isolated, these will appear again and again.
You can't go wrong with this bestseller:
» Tip: All particularly resinous woods should be treated with an insulating primer. In addition to oak, this also applies to mahogany or pine.
Once the wood has been appropriately pretreated, the paint can be applied. Chalk paints are available in different colors or can be mixed at a specialist retailer. Chalk paint is easy to work with and easy to apply. Ensure an even application of paint and allow the paint to dry well. If you would like to apply a second coat of paint, perhaps change the shade slightly or work with a second color, this can be done after about eight hours. That's how long the chalk paint needs to dry.
To achieve the desired vintage look, the wood is sanded down until individual layers of paint have been removed. Do not use a grinding machine for this, but do the grinding by hand, this makes it much easier to achieve the desired used look, even if some muscle power is required. With the grinding machine you remove too much paint at once, which can result in completely colorless areas. If the wood has the desired vintage look, it is given a coat of clear varnish and then treated with wax.
Building a garden bench in a vintage look - step by step
In the following example we explain the construction of a stable and comfortable garden bench with a backrest. There are of course numerous possible variations, so this can only be an example. You can adjust the dimensions of the wood to suit your personal circumstancesadapt or construct a seat without a backrest.
Building a vintage garden bench - list of materials
Wooden boards in different dimensions:
| Component | Number | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| Backrest, Seat, Front | 6 | 112.5 cm |
| Armrests, side panels | 6 | 69.5 cm |
| Support wood seat | 2 | 5cm x 62.5cm |
| Supporting wood backrest | 2 | 42cm x 5cm |
| Supporting beams front | 2 | 6.7cm x 5cm |
| Top of backrest | 1 | 112.5cm x 8.5cm |
| Top of armrests | 2 | 66cm x 6.5cm |
| Feet | 2 | 66cm x 5cm |
What tool do you need?
- Cordless Impact Wrench
- Compact saw with rip fence, miter angle attachment and carbide cutting disc
- Grinding discs
- Hot Glue Gun
- Countersunk Screws
Overview of the individual work steps
- Treat Boards
- Cut Boards
- Assemble the side parts and armrests
- Fastening the support beams
- Seat and front side screwing
- Mount the backrest
- Final Assembly
Once all boards have the desired vintage look, they can be cut to size according to the given dimensions. You can of course also specify individual dimensions. In any case, you should work precisely.
» Tip: Mark the dimensions on both sides of the boards.
Set the cutting disc of the compact saw to a cutting depth of 20 millimeters. Using a compact saw with a rip fence will help you cut straight. The miter angle attachment is the best option for diagonal cuts.
» Tip: If you don't have a suitable saw or don't have a lot of manual skills, you can also have the boards cut to size at a local hardware store.
❶ Now the side parts and the armrest are assembled. To do this, arrange three 69.5 cm long scaffolding boards next to each other. Now attach the foot pieces (66 x 5 cm) to the short sides. The feet are fastened flush with the edge with countersunk screws. To attach the armrest, turn the side part so that it comes with the narrow side facing up. The boards with the dimensions 66 x 6.5 cm are now on the narrowside screwed. These work steps are carried out for both side parts.
❷ Now it's time to construct the seat and front panel. The supporting wood for the seat is attached to the inside of the side part at a height of 36 cm. The support beams should run across the longitudinal boards and end exactly with the rear edge.
❸ The front support (6.7 x 5 cm) is placed at a 90 degree angle next to the front end of the support. The two wooden supports form an "L" when properly attached, with the short letter piece on the front. These steps are repeated on the inside of the second side panel, attaching the supporting wood for the front side in reverse.
❹ Now attach the front of the garden bench to the side parts. This is done by turning the side parts over and screwing the 112.5 cm long scaffolding boards onto the short support timbers. Then stand the bench upright, place the boards on the support beams and attach the screws on both sides.
To make it even more comfortable, our garden bench has a backrest. This can optionally also be omitted.
❺ The remaining 112.5 cm long boards are first placed next to each other so that they fit perfectly. The 42.5 x 5 cm long wooden supports are arranged flush on it. Make sure that the boards are flush at the top and on the sides and then screw the whole thing together. The narrow top (112.5 x 8.5 cm) is now connected to the top edge of the backrest. Now align the backrest to the desired angle and screw it to the side parts on the inside.
❻ If there are any sharp or rough edges, they are finally sanded. Fill the resulting screw holes with pore filler. To ensure that the new garden bench can withstand wind and weather, a suitable wood oil or wood stain is then applied.
Garden bench made of Euro pallets in vintage look
Would you like to keep it as simple as possible and still not do without a garden bench with a vintage look? Then simply use Euro pallets. Benches made from Euro pallets are stable and robust, cost little and can be set up quickly. The wood does not have to be treated elaborately, because the trendy used look is already there. Six pallets are needed for a simple bank of Euro pallets.
The wood can be treated as desired. For the natural vintage look you don't need to do much itthe application of a caring wood oil or a wood stain is sufficient. If the pallets are to be given a colored coat of paint, roughen the surface, apply diluted acrylic paint and sand it down after drying until the desired used look is achieved.
Set up the pallets and screw two pieces together. A seat has already been created. Another pallet is used for the backrest and you screw this to the back with the two pallets already set up, which serve as a seat. In this way you can produce several seat units, which should then be screwed together at the installation site. Six Euro pallets, i.e. two seating units, are sufficient for a bench with normal dimensions. However, you can expand the bench at any time and turn it into a spacious seating landscape, which can also be arranged around the corner.
» Tip: With soft upholstery and cushions, it becomes really comfortable on the pallet bench.