Bench mark
Mark Rayner gets crafty with this stunning mosaic seat.
You will need:
- Offcuts of scrap wood for concrete shuttering and supports
- 10mm steel reinforcing rods (2 lengths of 1400mm)
- 3 x 25kg bags ready mix concrete
- 1 x 25kg bag builder's plaster mix
- Sand and/or stones for fill
- Exterior cement tile adhesive and exterior tile grout
- 3 x concrete pavers 300mm x 300mm
- 2 x concrete pavers 500mm x 750mm
- 3 x round terracotta pipes 300mm x 300mm
- 4 x terracotta tiles 300mm x 300mm
- 42 assorted terracotta and ceramic tiles 100mm x 100mm
- 4.2m tanalised wooden trim 60mm x l0mm
- 12 small masonry nails
- Exterior construction glue
- Weed-mat and stones
- Spade, tile cutter, hammer and spirit level
- Resene Quick Dry wood primer and 1 testpot dark green paint (we used Resene Black Forest)
To get the Look: Mark planted perennial zebra grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus') behind the bench. For a different look, use smaller mosaic tiles or flat pebbles.
Step one
Excavate and level soil to a depth of 100mm and construct a base of level wooden shuttering measuring 1500mm x 350mm. Pour 2 1/ 2 bags of mixed concrete into shuttering, embedding the reinforcing rods for strength. Level the concrete with a long wooden post.
Step two
Using the builder's plaster mix, cement the three 300mm x 300mm concrete pavers to the concrete base. Ensure the pavers are level.
Step three
Place the terracotta pipes on top of the concrete pavers and fill the base of each one using the remaining half bag of concrete. Fill the pipes with stones or sand to 50mm below the rim.
Step four
Fill the remainder of each pipe with builder's plaster mix and cement the two 500mm x 750mm concrete slabs into place to form the seat, leaving a central gap of 50mm. Fill this with the rest of the plaster mix, using scrap wood for additional support.
Step five
Once the cement is dry, remove the wooden supports and lay out the tiles in your chosen design. Using cement tile adhesive, attach your tiles to the concrete plinth.
Step six
Leave to dry for 24 hours then grout the bench with an exterior tile grout.
Step seven
Cut the tanalised wood trim and attach to the edge of the bench with construction glue and masonry nails. Prime, then paint with dark green
Resene Lumbersider exterior paint.
Step eight
Finish off by laying weedmat around the base of the bench, concealing the concrete base with stones or gravel.
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