Beautify an old bench

Mark Rayner gives an old wooden bench a new lease of life.

Refinishing a cast iron and wood bench with Resene paint and wood stain

You will need

An old wooden bench about nine metres of 100mm x 25mm dressed kwila decking
30mm stainless steel bolts
20mm stainless steel screws
Circular saw, set square, pencil, screwdriver and a wire brush
Turps for cleaning brushes, paintbrushes and a dry cloth
Resene ArmourX Rust-Arrest
Resene Super Gloss tinted to Resene Black Forest
Resene Kwila wood stain.

To get the look: Mark painted the background retaining wall with Resene Woodsman Penetrating Oil Stain tinted to Resene Oiled Cedar.

Instructions

How to restore a cast iron and wood bench:

Step 1
Dismantle the wooden bench. Use the wire brush to remove any areas of rust on the back panel and end legs, as shown.

Step 2
Spot prime the areas of bare iron with Resene ArmourX Rust-Arrest. Allow to dry for 24 hours.

Step 3 - Paint the cast iron back panel and legs in Resene Black Forest

Step 3
Paint the back panel and end legs with one coat of Resene Black Forest. Allow to dry for 16 hours before applying a second coat.

Step 4 - Measure and cut new wooden stats to the former size

Step 4
Using the original wooden slats as a guide, measure and cut the decking to size. Our slats were 75mm wide and 1.2m metres long. Measure and cut the two smaller lengths for back panel.

Step 5 - Measure and drill holes in the seating slats

Step 5
Measure and drill a 6mm hole at either end of the seating slats – again, use the original wooden slats as a guide.

Step 6
Apply one coat of Resene Kwila Timber Stain to the kwila slats.

Step 7 - Wipe off excess stain and allow to dry

Step 7
Wipe off any excess timber stain with a dry, lint-free cloth. Allow to dry thoroughly for 24 hours.

Step 8
Reassemble the wooden bench using the stainless steel bolts and screws.

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Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.co.nz