Summer's finally here and there really is no better way to enjoy the garden and great outdoors than to take a little time out to enjoy the sunshine from the comfort of a garden bench.
Whether it's with family and friends entertaining or simply through a bit of quiet contemplation, relaxing in the garden is an ideal way to de-stress anytime during the day.
Garden Benches - choices
As with any garden furniture you look to buy, the available choice of garden benches is endless.
So, what are the key areas you should look for when looking at garden benches.
It is important to find the right style of bench that is pleasing to the eye, yet tough and long lasting.
Wooden garden benches
There is an extensive range of wooden garden benches on the market today that come in different styles and sizes.
Lutyens Benches, Swing Benches, Storage Benches and Glider Benches are all popular options for a little novelty in the garden, and for those wanting to remember people they've lost a memorial bench offers a perfect way to do this.
However, it is important to choose a bench that will last as well meaning that sometimes it is a better option to pay a little more to ensure that the bench you choose will last longer.
There are few things to consider here
* Choose a good strong hardwood like teak or oak.
* Look for that hand finished quality with the use of mortice and tenon joints preferably further reinforced with dowels.
* Seek out the chunkier options with thick legs and bottom stretchers to prvent that annoying wobble over time.
* Tougher hardwoods are also better for coping with the elements all year. By far the best timber here is teak as it naturally has a very dense grain and high natural oil content meaning it doesn't require external protectors.
Eco garden benches
These are becoming an increasingly popular option.
They are more often than not made from recycled materials and moulded to look like wooden garden benches with faux wood grain.
It is important here to look for plastic that has been purified before being recycled and moulded as this offers a stronger finished mix less likely to degrade with exposure to the elements.
You also need to ensure that UV stabilisers are added to the mix of plastic pre-moulding so the colours on the finished garden bench that you buy won't fade over time.
GRC an up and coming phenomenon
GRC stands for Glass Reinforced Concrete and in modern markets it is used to make all sorts of structures for use in a variety of applications including garden benches.
What is Glass Reinforced Concrete, (GRC):
GRC isn't a single material but a family of high-performance cement-based composites.
These are reinforced with alkali resistant glass fibres and have a number of benefits for the end user.
* It is super-easy to clean.
* The finish, as you can see from the photos, is as close to looking like wood as you can get without actually being wood. GRC is used in a number of intricate architectural applications for exactly this reason.
* It is environmentally friendly.
* The bench set looks solid and heavy but is actually very lightweight meaning it can be placed anywhere and then moved according to preference.
* It is not affected by the weather conditions so can be left outside all year round and still look the same in December as it was in January.
* The bench set is crack-resistant and will tolerate all the wear and tear you can throw at it without being ruined.
There is no doubt that garden benches make for a great addition, not just for domestic environments but for commercial environments as well. However, it is important that you consider all the options before you invest your money and hopefully the information above will put you in a better position to do this.
