DIY Garden-Bench, Trash to Treasure Project

Driving home from Home Depot one Saturday, I spotted a garden-bench sitting in front of a house next to the garbage cans so I decided to stop and have a look.

Even though the wood was worn out old pine with the white paint chipping off just about everywhere, the metal frame was in great shape and worth salvaging. Naturally I knocked at the door to the house to make sure they had intended to rid themselves of the worn out old bench before I made off with it... which is what I did.

This was a pretty straight forward fix it project, easy for a homebase diy. I choose to use Purple Hart wood, as the replacement wood, since it's extremely dense, weathers like Teak and will probably last some 15-20 years without much maintenance. You can complete a project like this with the most basic tools any DIY'er would have. Below is a list of tools and supplies to complete this project:

Regular screwdriver (I prefer a cordless screwdriver)

Tape measure

Circular saw (table saw if you have one but not necessary)

Jigsaw

Drill (a drill press is better but again not necessary)

Drill bits (basic set)

Random orbital sander

12 inch wood clamps

Sand paper in 80, 120, 180, 220 grits

Metal Paint

Now if you're lacking any of the power tools you can easily rent them from your local tool rental store. What I like to do is use the project as a reason to purchase the tools I'm lacking...