A splash of color amongst the greens and browns of a garden is always a pleasant treat for the sight. When this splash of color transforms itself into a welcoming seat, comfort goes to a completely new level. You can achieve this with the DIY outdoor pallet garden bench. The bench utilizes reclaimed pallet wood and upcycled glass tiles. This bench is a two seats and has a standard elevation. The style chosen for this bench is the distressed look, which complements the tiled seat perfectly.
Things you need:
- Pallets
- Hammer/screw driver
- Nails/ screws
- Crowbar
- Glass tiles (santorini blue, glossy)
- Wood paint (white and salmon orange)
- Sanding equipment
- Tile adhesive or mastic
- Carpenter measuring tape
What you have to do:
Make this a summer day project and arouse the artist within you. Begin with getting some good quality pallets and give them a once over. Dismember the pallet slats and construct the seat. The length of the seat will be according to the length of all the tiles you will use. (Note: Place the tiles vertically). Attach an apron to the seat on all four sides and fix it to seat to create a thin ledge around it. This will frame the tiles you will glue in later. Pull up the aprons according to the thickness of the tiles you are using. The side aprons are going to be longer than the seat width as they are the connection points for the backrest supports.
Design a fancy backrest with the old-fashioned crossed patterns. Screw in the backrest and arm supports to the box seat. Make the armrests slanted by using two pallet pieces joined at the arm support junction. Connect them to the armrests and the back supports, as this will give added strength to the backrest. Assemble the legs in the cross pattern to match the back. Connect these to the bottom of the box seat and your bench is all ready to be dressed.
Next, give your whole bench a good whetting and dust it off. Cover the bench with the exclusion of the inset of the seat with white paint and let it dry. Give it another coat with the salmon orange paint and once dry, sand it randomly to give the distressed look and bring out the white detailing underneath.
For the final touch of beauty, contrast the salmon orange of the wood with a glossy santorini blue hue that will tickle the senses. Cover the top of the seat with tile adhesive or mastic. If you are using mastic, make sure you give it a short rest to create the tack and then work quickly before it dries off. Press the tiles into the frame you have created with the aprons, place some weights, and wipe off extra glue if there is any need. Let it dry completely and voila! You are all set to show off your masterpiece.
Place your stylish DIY pallet garden bench seat on your patio, in the verandah, graveled pathway, or right in the centre of your lush green lawn.
Submitted by Ramón
Castellón, SPAIN