For this DIY garden bench, I took inspiration from this video by Rad Dad Builds, changing just a few things to fit my own ways of working and my client’s brief (Hi, Mum!)
That’s right, this bench was a bespoke build for my lovely mum. Her biggest request for this piece was to include armrests so she’d have a place to rest her morning coffee, and this was the biggest design change I had to figure out.
Mum had a specific size in mind for this bench which I’ll include details of below, however, the design is so flexible that you can amend the dimensions to fit your own space! I will say though, if you want to go any wider than this one, you may want to think about introducing a third frame in the middle for extra support.
Let’s build a bench!
Finished measurements of this DIY garden bench
- Width – 1200mm
- Depth – 675mm
- Height – 930mm
Tools
- Drill
- Mitre Saw
- Sander
- Pocket hole jig
- Clamps
- Spirit level
- Mallet
- Speed square
- U-nails and string (optional)
Materials
- Wood glue
- 65mm decking screws
- 2.5″ (64mm) pocket screws
- Exterior grade Teak woodstain
- Exterior grade woodstain in Ebony
- Sandpaper (these are my go-to sanding discs – This is an affiliate link. It doesn’t cost you anything extra but, if you buy something using it, I get a very small commission that goes towards helping me to keep creating free content ♡)
Cut list
For the seat, armrest and back
89mm x 38mm treated CLS spruce
- A – 500mm [x 2]
- B – 510mm [x 2]
- C – 395mm [x 2]
- D – 430mm [x 2]
- E – 945mm [x 2]
For the slats
27mm x 34mm planed spruce
- F – 1200mm [x 19]
- G – 910mm [x 1]
Cutting the timber to size
Cut your timber to size, ensuring that one end of A and E is cut at a 15° bevel.
Drill two pocket holes at each end of B and C.
Cut one end of B and C at a 15° bevel, ensuring that the pocket holes are positioned on the shortest side of the board.
Drill one pocket hole in either end of G, ensuring that they’re both placed on a side that’s 27mm wide.
Creating grooves for the armrests
Measure 265mm from the non-bevelled end of E and draw a line across the board. Measure another 38mm and mark another line. This will be the groove that the armrest sits in.
With your mitre saw still set to a 15° bevel, set the depth stop to about half the thickness of the board.
Carefully cut small sections away between the lines, moving the board along only a couple of millimetres at a time.
TIP: Clamping a sacrificial piece of timber behind your workpiece will allow you to push the blade cleanly through the entire width of the board.
A will be the armrest, which should fit very snugly in the groove you’re cutting. It’s important to keep checking the fit as you get to the last couple of cuts.
Assemble pieces B, C, D and E as shown in the diagram, using wood glue and pocket screws. Clamps, a speed square and a spirit level will ensure everything is square and level.
Here’s how a frame should look when it’s assembled. (This photo doesn’t show the armrest grooves as I cut mine after this stage).
Securing the armrests
Making sure it’s level, hammer the bevelled end of A into the groove using a mallet. You can use wood glue and clamp it in place to dry if required. This is an armrest!
Drive two screws through the back of E and straight into the armrest for extra stability. Countersink and wood fill the holes for a neat finish.
Repeat these steps to create a second frame, and paint both in the ebony woodstain.
Prepping the seat and backrest slats
Sand F and G so that they’re nice and smooth, I worked my way through 120grit – 240grit.
Rounding the edges as you go will make it comfortable to sit and lean on when everything’s assembled.
Stain the slats using the exterior grade Teak oil.
TIP: To keep the slats off the floor white staining, hammer u-shaped pins into one end of each slat and hang them up with string,
Attaching the slats to the frames
Use a speed square and spirit level to line up the first seat slat (F) on top of the two frames, leaving 55mm overhang at either side.
Clamp the slat in place then drive a screw in at either end.
The first two screws can be driven in from the top, however, you can switch to driving them in from underneath after that if you wish. This will result in a neater finish, as you won’t see the screw heads. It also stops water from pooling in those areas, hopefully preserving the bench life for longer!
Repeat the process for the first backrest slat (F).
You can now move on to attaching a further 11 slats (F) to the seat. Use an 18mm thick offcut to space each one, plus a scrap piece of wood as a guide to keep the overhang consistent.
Do the same for the backrest, attaching a further 5 slats (F).
You’ll notice that slat G is shorter than the rest, this is so that it can sit between the armrests. To attach, apply wood glue each end and drive pocket screws into the inside of each armrest, ensuring that the pocket holes are facing the back of the bench.
This part can be quite tricky, as the slat should be angled the same as the slats you’ve already installed. Use clamps and spacers to help if you need to!
Add the final slat (F) below the armrest.
And that’s it! You’ve just built an awesome bench!
Check out my highlight on Instagram to see my journey with this project, and please let me know if you have any questions. I’m always happy to help and would love to see your version if you build one!