When you're deciding which outdoor bench best suits your needs, it's important to be totally in the know. Our handy glossary gets you started.
Outdoor Bench Styles
- Glider Bench: Glider benches look like traditional outdoor benches but are mounted on stationary tracks that allow the seat to "glide" back and forth. A glider is a great alternative to a porch swing.
- Park Bench: The park bench is a classic outdoor bench, typically with a high back and 2 arms. Some modern park benches are simpler in design without a back or arms - just an elongated seat.
- Porch Swing: A porch swing looks like a park bench without a base; rather, these seats can be suspended by a chain from porch beams (hence the name) or even a sturdy tree in a backyard garden.
- Storage Bench: The storage bench doubles as a long chest of sorts; the seat lifts, allowing users to store materials inside the frame. Once closed, the bench is ready to be used for traditional seating.
Outdoor Bench Materials
- Cedar Benches: A fragrant favorite, cedar wood has natural oils that repel moths and other pests, making it ideal for outdoor uses.
- Redwood Benches: Old-growth redwood is durable and beautiful, as well as rare. Many redwood tree species are endangered, but you can rest assured we use redwood harvested in a low-impact, sustainable manner during times when growth exceeds extraction.
- Shorea Benches: Shorea, a teak relative, is a favorite wood for outdoor benches, largely because it is hard, heavy, resistant to rot and infestation, and more affordable than teak.
- Teak Benches: Teak, a warm brown wood, handles exposure well even when untreated. It, too, has pest-repelling oils.
- Wicker Benches: Wicker - often used in more delicate settings, such as gardens - is composed of treated woven fibers. Wicker furniture is lightweight and highly decorative.
- Wrought Iron Benches: Wrought iron - today, mainly melded steel - is also highly decorative, often handmade, in either intricate or more rustic designs.
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