With this project you can create a bank in less than an hour. It does not require too many materials and the procedure is not very complex. The most difficult part may be cutting the wood, but you can ask the store where you buy it to do this for you.
The advantage of this design is that it is very versatile. You can adjust the length of the bench to fit anywhere and use more or fewer blocks to raise or lower it. Add a few extra blocks to create a backing, and if you’re looking for a pop of color, you can paint it a bright color. If you like the rustic style, you can skip this step and just use wood stain if you need to change the tone of the wood slats to make your seat match other furniture.
Materials
– 12 cement blocks like those used in construction. Six are used for each side.
– 4 wooden strips of 10 cm x 10 cm x 3 m: you can vary the length according to how big you want the finished seat to be.
– Cement adhesive
– Cushions
– Paint for the cement blocks (optional)
– Wood stain for the slats (optional)
Instructions
1. If you are going to place your bench in your garden, on the ground or grass, make sure that the ground is well leveled before you start working.
2. Start at one of the sides. Arrange the blocks as seen in the image above. To do this, place four blocks, one next to the other vertically. Thus, its shorter side will rest on the ground. Above these four blocks, support two more horizontally.
3. 2.5 to 3 meters apart (depending on the length of the slats), mount the opposite side of the bench with the remaining six cinder blocks. Do it the same way as in the previous step.
3. Thread the wooden slats through the cinder block holes you laid horizontally at the top of each side. Make sure that there is at least 15 cm protruding from the slats on each side. This is the key so that the seat does not fall apart.
If you need to make any adjustments to the length of the bench, simply move the blocks to reduce the distance between the two sides.
4. When you are happy with the location and size of your seat, momentarily remove the slats and glue the blocks together with the cement adhesive.
5. Once the adhesive has dried, feed the wooden slats back through the holes in the top blocks.
6. Put some cushions on the wooden slats and enjoy your seat.
Note: Although the structure is heavy, to help the stability of the seat, the seat may have additional weight on the base. You can achieve this with sandbags or by burying it under stones or soil.