Garden Benches
Compare garden benches and chairs from UK retailers, filtered by material and colour.
Showing 1–29 of 29 products
A garden bench's one of those buys that looks simple until you actually start comparing them, material makes a bigger difference than most people expect to how long it lasts.
Materials
Wood, oak or teak usually, is still the classic choice, and it does age nicely if you actually treat it once a year. Skip that step though and it won't look good for long. Metal ones, cast iron especially, shrug off the weather without any real upkeep, but they do get properly hot in summer and cold in winter, worth bearing in mind if you're sitting on it in shorts.
Storage Benches
These double up as seating and a bit of storage, handy if you're short on shed space for cushions or tools. Just don't expect them to be fully sealed inside, most aren't, so a liner's worth adding if you're keeping anything that minds getting damp.
Size matters more than it looks in photos. A 2-seater's fine for a doorway or a small balcony, but if it's for the family garden, a 3-seater gives you a lot more use out of it.
One more thing, check the weight if you'll need to move it around with the seasons. Cast iron in particular is not a one-person job.
Frequently asked questions
What's the most weatherproof material for a bench?
Metal, especially something like powder-coated steel or cast iron, needs the least looking after. Teak holds up well too, but only if you actually treat it.
Are storage benches actually waterproof inside?
Mostly not fully, so if you're storing cushions or anything that can't get damp, a liner or a bag inside is worth it.
How long does a wooden bench actually last?
If you keep on top of it, a hardwood bench can go 10 years or more. Untreated softwood, you're probably replacing that a lot sooner.