Moonlight Walk Beautification Project: Garden Bench

I finally decided to drag the garden bench (with Ken's help) from the backyard to the front porch. This poor bench has never really served its intended purpose as a nice place to sit or a charming object strategically placed to beautify an area, and it has been subjected to all kinds of weather for several years.

These two before pictures were taken after I had already started sanding the wood. I needed to turn the bench on its end so that I could sand and stain the underside. These pictures show how the wood was very weathered from constant sun and rain throughout the years. The top of the bench was more weathered than the bottom, but all of the original stain was long gone--leaving our neglected bench to sit patiently in all its naked glory.

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Here is the after picture. I chose a red mahogany stain rather than the oak stain that we have throughout the inside of the house. I think the rich color looks attractive next to the green metal as well as next to the brick and tile.

Ken was more excited than I expected when I finished this project. I am not really sure why he reacted so enthusiastically, but his praise definitely made me happy and ready to tackle the next Moonlight Walk Beautification Project: staining the deck!