Hi
I'm interested in making some park benches for advertising purposes. I bought molds for making concrete bench legs and I have to decide on the type of wood for the slats. I'm located in upstate NY, so cold snowy winters, hot and humid summers. I need help with the following:
1) What kind of wood would be best and is available at Home Depot or somewhere like that? (If I could get maybe a choice of 3 in different price brackets and the expected lifespan.) I don't want to do any wood treatments myself if I can avoid it.
2) The backrests seem to have a slight curve. Would an ad printed on plywood be flexible enough to bolt onto the backrest? If so, what thickness do you think would be best? The molds can be seen here if it's helpful to get an idea of what I'm doing: http://concretebenchmolds.com/
Thanks for you time.
Brian

With Home Depot wood I believe I would go with pressure treated pine 2x4's. Try to find some that is already dry. Some of it is so fresh you can feel the water in it. Some of it is just heavy. Try to find some boards that are nearly as light as regular 2x4's. They really should be painted or use a spar varnish if a clear finish is desired. You could also use a deck finish however it needs to sit for weeks before someone sits on it.

As far as the plywood sign, I believe I would use some synthetic material. Plywood doesn't hold up well in weather. The only one I would be willing to use would be treated plywood and it is usually too rough to make something finished like a sign. How big is the sign?

Thanks, Steve. The sign would be 15 inches tall and as wide as the bench (approx 7ft). I think you're right about using synthetic material. I'll speak to a printing company about it.
Regards,
Brian

I grew up in upstate NY and the last time I was back visiting my mother, we took a drive to get her out of the retirement home. We came across a few lumber mills that had a lot of hardwood, you might want to contact a few in your area and see what they recommend. The price from the saw mill might be a while lot more reasonable than the big box stores.

If I were going to make a bench for myself in that climate I would use Ipe which is not cheap but, it will last a lifetime.

Jack

Thanks, Jack. It turns out you're right. Home Depot was definitely not the cheapest!