On of the best investments you can make for your garden or patio is a good quality garden bench. Garden benches come in a wide variety of styles, materials, and sizes. You need to carefully consider the intended use and placement of your bench to decide what type of garden bench will work for you. Here are some helpful hints if you are considering a new garden bench.

Teak garden benches are very beautiful and the wood is extremely durable. Teak has been used for outdoor furniture for many years for exactly this reason. You can find teak garden benches in both modern and traditional styles so chances are good you will find one that works in your garden. You can either choose to oil the wood so that it maintains it’s new look, but you will need to be diligent and treat the wood once a year. You can also let the wood age to a natural gray color that can also be very attractive.

Metal garden benches can be found in cast iron, steel, and even brass. Garden benches made of metal are of course very heavy unless you select a very small one. They are very durable but you will need to occasionally spruce them up with a touch of paint every now and again.

Stone garden benches come in marble, cement, and cultured stone. Like a metal bench, these benches can be rather heavy but the normally come in a couple pieces to make movement more manageable.

If you are not interested in a long term investment, plastic and fiberglass garden benches are also available. These garden benches are very durable and they can be made to look like metal or stone without the weight or the cost. The downside is they don’t tend to last all that long.