Customer Reviews

Cedar Garden Bench

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This product comes as a kit, so you need a little carpentry skill to assemble it. It was not particularly hard to put together, but I wouldn't attempt it if I had little or no prior experience with building wood items. The pieces were well made and fit well, but the instructions were poorly copied and hard to read and the illustrations were not the best. I suggest you use a power screwdriver for the assembly. After assembly, however, it is very nice looking, although lightweight (the wind blew it over once or twice).

The end result is pleasant looking and sturdy enough. However, several components didn't fit and required modification, which is frustrating and possibly beyond the ability of some. One of the bolt receptacles for the back legs was corrupted, so the bolt did not fully tighten.

My husband and I bought this bench and had it sent to mom for her birthday. I'm glad we chose this one because she loved it. It's nice quality and when we visited her we were able to see that it seemed to be well built and actually made from wood. This is a great additions to anyone's yard!

This is new for me since I don't generally review furniture. I wanted a bench to put in front of my house so that I could enjoy the garden and neighborhood during spring and fall afternoons. Cedar is high quality wood and is very durable. I did not want iron that rusts or cheap wood that would require staining or sealing. The cedar bench was ordered through Amazon but supplied by a reseller.

The wood came in a long box and packaged much like IKEA furniture. Unlike IKEA assembly instructions, the print on the two pieces if paper included in the box was small and amounted to less text than this review. These are the worst instructions I have ever read. The information was cryptic and uses carpentry shorthand that the average person will find frustrating. I thought I was pretty good at this sort of assembly but this experience really humbled me. I have no carpentry skills to speak of. What really upsets me is that the instructions talk about using glue. It's not in the box so go to the hardware store if you plan to follow the instructions. You probably don't need to glue it but the instructions call for wood glue and it's not included. The other thing is that many of the holes are not predrilled and require a powerfull drill. My Black and Decker was not up to the task so I had to break out the Dewalt drill. The instructions ask you to use a screwdriver but without a powerdriver you will be cursing quite loudly.

The upshot to all this is that it looks like the picture... provided you can finish the assembly. The smell of the cedar is really pleasing to the senses. I'll have to wait a few years to see how well it holds up but it is quite sturdy and holds two full adults in comfort and understated style. Just remember that this is not like building an IKEA coffee table.