Autumn DIY garden project: Renovating cast iron bench ends to create a new outdoor seat

I love spending time in my garden. So, when those drizzly days of autumn mean I can’t get outdoors, it doesn’t mean I have to miss out on preparing my garden for the spring. I can get stuck into a garden-related project instead!

The autumn and winter is the ideal time to tackle those outdoor DIY projects that need doing. Let’s face it, you’re not going to skip a summer BBQ in favour of removing rust from old furniture, are you? So, while you’re not spending time relaxing in the garden, why not tackle those tasks and get ahead for next year?

My husband and I inherited these cast iron bench ends from his grandad, who was gifted the bench as a thank-you for years of bingo-calling duties in the local village. It’s been many years since the bench was actually used as a seat, with it having been dismantled a while back and some of the old planks missing altogether.

The cast iron ends are a really pretty shape but needed a thorough makeover to make it useable. We wanted to both preserve it and enjoy using it in our garden so we took the opportunity to treat the bench ends with Hammerite (using Direct to Rust metal paint in smooth white).

I’ve shared photos of the full step-by-step process on the Do It With Cans website – have a look at the project here to see how we got on. It seemed like quite a big task when we started revamping the bench ends but, in fact, it was a rather enjoyable project.

And the most exciting part is that we were able to bring it back to life. What might have once gone straight to the scrapyard has now become a like-new bench for our garden. It’s going to be kept undercover in the shed throughout the rest of the autumn and winter so that it stays in tip-top condition for the summer.

If you have a similar project to tackle – or maybe you want to paint your outdoor chairs with fun stripes like I did – now is the ideal time to do it. If you’re not sitting out in the garden at this time of year, that means your outdoor furniture isn’t immediately needed so you can bring it into the garage or shed to work on it over the autumn and winter.

You can take your time to sand, repair and paint your garden furniture because you know you won’t need it to be back outside until the spring.

Plus, at this time of year, many DIY and garden shops are making space for their festive displays so they’re discounting outdoor products, such as garden paint etc. that you might need for your own project. You could get a bargain tub of wood treatment or outdoor paint for a fraction of the price of buying the same product in the spring.

Let me know what garden furniture project you’d like to work on this autumn or winter in the comments below. I’d love to hear your ideas for colour combinations or outdoor DIYs. Plus, don’t forget to upcycle your empty paint cans into the bug hotel I DIY’d for garden insects to over-winter in.

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