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Overview
There are few things more familiar than an outdoor park bench. Whether you are accustomed to seeing one in your neighborhood park or you have your own in your backyard, a park bench is a rustic and beautiful way to accent any landscape. Before you invest in an outdoor park bench, however, make sure that you have selected a style that will fit your needs.
Function
An outdoor park bench serves several purposes. It may be mainly decorative, or highly functional. It often bears inscriptions and serves as a memorial statement in addition to being a great place to sit and enjoy nature. Furthermore, it is often used to advertise various items and make money for the owner of the bench or the public area in which it sits.
Features
Each outdoor park bench is very different from each other, but there are some unifying features. A bench tends to be between 3 and 6 feet long in order to accommodate multiple people at once. It also has a sturdy base formed of two thick legs on each end of the bench. It is not padded, but usually is formed to fit the buttocks of an average size person.
Identification
An outdoor park bench is easy to identify. While the best way to identify an outdoor park bench is by location, if you are considering purchasing such an item, you may need to identify it in the store. An outdoor park bench is made of weather-resistant materials like sealed wood, plastic or stone. It should be marked as to what types of temperatures it can withstand as well as labeled "Outdoor" on the packaging or potentially "Indoor/Outdoor." If part or all of the bench is made of metal, then it may not be an outdoor bench if that metal is not protected from rust in some way, such as with a layer of paint or by virtue of its composition, such as stainless steel.
Considerations
When you are thinking about buying an outdoor park bench, be sure to factor in its location before you make your purchase. If you are buying the bench for personal enjoyment in your own backyard, then it may be more sheltered than it would be in a public area. As a result you can invest in a more ornate bench and you will not have to worry about the wear and tear of public use. However, if you are purchasing an outdoor park bench for public use, you should buy one that is very sturdy and that can withstand potential vandalism and abuse without giving way.
Benefits
An outdoor park bench comes with some huge advantages when it comes to outdoor seating. While non-weatherproof seating must be carried indoors after use, your outdoor park bench can simply remain outside as a decorative item when it is not in use. Also, an outdoor park bench is an ideal resting place and evokes strong feelings of pleasant nostalgia in many viewers. It is also ideal for romantic moments and evoking memories of those moments.
Park bench
Warning
Once you have purchased your outdoor park bench, make sure that it is securely mounted in the ground. Some benches are impossible to overturn and can simply be placed in a level area. However, others need cement blocks to hold them down or other types of mounting devices to insure that they do not overturn, causing someone sitting (or standing) upon them physical harm.
