Garden Tables

Garden Table and Bench Sets are the perfect choice for eating outdoors, relaxing in the sun, hosting BBQs, or having some cold drinks with families and friends.

In modern times, outdoor furniture has become a fashion statement and is used by many people around the world to add that luxury feel in their garden.

Our wooden picnic tables cost from around £277 including VAT for the six-seater rectangular picnic bench to around £544 for the eight-seater round table. The price is driven by how many people the table seats, how thick the timber is and how heavy the finished piece is. Both of ours are chunky, pressure-treated softwood at 42mm to 45mm thick. 

The round table seats more. Our round picnic table seats eight adults on four separate benches, and the rectangular bench seats six. The round table needs more room, though. It is 2.1m across and people need space to step over the benches, so it suits an open lawn or a large patio. The rectangular table is 1.77m by 1.53m and can sit against a wall or fence, which makes it the better fit for a smaller garden. 

Pressure-treated softwood is the best choice for most gardens. It is treated against rot and insect attack, costs far less than hardwood and lasts for years when it is kept off wet ground. Hardwoods such as oak or teak last longer and weather to a silver grey, but they cost three or four times as much. For a table top, the thickness matters as much as the type of wood. A thin top warps and splits, so look for boards of at least 40mm. Ours are 42mm and 45mm thick. 

A heavy, thick pressure-treated table that is kept dry lasts the longest for the money. Hardwood tables outlast everything in absolute terms, but at a high price. Our round picnic table is built from 45mm pressure-treated timber, weighs around 130kg and comes with a 10-year guarantee against rot. Our rectangular bench has seats that lift up, so they stay clean and dry between uses, which is where most picnic benches rot first. Whichever table you choose, stand it on paving or gravel rather than grass and re-treat it every couple of years. 

Yes. Both tables are heavy enough to stay put in a garden, but for public use we recommend fixing them down. The usual method is a galvanised angle bracket screwed to the inside of each foot and bolted into concrete or paving with masonry bolts. On grass, ground anchor pegs driven through a bracket do the same job. Fixing the table down also stops it being dragged out of level, which is what loosens the joints over time. 

The round picnic table has a 40mm hole in the centre of the top for a parasol pole. The rectangular picnic bench does not have a parasol hole, so if you need one you would drill it yourself through the centre of the top and treat the cut edge. A 40mm hole takes most standard garden parasol poles, but check the pole diameter before you buy. A weighted base under the table is still a good idea in a windy spot, because the hole holds the pole upright rather than anchoring it. 

Use a clear or lightly tinted exterior wood oil that is labelled safe for contact with food or toys once dry, and let the table weather for a few months before the first coat. Our tables are pressure treated, so the timber is already protected. The oil is there to keep the surface smooth and easy to wipe down. Avoid thick paints and heavily pigmented stains on the top, as they chip and can mark plates and clothes. Oil the top once a year, in dry weather, and wipe off any excess before it dries. 

Yes. Both tables are one-piece designs with the seats built into the frame. The round table has four fixed bench seats, which is what makes it so stable. The rectangular bench has hinged seats that lift up so they stay clean and dry when the table is not in use. Neither needs separate chairs, and the fixed seats mean nothing wanders off across the garden or has to be brought in over winter.