side table
outdoor kitchen
garden beds
outdoor bar
bookshelves (top with wooden planks)
garden bench
cinder block planter wall
I’m rating this a moderate difficulty due to the physicality. The cinder blocks weigh 35lbs each. And during the cleaning, priming and painting steps, you are working with them on the ground.
This makes it difficult to lift with your legs. After all, you don’t have much leverage because you are bending more than lifting and moving, which means you will be working your lower back muscles a lot.
It actually gets easier when you assemble the bench, where you can use your legs to do the lifting.
Materials Note:
You don’t need pressure-treated wood unless you aren’t painting the cinder blocks. You will need pressure-treated 4x4s if you don’t paint the blocks, to help delay rotting. I used kiln-dried Douglas fir.
If you are painting them, pressure-treated isn’t necessary since they are going to be in contact with the ground or constant moisture and could take weeks to dry out enough to be ready for staining.
Also, you don’t need a sprayer. A sprayer saves time, but also wastes paint. You can use a roller or brush. I have found that the combination of both helps- you’ll need the brush to get inside the holes.
Just in case you have a very specific space you need to accommodate for a standard cinder block is listed at 16x8x8, but will actually measure 15 ⅝” x 7 ⅝” x 7 ⅝”. The interior holes are a minimum of 5×5” and your 4×4’s will be about 3 ½”x 3 ½”.
For cleaning, a power washer is ideal, but if you don’t have one, just use a bucket and nylon scrub brush.
Standard cinder blocks are made to be stacked horizontally. Each side is a little different around the hole openings.
One side has longer holes and thinner edges and the other side has shorter openings and thicker, cleaner edges. I consider this to be the better looking side.
Aesthetically you’ll want to note this when assembling the bench, and I will reference these edges in the steps below.
Timing:
Ideally, you’ll need 3-4 continuous days without rain if you are doing this outside. It can be done in three days, but you’ll have to stay on top of your timing.
You’ll need to figure in drying times after washing the blocks, then priming, flipping the blocks, painting, flipping and then repeating for one more coat.
Why Paint The Cinder Blocks?
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