One of our A&D consultants, Lee Beckman, recently converted his old Richlite kitchen countertops into a very functional park bench. In late 2022, Lee and his family moved back to his hometown in Oklahoma, and the home they purchased had (and still has some) Richlite countertops. The kitchen area needed to be updated with a new sink and modern appliances. The 20-year-old countertops needed to be replaced to accommodate the newer sink.
Knowing the versatility of Richlite, Lee was Inspired by some of the different project applications Richlite has been used for over the years and decided transform them into slats for a park bench. Lee had some park bench hardware squirreled away in hopes to find a material suitable to make use of them. Because of Richlite's ability to be used in an exterior setting, the old countertops were a perfect fit for this application.
“I was impressed with the quality of the material and how easy it was to work with. I had learned about Richlite many years ago and was excited to be able to work with it, and on a sizable DIY project.”
One of the challenges was cutting the large panels on Lee’s Shopsmith table saw. Due to the weight and density of the material Lee had to be very careful and steadily cut thin strips from the panels on the small table area.
“The other challenge was making sure I had enough of the same lengths to complete the bench, because the countertop was removed it was also cut into sections to be able to store it after the kitchen was remodeled. Taking the longest panels and calculating the quantity of boards needed for the bench I was able to size all the boards appropriately, but because of some extra saw creep the last board was almost half the width as the others. Fortunately, that board was able to be used in a strategic location to allow for the right aesthetic.”
“Refinishing the boards after the bench was assembled was also interesting. I did some light sanding to but not too heavy, so the original wear of the boards still show, but applying the OSMO Poly-X Oilwax finish really refreshed the color and brought the whole project together nicely.”
Note from the editor: We do not recommend applying finish to Richlite used in exterior settings. Lee chose to put finish on the bench slats because the material was older and needed to be revitalized, and also because the bench would be covered on the porch.
This isn't the first time Richlite was used for making park benches. It is a perfect application because of its durablity and ability to span longer than average wood materials, sometimes skipping the need for a middle slat support. Check out these images of other Richlite park bench installations in New York City: