Orthopedic chairs - Bench seat or chair

A bench or bench seat is a term used to describe an elongated chair that is suitable for two, three or even more people to sit on. You can normally buy these benches based upon the number of people that they can comfortably seat, e.g. 2 people, 3 people etc.

Benches are popular as outdoor seating in municipal areas like parks, pedestrianized zones and forecourts. They are commonly found and used in the grounds of hotels and pubs and today many people have a bench as an item of patio furniture.

A bench is an economic way of providing seating for two or more people in a garden or even around a table. For this reason many patio furniture sets that are intended to seat 6 or 8 people include two benches in the furniture set.

Design and materials

Despite many elaborate and clever designs, the bench is intended for outdoor use and for this reason it is composed of what is primarily a frame. Wooden bench seat This frame will nearly always be made from wood or metal and the seating area, even with a metal frame, will normally be made from wood alone. This is partly due to the attractiveness of wood, partly due to the higher comfort levels of wood, but also because it reduces the weight of the bench chair.

Features like rolled arm rests and large section timbers differentiate the cheaper benches from the more expensive models and the used of curved or "turned" sections of timber appear on the more exclusive bench chairs.

The number of designs is almost limitless. This is because there are so many different design options for the legs, armrests, and backrest supports.

The materials also vary greatly. There are many different timbers that can be used with woods like Teak being considered amongst the best.

Aftercare

Although some benches are kept indoors, e.g. in a conservatory, most remain outdoors throughout the year. Investing in a waterproof cover can prolong the life of the bench and it will also make cleaning it at the beginning of the Spring-Summer season much easier.

Depending upon the material or type of wood from which the bench is made, treatments, paint or preservatives may be required periodically.

Benches do not offer much in the way of orthopedic support, however the used of cushions and foam can make them more comfortable and supportive during use. These chairs are generally designed to be either cheap or aesthetically pleasing and ergonomics and orthopedic considerations rarely come into the design equation.