Easy DIY Outdoor Bench (from Cinder Blocks)

So many have gone before me on this one! This project is certainly not an original idea—I saw a cinder block outdoor bench in the pages of Better Homes & Gardens a few years back (this one, I believe) and then the googling and Pinterest-ing followed (check out this one and this one). There are a million of these out there in different configurations and that's the beauty of a cinder block bench—it is inexpensive, easy to customize, and simple to assemble.

I made this a few years ago and we used it as seating for our outdoor dining table. At first, I left the cinder blocks plain, but last year, I painted them white. I changed up our table and chairs a bit on the patio and moved this bench to a corner by the fence. Ben was teasing me the other night that it got demoted. :)

Here's what you'll need to make your own:

Cinder blocks (You can fiddle with sizes/configurations to get the right height and depth, but I used six doubles.)

Pressure-treated 4x4s or lumber suitable for outdoor use (I used two.)

An outdoor cushion (Mine was a clearance find—it is 18"x54". You can space your cinder blocks farther or closer depending on the length of your cushion and if you have a deeper cushion, you could use more cinder blocks and 4x4s for deeper seating. I even saw someone reusing a crib mattress!)

Construction adhesive (I may or may not have used this. Wink.)

Once you have your supplies, it really is just a matter of assembly. To customize even more, you can paint your cinder blocks or stain your wood. I saw some benches on Pinterest with backs! Get creative. This is such a cost-effective project that you can knock out in no time. You'll be happy you did. Or maybe you'll be uncharacteristically mellow like my underpaid models. Either way, happy benching!