How to Restore an Old Park Bench with Spray Stain

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We've had this park bench for several years.  It sits out on our front porch, out of the sun, for the most part.  But even with it only seeing the sun in the early morning, it has still weathered.  I didn't want it to get worse for wear, otherwise it might get beyond repair!

To start out, I removed the back metal part of the bench.  It was secured by a few screws.  Easy Peasy!  

Then I sanded all of the wood pieces lightly.  I didn't sand all of the old stain off.

 Now decide on the color you want your bench to be.  You can do a color or a stain.  Both are available in spray cans and both are simple to use.

I couldn't decide on a color to paint the bench, so I decided to stick with the color it originally was.  Cedar. I used Thompson Waterseal Spray Stain in Cedar.  Thompson was so generous and supplied me with a can to try it out and see if I liked it on my project. 

If you are in a hurry and aren't going to a store you can also purchase the spray paint on Amazon with 2 day shipping if you have Prime (these are affiliate links, I do receive a little compensation for adding the link, so thank you for supporting me and my small business and family!)

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I didn't necessarily care if I could see the grain of the wood, because there wasn't much grain to see so I didn't sand it all the way.  I did do 4 coats of spray on the bench so that it had even coverage and covered all the original stain. 

I absolutely love how the bench turned out.  It looks nice and fresh and restored.  No more ugly park bench on my porch.  

Edited -6-15-2023

It has been 8 years exactly and I am needing to restain the bench again. 

I highly recommend this spray stain, it has lasted 8 years without any special treatment. It still has been out of direct sunlight, but exposed to some elements under the covered porch. 

Make sure to grab some of the spray paint at your local hardware store on at my favorite online shopping center.