4. After care and plaque refurbishment
Installed timber benches will only be varnished/restored during our annual pre-season works program (normally March/April), when deemed necessary by maintenance staff or reported by members of the public. This is to keep substantial costs down, by grouping benches into batches. Upkeep will normally be done to match any existing surrounding benches. Iroko timber benches are very resilient even without a wood treatment, but any rotting parts will not be replaced and will most likely result in the bench being removed. This would normally not be expected for in excess of 10 years, possibly even in excess of 20 years.
Victorian benches are galvanised and have a powder coated paint finish. This coating lasts the lifetime of a bench, has non-stick properties and cannot be painted over, hence a metal bench needs no maintenance for the duration of its lifetime.
Plaque engraving paint can sometimes deteriorate due to weathering, much more so at coastal locations. On timber benches this can be restored, with a price available on request. There is no option to restore plaques on metal benches, due to the fixing method used. Please bear this in mind when choosing locations near beaches.