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Did you watch it being laid? Was it laid on a full bed of cement right to the edges? Or a dollop in the middle of each slabs? You may have voids underneath if so and water collecting under the edges. That is my guess.

OK, thanks for that advice. Yes, I'm working on this today so in that case I'll place some temporary 1mm spacers between all boards while setting out and then remove them before fastening anything down. Cheers

I don't have a biscuit cutter, but I was going to dowel them. That was my original plan to brace everything together if they ever try to start twisting. However, I've since had second thoughts because I've realised that wood outdoors must ultimately move with moisture absorbtion and temperature...

Thanks for that suggestion, I'd not heard of those products before. Do you have good experience with them? The Osmo lists "Reduces wood swelling and shrinkage" as one of its properties, but I wonder if it really excels at this or it's not it's main USP? I emailed Barrettine and they made no...

Hi all, I'm coming to the final stages on this bench project. The seat is comprised of a couple of new scaffold boards made of an untreated rough sawn white softwood. I'll be sanding them down, but not too much. The bench is located under a canopy roof, so it will not be rained on, however...

I didn't want the brackets to be visible underneath. They would have had to be positioned 4cm lower and would be seen and obstruct the lighting. The frame shouldn't move independently because it'll all be braced with scaffold boards which will straddle the whole structure. I'm mainly after...

Hi all, I'm returning to this because I took a break but have now completed most of the structural elements for my floating bench. What remains is added a few cross beams for bracing, installing the lighting and then cutting and fitting the scaffold boards So, I'm realising now...

Thanks. Yeah, it's my house. Have done a lot in the garden which was previously a wreck - limestone paving, adjoining garden room, retaining wall, etc. The bench is the finishing touch. You're right though, these have been expensive, had I known how much I'd end up spending I would have just...

I tend to overthink and over engineer things - guilty as charged. But floating was what I wanted and floating is what I'll build. If nothing else, just for the mental challenge. It's far from finished anyway, the corner is what I'll deal with next.

Dunno! I'm new to this... I just thought chemical anchors provided the best strength, placed less strain on weak bricks and distributed the load better. ie, I've had concrete blocks split in the past when I've used concrete screws close to the edge, and plugs and screws also cause expansion as...

Yes, I did cut 4 precise templates out of plywood to help with drilling and then to help with positioning the studs whilst the resin was wet. I binned them in the end! Drilling the wall needed a 12mm masonry bit, so I couldn't drill through the template (even the shaft was 11mm), and for...

I had bad discs! The new 1mm Inox discs glided through the bolts in no time!

Yes, agree, that's definitely a factor. I was hoping to be able to slide the backets completely off and back on again to clean up, level and pack from behind if required. As it happens they will only slide forward about 1cm before misalignment of the studs prevents any more movement. Quite...

Kinda like what I did. However that's not how it's supposed to be done according to the manufacturer because there's not supposed to be any load or any disturbance to the anchors while the resin sets. I agree though, there doesn't seem to be an alternative. For a vertical fixing I don't see a...

This is my first time working with chemical anchors and it's for a floating bench I'm building on a garden wall. I've read up on the process and have successfully drilled and installed the anchors for my timber ledger plate. However these heavy duty metal brackets were another matter and I...

All good points. But I've made the mistake of uploading work-in-progress pictures. None of the wall brackets are installed yet, and there will be one at that end, and also the angle bracket shown here is just temporary to help me set correct dimensions etc. The leg is just there to prop up the...

I don't think it does, or rather, if I construct it correctly it shouldn't. However my girlfriend has told me that she won't sit on it if there are no legs because she wouldn't trust it! These hidden legs might be a handy way of keeping her happy without ruining my overall design. She can pull...

Because all my load bearing calculations are theoretical. I know the wall-side of the bench will handle anything. I have around 28 chemical anchors mounted to a depth of 85mm into masonry to support a combined 3m long bench. That's probably overkill. The front should also have adequate strength...

Good call, I've had concerns about this point, and also the very end of the bench ( the front corner of the 'L') which is not secured to a wall. I think the wall brackets will hopefully support both these points adequately. However, as a fallback plan, I'm going to hide 3 legs under the bench...

Thanks for the advice. Wafers of wood cut along the grain would be much better, I agree. I'll try that. Although seems a bit tricky cutting down a 3x2 that way. I'll figure it out. Regarding the ledger board - I had to look that up, I'd not heard that term, but now I'm better informed! The rear...