Hi everyone,
I'm building a L-shaped floating bench for our fire pit area. The L-shape is so that it can fit against a corner concrete block wall. I want to achieve a floating look so I've been thinking about how to attach and support the bench to the concrete wall.
The wall
The concrete block wall was placed on a footer 8" below grade. Rebar extends from the footer into the block wall and each block is filled with concrete. It's 6" thick and 3' high.
The bench
The bench will be 20" deep. One one wall it will be 11' long, on the other It'll be made out of cedar or Ipe. The orientation of each board will either be upright or I'll select thicker boards to minimize deflection. For aesthetic reasons I won't be laying boards flat e.g. decking.
My plan
Full disclaimer: I don't have any engineering experience and some welding experience. If the welding proves to be tricky I may hire that out. I've attached a sketch below.
I'm thinking about fabricating supports out of 1-1.5" steel tubing or rod that will be placed through the concrete wall with 20" of overhang to support the bench. On the end that's through the concrete wall will be a 1/4" plate welded to the end with 2 holes that 3/8" strong bolts will go through to secure to the wall from the back. I'm considering using epoxy to provide additional holding power and remove any room in the hole from drilling.
What I'm wondering
Would love any guidance, insight, or perspective. Also open to any questions or criticisms ;-)
Thank you for your time,
Jonathan
I'm building a L-shaped floating bench for our fire pit area. The L-shape is so that it can fit against a corner concrete block wall. I want to achieve a floating look so I've been thinking about how to attach and support the bench to the concrete wall.
The wall
The concrete block wall was placed on a footer 8" below grade. Rebar extends from the footer into the block wall and each block is filled with concrete. It's 6" thick and 3' high.
The bench
The bench will be 20" deep. One one wall it will be 11' long, on the other It'll be made out of cedar or Ipe. The orientation of each board will either be upright or I'll select thicker boards to minimize deflection. For aesthetic reasons I won't be laying boards flat e.g. decking.
My plan
Full disclaimer: I don't have any engineering experience and some welding experience. If the welding proves to be tricky I may hire that out. I've attached a sketch below.
I'm thinking about fabricating supports out of 1-1.5" steel tubing or rod that will be placed through the concrete wall with 20" of overhang to support the bench. On the end that's through the concrete wall will be a 1/4" plate welded to the end with 2 holes that 3/8" strong bolts will go through to secure to the wall from the back. I'm considering using epoxy to provide additional holding power and remove any room in the hole from drilling.
What I'm wondering
- Do I need to put gussets from the end of the rod to the bottom base of my wall? I'd love to avoid this to achieve a floating look.
- Should I use steel round bar or can I get away with a thicker steel round tube?
- What diameter of round bar/tube is sufficient?
- How much space can I get away with between each support?
Would love any guidance, insight, or perspective. Also open to any questions or criticisms ;-)
Thank you for your time,
Jonathan
