# Elevating wooden legs off ground



## TravHale (Feb 13, 2014)

I've made a simple rustic outdoor sectional couch/bench out of reclaimed wood, and i'm looking for a good way to raise the 2×4 legs off of the ground and away from water/moisture. I thought about using large bolts or screw, but worry that option might split the wood over time.

This is pretty much the first thing i've ever build out of wood, so I have very limited exposure to the norms of the craft.

Here is a pic of one side of the sectional. I'm also wanting to fashion some sort of metal cap for the exposed raw ends of the the 2×4s-any input on that?


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

concrete comes to mind. Maybe bricks or those concrete pyramid shaped things used to support floor joists.


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## TravHale (Feb 13, 2014)

> concrete comes to mind. Maybe bricks or those concrete pyramid shaped things used to support floor joists.
> 
> - Jim Finn


Thanks for the reply. I should have been clear that the furniture will be sitting under a covered carport on top of concrete. I'm only trying to raise it maybe 1/2in to protect the legs from the occasion flooding of the carport under heavy rain.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

I've not done it specifically with wood furniture, but I have a lot of metal furniture that lives out on the patio, which is a concrete slab. Some is under cover, some not, but they all have problems with moisture from the concrete slab, both from weather and from the natural ability of water to penetrate concrete from the ground. For those that didn't already have little plastic feet on them to keep them off the slab, I attach a rubber pad to the contact points to accomplish that. Nothing specific for the task though - I often will get the rubber door mats for a buck or two at the BORG when they go on sale or are on clearance. Cut them up in appropriate shapes and glue on (usually with epoxy or sometimes just spray glue). They are usually somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2" thick (but I've seen thicker), so provide plenty of separation. And you don't need much, so the rest of the mats get used for stuff like putting under machinery, like under the welder sitting on a metal cart, drawer inserts for heavy tools, and lots of other stuff.

Cheers,
Brad


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## gerrym526 (Dec 22, 2007)

I think your first idea of bolts through the bottom of the legs is the right solution (one I've used with outdoor patio tables I built). They offer adjustment at each leg to accomodate uneven surfaces, and keep the wood off the ground or concrete.
Wouldn't worry about the wood splitting if you pre-drill pilot holes. Don't know what species the reclaimed wood you used is, but if it's softwood you won't have anything to worry about.
The best wood for outdoor furniture that's affordable (teak isn't) is white oak. The grain structure is tight and resists wicking up moisture from the ground. I built a glider swing with wooden trestle legs supporting it over 20yrs ago, it rests on my lawn, and the wood still hasn't rotted.

Gerry


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## TravHale (Feb 13, 2014)

Thanks for the advise, and affirming some of my own intuitions. Leaning toward bolts, but not fully decided-still want to keep an eye out for other solution.

The wood I used is old pine studs (i believe longleaf pine) sourced from historic homes in Birmingham, al that have undergone renovations. It's pretty nice wood, I imagine a lot of what I have is pretty old.


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## FirehouseWoodworking (Jun 9, 2009)

Hockey pucks.

Relatively inexpensive, easy to drill, won't alter the seat height all that much.

Cheers!


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

Try adjustable metal feet that you can buy in the hardware or big box store. They tap into the bottom of the legs and are height adjustable so that you can level the piece of furniture on un-level concrete patios etc. They keep the wooden legs up slightly off of the pavement so that they don't sit in water. They have worked well for me on all of my cypress and redwood patio furniture. Good luck, work safely and have fun.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Use carriage bolts and T nuts. They will raise it off the ground to any desired height and level the bench at the same time. No chance of splitting because the weight of the bench will be born by the T nuts.


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## LittleShaver (Sep 14, 2016)

I've had good success with the screw-on chair slides they sell to protect hardwood floors. Seem to be basically a HMW plastic donut with a screw/washer recessed in the center. 
I have Teak table and chairs and Jarrah Adirondack chairs with stools all on a tiled patio. I added the sliders to all of it to allow it to be moved around one person. The stuff is incredibly heavy.
They also sell a nail-on type of slider. These have been banned by the wife after an unfortunate incident on a slate floor.


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## Cooler (Feb 3, 2016)

https://www.amazon.com/AmplifiedParts-F1615-Rubber-Tapered-Washers/dp/B004H6A0KI

Rubber furniture feet.


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