ATTENTION ALL PARK AND RECREATIONS! Today is the day you learn just how important picnic tables, bleachers and benches are to your park, school, daycare, place of business, church, playground and sports field. Picnic tables, bleachers and benches aren't only vital to the comfort of your visitors, but they provide an opportunity for visitors to sit, relax and enjoy making memories with friends and family.

When choosing a picnic table, you want to look at everything from its maximum capacity to its color to ensure that you are providing the perfect table for your guests. Let's start with capacity. If you would like to provide tables for smaller groups, you want to purchase a table that seats four to eight people and is round or square. This offers more personal conversation space for your guests. Now if you want to offer tables for large groups you'll want to purchase tables that can seat eight to ten people and is rectangular. This allows for more friends and family to gather around and enjoy lunch, friendly conversation or a board game.

Material and color are also very important factors when choosing a picnic table because you want visitors to be comfortable and enjoy the aesthetic appeal your tables provide. The majority of picnic tables are made from metal, concrete, wood, recycled materials and aluminum because these materials can withstand everyday wear and tear and the harsh weather Mother Nature can bring. The materials are coated in oven fused functionalized polyethylene copolymer-based thermoplastic, which is a coating that protects the tables from erosion, keeps the table cool to the touch so visitors won't burn themselves on a hot day and gives your table an appealing color.



Much like picnic tables, benches are made from the same materials, are coated in the same oven fused functionalized polyethylene copolymer-based thermoplastic and provide a comfortable area where visitors can sit and enjoy the great outdoors. There are two main types of benches; ones with backs and ones without backs, so how do you know which is best for your visitors? Well, if you want to put a bench on an exercise trial, in a dug-out or on a sideline you should buy backless benches because it allows for more freedom to move about, helps players stay alert and prepared during games and provides easy access to sports bags and supplies they may be stored  under or behind the bench. If you want to provide benches for visitors to relax on and enjoy a view of a lake, pond or the rest of your park, a bench with a back is perfect. The back allows guests to relax their muscles, ease their minds and simply soak up the beauty of your park.

Last, but not least are bleachers. The most important aspect to keep in mind when buying a bleacher is capacity. You want to be able to accommodate all the friends and family who come to cheer on their favorite sports player or team.  If you have a large group of fans, you should get a 10 or 15-row bleacher. This will accommodate everyone and provide enough space to remain comfortable throughout the game. For medium or small groups of fans, it's best to buy bleachers with 3-5 rows. Of course, if you want to provide bleachers for an indoor game such as basketball or volleyball you'll want to have portable bleachers, so you can use the gym for other events.

It's important to know who you're providing seating for and for how many, so don't buy blind. Take this information with you as you purchase seating for your park, playground, fitness trail, sports field or other place of business. If you would like more information or assistance purchasing seating please call BYO Recreation at 1-800-853-5316 and one of our professionals will be happy to help you.