Torn Bench Pad

[Jason Donaldson]

In a moment of poor estimation of space, I recently got just too close to my bench while doing barbell rows, and brought the end of the barbell sleeve down on the very edge of my bench, pulling open an 8-9" tear along the upper edge of the cover along one side. I've patched it up with duct tape, but I'm wondering if there's a better way to handle this in the long term, or at least what to expect for longevity. The bench is a generic one that came with a set of Rogue equipment that I bought secondhand a couple of years ago. Aesthetics is of zero concern for me here.

On a different note: my first bench was one of The Strength Company's first, made completely out of 2x4's with a 2x10 top. I liked benching from a wooden bench, so I have been thinking for a while of removing the pad on the other bench and replacing it with a similar wooden top - maybe cut an 8' 2x12 in half and glue the halves together, as sort of an expedient, budget version of the SS bench. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Thanks.

[Oso Rojo]

... I've patched it up with duct tape, but I'm wondering if there's a better way to handle this in the long term, or at least what to expect for longevity .... Aesthetics is of zero concern for me here.

If aesthetics are true zero concern then use the duct tape and replace it when it wears out. The fixing option is to drop my a local upholstery shop and ask them if they could recover it. My wife is a chiropractor and when the covers on the benches get torn, I just take them down the street and the local guy recovers that section. Actually cheaper then buying new covers from the manufacturer.

[Jason Donaldson]

If aesthetics are true zero concern then use the duct tape and replace it when it wears out. The fixing option is to drop my a local upholstery shop and ask them if they could recover it. My wife is a chiropractor and when the covers on the benches get torn, I just take them down the street and the local guy recovers that section. Actually cheaper then buying new covers from the manufacturer.

Thanks, Oso. The upholstery shop sounds intriguing...especially if I could get it covered in automobile seat fabric, like Rip's talked about, too.

Then again, solutions that approach replacement cost just aren't worth it, especially when I have multiple higher priorities for spending in my gym... Maybe I'll call a shop to get an estimate, though the duct tape will have to wear out really quickly before it's worth spending much at all... The closest I have to a coaching client to impress is my 13 year old son, and he doesn't care any more than I do!

Anyone with thoughts on swapping in a wood top? I have a neighbor who's a framing carpenter, and I might be able to get wood for free...