I get this question all the time from neighbors walking by while I’m wrestling with a drill on the driveway. The truth is, there’s no single “best” way for every situation; there’s the best way for your bench legs, your concrete, and how permanent you want it to be. But if I had to pick the setup I trust most—and the one that has survived three Chicago winters, two teenage kids, and one overly enthusiastic Labrador—it’s using wedge anchors through the bench’s footplates.
Here’s exactly how I do it, plus the other methods that work if your bench has different mounting holes or you need something less permanent.
First, flip that bench over or look at its feet. Most metal or wooden outdoor benches have pre-drilled holes in flat metal plates at the bottom of the legs. Those holes are your ticket. If your bench has zero holes, you can use L-brackets or surface-mount flanges, but honestly, I’d spend ten minutes with a cobalt bit and drill holes through those feet myself. It makes everything cleaner.
Get your hands on four 3/8-inch x 3-inch wedge anchors (zinc-plated if it’s mostly dry, stainless steel if the bench gets rained on or is near a pool). You’ll also need a hammer drill with a carbide-tipped masonry bit that matches the anchor diameter exactly—for 3/8" anchors, that’s a 3/8" bit. Do not try this with a regular drill; you’ll just burn up the motor and swear at the concrete. A shop vacuum, a wrench, and safety glasses complete the kit.
Place the bench exactly where you want it. I use a pencil to mark through the footplate holes onto the concrete. Then move the bench aside. This is the moment that separates a crooked bench from a dead-straight one—double-check those marks with a tape measure and a square before you drill anything.
With the hammer drill in hammer mode, drill straight down through each mark. I aim for at least three inches deep, but you want the hole about 1/4 inch deeper than the anchor will go so dust doesn’t prevent it from seating properly. The concrete will fight back; lean into it, keep the bit perfectly vertical. Once you’ve got four clean holes, vacuum every speck of dust out. Seriously, every speck. Leftover debris is why anchors pull out later.
Thread a nut onto each wedge anchor just enough so the top of the nut sits flush with the top of the anchor stud. This protects the threads when you hammer. Tap one anchor into each hole with a regular hammer until the washer and nut are snug against the concrete. If an anchor stops short because of dust in the hole, pull it out and vacuum again. Don’t force it.
Now slide the bench over the anchors—line up those footplate holes with the studs sticking up. It should drop right on. Spin a washer and nut onto each stud by hand, then tighten them down with a wrench. The magic of wedge anchors is that as you tighten, the sleeve expands and locks into the concrete. Tighten until they’re seriously snug, but don’t Hulk out; you can crack the concrete around older pads. I tighten until I feel a solid resistance that tells me the wedge has set.
If your bench has legs that are rounded or decorative and you can’t hide anchors inside, I use a different approach: surface-mount L-brackets. Lag the brackets into the concrete with Tapcon screws or sleeve anchors, then screw through the brackets into the bench legs from the inside. It’s less invisible but just as strong when done right. For a rental property or a bench you might move seasonally, heavy-duty drop-in anchors with removable bolts are your friend because you can unscrew the bolts and leave the anchor flush with the concrete when the bench isn’t there. No tripping hazards.
And there’s one more option I only use when the concrete is thin or crumbly: epoxy anchoring. Drill oversized holes, fill them with a two-part anchoring epoxy, insert a stainless steel threaded rod, and let it cure. Then mount the bench with nuts and washers. It’s messy and takes patience, but on a 40-year-old patio with hairline cracks everywhere, it’s the only thing that held.
After the bench is bolted down, give it a hard shake. It shouldn’t rock, shift, or squeak. If it does, one of your anchors didn’t set completely—back the nut off the wobbly leg, tighten again, and if it still moves, you probably need to drill a new hole a couple of inches away. Concrete is unforgiving, so measure once, cuss twice, then drill.
I’ve learned that anchoring an outdoor bench isn’t just about keeping it from getting stolen (though that’s a nice bonus). It’s mostly about safety. A gust of wind can flip an unsecured bench, and a child climbing on it without it being fixed is a fast track to a hospital visit. So pick the method that matches your bench and your concrete, take your time with the layout, and don’t skip vacuuming those holes. Your future self, sitting on that rock-solid bench with a coffee, will thank you.