Weather Resistant Wood

[SilverSS1969]

I keep seeing more and more wood working posts here so figure Id ask.

What is a good, common, some what inexpensive wood to use for outdoor furniture? I know teak would be one of the better one, but that is too expensive and can be hard to find.

I have an older bench with cast iron sides I want to redo. I know most will say it will be cheaper to just buy a new one but this was my grandparents. It was given to me when they had to sell the house. So it more sentimental value to me now that they are gone.

Planning on having the cast iron sides blaster and powder coated but would like some input on what type of wood to go with? Oak? Maple? I know poplar is a fairly good weather resistant wood but would think its too soft of a wood to support the weight of what a bench could see.

I have not decided on painting, staining or just sealing the wood yet. Guess it depends on what the grain structure looks like.

 

[tiggi]

Cedar. I have few pieces of outdoor furniture that stays outside all year long that's still good as new.

 

[FRC928]

IPE, not as common as Cedar, but probably easier to find, and cheaper than Teak.

 

[brianh]

White oak is a good choice a lot of the boards on cast iron benches were that originally make sure its white oak though.

Not red oak, red oak is porous and will rot away.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,... Black Locus, also known as the 100 year fence posts,....

Bigger pieces make beautiful lumber,.... very hard hardwood,...

Very common along the eastcoast,...

Larch, or Juniper is another very rot resistant softwood,...

 

[Griff93]

Another one that would look really neat as a bench would be osage orange.

 

[tpierce]

I've been in the woodworking, millwork, cabinetmaking business for 35 years. All the above suggestions are good, although locust and osage orange may be tough to find commercially available. We make many exterior wood doors and landscaping millwork.
White oak will check badly. If you use cedar, try to use vertical grain kiln dried.
An alternative lumber we have used for the past 8 years is red grandis. It's plantation grown, is easy to work with, has a pleasing color, and is very stable. It's also very decay resistant. We buy it from Hood Distribution and Frank Paxton Lumber Co. Cost is a little more than cedar, but about 1/2 the cost of mahogany.

 

[astroracer]

Cheap and long lasting? Pressure treated pine. If it's going to live outside don't coat it with anything as it will not last and will look worse in a year then just letting the pine age naturally. MAYBE use a deck sealer on it but you will have to redo it every couple of years.
If you want it to look good for a long time spend a bit more and re-plank it with Trek or some other composite.
Mark

 

[MoonRise]

Poplar - no, not rot resistant, rather soft

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/poplar/

Maple - no, not rot resistant

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/hard-maple/

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/bigleaf-maple/

White oak - ok, usually rot resistant

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/white-oak/

Red cedar - ok, usually rot resistant

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/aromatic-red-cedar/

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/western-red-cedar/

Ipe - ok, rot resistant but $$$

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/ipe/

Teak - ok, rot resistant but $$$$$

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/teak/

Osage orange - ok, but board availability may be limited

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/osage-orange/

Some of the 'other' less common or more recently marketed or distributed 'tropical' type hardwoods may or may not be ok for exterior use in a bench.

ex:

Verawood, aka Argentinian Lignum Vitae - hard, rot resistant

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/verawood/

All sorts of woods listed here:

http://www.wood-database.com/

Possibly some sort of 'plastic' composite-type deck board like Trex or Azek (watch out for max spans there, as the 'plastic' boards can sag if unsupported for more than ~12-16"). And they can get rather hot to the touch (on bare skin) in the sun.

I would personally not use PT lumber for a bench. Soft lumber, and the corrosiveness to pretty much all metals would be drawbacks for me.

First choice for me would probably be red cedar.

 

[pop pop]

Surprised poplar is not rot resistant. Lumber of choice on the farm for barn siding and wagons. Light, strong, and lasts forever untreated.

 

[jayoldschool]

I used TREX on my 65 C10 bed rebuild that sits outside. Two winters later, it looks brand new.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I bought a new picnic table from Lifetime Products. It has a metal frame (powder coated I think) and "composite deck board". It did not seem overly hot this summer. Hopefully it will live up to its name.

 

[gnpenning]

Redwood. Many a quality picnic table and deck has been made with redwood over the years.

 

[hsvtoolfool]

Ipe is gorgeous, strong, heavy as lead, and weathers to a beautiful silver
if left natural. It's a tropical hardwood containing lots of minerals, so it's
tough on blades. Don't use hand tools unless you're a masochist. It's so
dense and heavy that it's a borderline "ironwood". Probably my top choice
for this application.

Black Locus is unrivaled for weather and insect resistance, but I've never
used it for anything but fence posts. I can't testify to its strength, and you
need that in an application like a bench.

No one has mentioned old growth Cypress from Florida and Louisiana.
Use reclaimed "sinker log" lumber. Much denser and harder than regular
Cypress. Plenty strong and pretty.

I like Spar varnish with plenty of UV protection for outdoor projects.
Good enough for million dollar yachts covered in Mahogany, good
enough for a bench.

 

[jives]

The most decay resistant wood grown in North America is osage orange, but as another poster said, getting quality boards is difficult.

After that, black locust and cypress. I would avoid cedar and redwood as they can be too soft to span a long bench without supports -- same as the composite materials. In my experience cedar and redwood can be a bit splintery as well. White oak will work and may be your cheapest and most available option. Out here while oak is most used for farm equipment like hay wagon beds and rails.

The tropical exotics -- teak, ipe, cumoru (sp?), mahogany -- are expensive but really are nice.

 

[SunnyBeach]

I am not sure where you are located in SE Michigan but check out the ReUse center. They have wood that was cut down locally and is hard to find in a big box store.

You should be able to find locust and any type of oak you want.

http://urbanwood.org/about/details/recycle-ann-arbor/

Fun place to visit but make sure you have a specific project in mind because it can get expensive just browsing. Their prices are a little high but the selection is unique.

 

[mattygee]

Yellow or swamp cypress is a good choice also, and usually comes in standard dimensions.. ie 1X4,6,8 etc. I can get it in MA for about 3.00/bd ft. I have made numerous Adirondack chairs out of it with good long term results.

 

[atthebeach]

Here's another vote for Trex or another composite decking material. Wood used on horizontal surfaces outdoors has a limited lifetime, and gets to looking bad way to soon.

 

[404]

Yellow or swamp cypress is a good choice also, and usually comes in standard dimensions.. ie 1X4,6,8 etc. I can get it in MA for about 3.00/bd ft. I have made numerous Adirondack chairs out of it with good long term results.

Where in MA please?

 

[mattygee]

Where in MA please?

http://forestproductsassociates.com/

 

[404]

http://forestproductsassociates.com/

Thank you very much indeed.

 

[Solpainter]

A good source in SE Michigan for wood is Armstrong Lumber on M59 in I believe is Hartland. He is expensive but has just about everything. You can pick your own wood and he will surface it for you.

 

[SilverSS1969]

Thanks for all the suggestion guys. You have given me a lot of info to look into.

And to the guys asking where in SE MI, I'm about 30 mins north of Detroit. So Ann Arbor and Hartland aren't too far away. I will have to look at both those places you guy suggested.