What type of wood to use for outdoor furniture?
Thursday, March 17th, 2011 at
7:48 pm
I am looking for the most durable/ longest lasting wood for making outdoor chairs. My choices are between White and Red Oak, Ash, Fir, Eucalyptus, Teak and Pine. What is the best to worst?
Teak is prized for its beauty and durability. However, because of the demand and over-harvesting it is becoming more expensive and less available. All the woods will require some maintenance to prolong the life of the furniture but the hard woods would be preferred.
of your list, teak and white oak are the most weather resistant…
Unless you want to spend more money than necessary, use white pine and a good water sealer.
Teak is the best (and most expensive). You didn’t mention Cedar or Redwood. Both of these resist rotting and work well for outside use. A good sealer will work with most woods but is not permanent.
Teak is excellent, but do buy teak with an FSC label, which is more or less a certification that it’s harvested in a durable manner.
I agree with Dan, but I’m curious as to why you don’t have access to treated lumber? ‘Course that wasn’t your question, so go with the Teak or white oak.
good luck
I have used Red Cedar wood for patio furniture with great results. Cedar is great to withstand the outdoor elements.