Cheaper woods like untreated red oak and pine are not usually much of a match for the elements. Outdoor furniture that is made from this type of wood will not last for long. If you want your furniture to stand up to nature’s ravages, even if you live in a mild climate, it should be built from woods that have more resistance to insect infestation and rot.
Woods resist rot in different ways. Some types of wood, like cedar, cypress and redwood, have chemicals within them that bacteria and bugs find to be offensive, so they’ll usually go elsewhere for their meals. Other types of woods, including black locust and white oak, actually have structures in their make-up that prevent moisture by filling the wood’s pores, thus blocking the creatures that cause decay from taking hold in the wood. Chemically treated woods are also more adept at lasting for a long time in the great outdoors. Check out this site for a great into into how to stain patio furniture.
There are other woods that work well for outdoor furniture, too. Black walnut and black cherry resist rot fairly well, but they may be too pricey to use for all but the most expensive furniture. Some tropical trees like mahogany and teak also work very well outdoors, although they are harder to find now, since they have been over-harvested in the past. Rattan is a novel choice, but one that can be effective in the right setting. Rattan garden furniture is lightweight, yet strong.
Manufacturers of outdoor furniture today use teak grown on plantations, as well as kempas, jarra, iroko and eucalyptus woods. These types of wood aren’t as familiar to us as outdoor furniture woods, but they are fine grained, fairly hard and rot resistant, so you may see more of these different types of woods used in the future, to make outdoor furniture.
Caring for the woods used in outdoor furniture is basically the same, regardless of the type of tree it is harvested from. Unfinished woods will turn a lovely gray or silver as they age, and you can kill any fuzzy growth to eliminate splinters, and leave your wood looking more smooth and clean.
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