Best wood for a park bench?

[Patrick Nailon]

I was volunteering for my daughter's school, and saw 4 old park benches that are in need of new slats. luckily, there's nothing complicated with them - just cutting straight 1" wood. No curves or bending. I volunteered to do just that, and I'd like to know what is the best wood for something outside. This is So Cal so we don't get too extreme of winters, but hot summers.

What would be recommended wood? Finish?

Thanks in advance.

[Tom Veatch]

I recently replaced the wood slats on some outdoor furniture with white oak. Don't know that there's any finish that will hold up for very long in the SoCal summers that I remember from running the Camp Pendleton hills. I used MinWax Spar Urethane and expect to redo it every year or so. An opaque, UV blocker would be the most durable.

Other untreated woods that have a good outdoor reputation and may be somewhat affordable are cedar and redwood, 'though in 1" (3/4") section they may not be sturdy enough. Not familiar with the other, imported hardwoods, but Ipe has been mentioned for outdoor application along with teak and some others, but the cost may be out of range. I imagine that any wood that would be considered for decking would be a reasonable choice. Pressure treated 5/4 decking would be one choice except it's probably unacceptable for school parks/playgrounds.

[Kevin Groenke]

Lot's of choices.

Western Red Cedar is widely available and weather resistant, though fairly soft for a public piece.

Teak is commonly used for this sort of thing, though getting more expensive every day and sustainability may be at issue.

Some borgs and lumber yards stock Ipe and or Cumaru or other tropical hardwoods which have properties similar to Teak but are less expensive and supposedly "sustainable".

You didn't get it from me, but you might be able to use a composite material like Trex.

I made a pair of benches out of Jatoba that have endured 5 MN winters and still look good.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_rHdeE-SI5cc/SWA2NTsnE5I/AAAAAAAAAUs/YxLJdD5yHM0/s720/meridian.jpg

[Jarrod McGehee]

Hey Patrick I'm in SoCal too. San Diego area. but IF you can afford it, I would maybe go with teak or a mahogany or something from those families. but other than that I'm not sure of what would last for a while in the sun. It's hot down here.

[Dewey Torres]

Teak...
Since no one said it yet. $$$$ though

[John Shuk]

I'd recommend Ipe. It is inexpensive and durable.

[Prashun Patel]

Pick what matches the benches now.
I'd use WRC or white oak.
I wouldn't put a spar urethane on it. I used it on my white oak g bench. Held up great for about 3 years. But when it starts to fail, it's a pain to repair. I'd just put a good water sealer on it and refresh it each year. More important than the finish, I'd be prepared to come by with a block plane or sandpaper every year to knock down any wayward splinters that.

They say these outdoor woods don't splinter - but kids have a way of nicking corners and creating them...

[RickT Harding]

I had a friend that put together a couple of deck chairs and a table using left over trex from his deck built. He actually ran it through the planer and everything. May not be the best wood look, but that stuff seems to hold up well.

[Rick Moyer]

I had a friend that put together a couple of deck chairs and a table using left over trex from his deck built. He actually ran it through the planer and everything. May not be the best wood look, but that stuff seems to hold up well.

Trex CAN get pretty hot the sun. Could be a "Candid Camera" episode:D.
Wow, I guess I just dated myself, huh? (51 tomorrow)

[Jacob Robinson]

Yea, Trex will hold up for a while, but for the spans and thicknesses you need, its not strong enough, *especially* in the summer. for that thin a piece, anything over a few feet will bend a *lot* in the summer heat. we built a Trex deck over last summer, on a second story, and getting those pieces up there was a pain, to hot to touch, and if you lifted in the middle, you'd have it on your shoulder, and the ends would be on the ground still. I would definitely not recommend it for a bench, just because of the heat it traps, i burned my hands on the stuff we used.

[Chris Padilla]

Personally, I'd go with "milk jug" lumber but as you need to think about support as Jacob alluded to. It lasts forever but is a tad pricey. I didn't think about the heat aspect of it but that could be an issue.

No one mentioned cypress but it could work as well. Teak, Cypress, Cedar, Redwood and Ipe are all good and don't require a finish but for the toughness required of a park bench, Ipe is probably the best bang for the buck. Cypress and Cedar and Redwood are likely to be too soft to last or look good over time.

Kevin's experience with Jatoba tells me that could work as well. I believe this is also known as Brazillian Cherry.

Do you have a budget in mind or are you "volunteering" all aspects of this project?