Outdoor Furniture Project Question??

[Steve Goetz]

I am in the beginning stages of reproducing some outdoor "adirondack type" chairs that my great grandfather built back in the early fifties. It is all constructed from 6/4 stock varying from 2" to 8" wide. I am looking for a very durable, but reasonably priced lumber to build these from. I'm not interested in the cheap pressure treated material you buy at the big box stores. I've heard that cyprus and teak are good materials. Any suggestions? I want these to last for many years.

Steve

[Mike Heidrick]

White oak finished. Will outlast you.

[Sam Murdoch]

There are many options depending on how they will be finished BUT - the secret to success is to make certain to saturate all the end grain of the feet with epoxy. Brush on and let soak and cure. This may take several applications but you will have created an impermeable chair leg that can be left out doors through many seasons or years. I re-coat my chair and table legs every 3 years or so. Do this before you have painted or clear coated but in the case of teak or ipe or the like, which really don't need a finish, I saturate the feet before I set them out in the weather. Gorilla glue works OK but it is very messy compared to a 2 part epoxy like WEST.

This is also a great treatment for the bottom of exterior doors.

[Mel Fulks]

The cypress grades available today are not much good outside. A teak chair of that size would be real heavy and those things are awkward to move anyway . Since they are usually painted I would use poplar. Cut out the pieces and round off the edges ,prime and paint the pieces before assembly. Assemble with non rusting screws. Glue 1/4 inch thick pieces of acrylic plastic to the bottom of the feet with epoxy. Paint again. They will last a LONG time. One more thing you could do is dip the legs in copper naphthalate . It has to be used carefully,I would not use it all over.Use a solid color stain for paint. These days the white sap poplar is often stained and used inside. The green heart wood is actually easier to get. Say you prefer it.

[Cody Colston]

I would strike Teak off the list. It's too heavy, too expensive and too hard to get. Of the exotics, Mahogany is one of the better ones for outdoor furniture but it too is expensive.

Old-growth Cypress would be perfect but it's difficult to find and the stuff cut now-a-days isn't nearly as weather/bug resistant.

White Oak is a relatively inexpensive, durable wood although it will be very heavy.

Redwood is an option if you live near the West Coast. Otherwise, it's probably too expensive.

My go-to wood for outdoor furniture is Eastern Red Cedar. It's light, strong, resistant to insects/decay and it's readily available around here. In fact, I harvest and saw my own trees for most of my needs.

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I made several "adirondack type" chairs out of very old redwood in 1999. I glued them with Gorilla glue, and I've had several joints pull apart. I reglued with a 2 part epoxy and they've held up well.

I screwed 1/4" pads of HDPE onto the bottoms of all the legs. The chairs live outside on concrete and the legs have no sign of water damage. The pads also help keep the legs from splintering when being dragged across the concrete.

[Steve Goetz]

It looks like white oak is probably the way to go. Any suggestions on a finish? I'm not a big fan (well I should say my wife is not a big fan!) of light colored woods, so I will probably have to stain these a darker color then put some type of clear coat on them. I do like the idea of the two part epoxy on the feet to help make them impermeable to decay. Thanks Sam!

Steve

[Steve Goetz]

Also, is there anyone near Dayton, OH that knows of a good supplier for 6/4 white oak?

Steve

[Mel Fulks]

White oak is excellent . It is also expensive and heavy. I always think of garden furniture as something that needs to be easily moved , but a well chosen spot might obviate that . All of the Adirondack chairs I've seen in the South have been painted.

[Peter Elliott]

White oak...... not sure about your local pricing but its certainly not expensive . Especially being on the east coast region.

Try to mix in some quartersawn parts like the back slats or arm rails.

i would highly recommend Sikens Cetol line. You can get clear to various colors . It's been very good on all my outdoor stuff. You prob have to look around for it. Benjamin Moore stores have it in my area.

My 2nd choice would be cedar. 3rd mahogany ..

[John TenEyck]

White oak lasts a really long time but will get gray and tend to splinter unless coated and maintained. Black locust is even better IMHO, but is even heavier. Red mulberry also is very durable outside, and is probably the most beautiful of the three. All should grow in your area, although BL and RM might be hard to find but worth looking for.

Epifanes Marine Varnish is arguably the best clear coat. I've had great success with it. If you put on the recommended 7 coats, it will last 4 years or so before it needs a little maintenance, at least here in Buffalo. I've heard of others reporting very good performance using exterior paint base with no colorant added. As someone mentioned, though, paint will offer the longest protection before needing maintenance.

Here's a pic of a black locust bench I made and finished with Epifanes. Notice the rubber pads glued to the bottom of the legs - with epoxy, as mentioned by others.


241864
John

[Mel Fulks]

Just looked up Adirondack chairs, the original Northern chairs were made of painted hemlock. Hemlock is not particularly durable outside, It is light in weight . Paint makes things durable .

[Jamie Schmitz]

I have been seeing a lot of chairs made from wine barrel staves (Oak). Used barrels are cheap in most regions and they are already bent for the different parts.
http://www.winebarrelworkshop.com/portfolio/adirondack-chair/

http://www.rewineddesigns.com/furniture.html

[Jim Neeley]

Here in Alaska, where there's a lot of rain, snow and ice, for decking (lots of abuse) an oil-based semi-transparent stain is recommend. If you put on anything that creates a film, once it gets scratched or the film gets a rip or tear in any location, moisture seeps underneath, is held there, and the film begins to peel.

Just my $0.02.. YMMV..