Wood for Building Adirondack chairs

[Thomas O Jones Jr]

I need guidance regarding the wood to use for building a set of these chairs for my step daughter. They will be outside on the ground in Charlotte, NC. I'm in Greensboro, NC and would welcome source ideas, as well.

They don't want to paint them. I've used cypres and it's too soft. I'm thinking yellow pine. Price is a consideration. Thanks for your thoughts.

[Erik Loza]

Cedar is the go-to wood here in TX. I can think of other options but nothing in that price range. One of my customers made some beautiful Adirondacks out of Ipe, with stainless fasteners, but I about fell over when he told me the materials cost. But they'll outlast any of us.

Erik

[David Eisenhauer]

I would have said cypress, or (as Eric said) here in the Austin area we have an abundance of cedar to use as well. Both cypress and cedar are insect/mildew resistant, but are softer woods. I do not believe that pine is especially better suited for outdoor weather any better than anything else, but not 100% sure on that. The issue is that the owners do not want to paint, so that moves you into the more weather-resistant woods, such as cypress. Mahogany is a moisture resistant wood (not quite as resistant as teak, but up there on the list), but probably more costly than you are looking for too. I'm thinking that something is going to have to be allowed for you to reach your goal - paint the chairs, spend more money or use a softer wood.

[Peter Kelly]

If not Cedar or Ipe, I'd say White Oak, Sapele or Mahogany.

New growth White or Yellow Pine won't last too long outside unless it's painted or finished in some way. As Erik mentioned, stainless steel fasteners are a must.

[Kent Adams]

Hi Tom. The hardwood store in Gibsonville has some nice cedar you can use. You could call them and ask what else they have that might work as well.

[Jeffrey Martel]

Cheap, weather resistant wood? Cedar or White Oak.

[Tom Hargrove]

I've built over 100 Adirondack chairs over the past ten years. All were made from Western Red Cedar, and all are still going strong without any finish of any kind. (They are stored inside during the winter months.) WRC is a soft wood, but very resistant to rot and bugs. White Cedar is also a good choice, but is getting hard to find, at least around here. White Oak is a good alternative; it is harder than WRC, but will cost significantly more money. Ipe and mahogany are also great choices, but are very expensive, so if price is an issue, look elsewhere.

If you build outdoor furniture out of pine, and don't finish it, and then leave it outside, it will probably start to fall apart in just a few years. Yellow pine might last a bit longer, but not like the other woods mentioned in this chain.

[Wakahisa Shinta]

I built mine out of select grade redwood and quarter sawn white oak. I think the price per board foot is about the same. The redwood ones are much lighter and easier to move around. The white oak chairs are heavier (probably at least 3x more) and feel more substantial. I wanted to use cypress, but it is not available locally here. All the chairs received two coats of General Finish outdoor oil. I were surprised that an Adirondack chair requires more than a few board feet of wood.

[Jim Becker]

White oak (not red oak!) is the go-to for domestic, weather-, insect- and rot-resistant material for a project like this. IMHO.

[Patrick Harper]

I've always liked cypress...sure it's soft, but it's bug and rot resistant and makes for light weight chairs. Teak is expensive, so I'd echo what others have said and suggest white oak. It will make a burly chair, but a heavy one.

[Jim Dwight]

Mine are painted pressure treated pine. The paint is failing but the wood is fine. They need painted but it's nice to know they won't rot regardless. Latex breathes enough to let the PT dry out. The paint keeps you from touching it. If you could find kiln dried PT wood it would be ideal - except for color.

[Randy Red Bemont]

I like to use white oak over cypress. It's windy here in the Carolina mountains and cypress chairs are way too light and blow around. White oak chairs hold there ground and can stand up to our weather.

Red

[Roger Feeley]

I was in a local store called Seasonal Concepts. They sell patio furniture in the spring and Christmas decorations in the fall. I saw an Adirondack chair made entirely of barrel staves from an oak whiskey barrel. It looked pretty cool but the $800 price tag seemed high. I wonder what an old used barrel would cost?

I might go over and take some pictures and measurements. Never hurts to have plans in the can.

[Bob Vaughan]

Mechanical deterioration is the big problem, not organic attack. Moisture gets in end grain and joints. When cell walls saturated with water and then freeze, the expansion of the water crushes the cell walls. The end result is that the wood gets pulpy over time. Some woods like many mentioned will not absorb moisture through end grain as much as others, but they still absorb some moisture. The deterioration will simply be a little slower.

[Curt Harms]

A wood that has intrigued me for outdoor furniture is locust. Difficult to dry without distorting, hard/difficult to work and hard to find large boards but VERY durable/weather resistant from what I've read.

[Cody Colston]

Will they have a finish? SYP will rot pretty quickly outdoors unless it has a protective finish or is pressure treated. BTW, si ce price is a consideration, that would be my recommendation PT SYP.

I build mine from mostly ERC as it's abundant and available around here. I've also built them from Cypress and Walnut. The Cypress chair is the only one that has failed from weathering.

I also recommend sealing the leg bottoms with epoxy to prevent water wicking, regardless of the wood used.

[Tony Beran]

Why use wood? How about composite deck material? Mills like wood, looks like wood, lasts longer than wood, cleans easier than wood, no staining involved, and it stands up to the sea air. Although the initial cost is more but the maintenance time (no refinishing, no replacing broken or twisted boards) is very little.

[David Winer]

A wood that has intrigued me for outdoor furniture is locust. Difficult to dry without distorting, hard/difficult to work and hard to find large boards but VERY durable/weather resistant from what I've read.

Locust. Right, very resistant to rot. Good luck finding it in a form suitable for building Adirondack chairs. And good luck working it.

I used locust 4x4 posts (from a sawmill) for a shed four decades ago. They are still going strong. But hard to work? I remember with horror as I watched my helper cut the post tops off with a chain saw and saw sparks flying!

Changing the subject a little bit, why not use deck stain to increase the weathering life? It doesn't chip or flake, is simple to apply, and can be easily re-applied if appearance matters.

[Jim Becker]

Mine are painted pressure treated pine. The paint is failing but the wood is fine. They need painted but it's nice to know they won't rot regardless. Latex breathes enough to let the PT dry out. The paint keeps you from touching it. If you could find kiln dried PT wood it would be ideal - except for color.
You may find that an opaque stain will provide better life than paint for this application.

[Bill Adamsen]

If the Cypress was too soft, so too likely will be the Western Red Cedar. The suggestions of White oak and Locust would both theoretically be very rot resistant. To me, neither looks especially good with non-lustrous clear finishes. They are likely to get dirty and mildewy. Think about sitting on that with a white dress or pants! Heavy varnish can be very attractive (especially on White oak) but will require maintenance. Teak or Ipe are pricier and trickier to work, but both handle weathering more gracefully. I can't think of a variety of pine that would be suitable subjected to weather.

[Scott T Smith]

Your two closest suppliers would be the Hardwood Store in Gibsonville (about 30 minutes from GBO), or Wall Lumber up in Mayodan. Both are excellent companies to work with.

White oak, black or yellow locust (but not white or honey locust), black walnut, eastern red cedar and osage orange all tend to be rot resistant woods well suited for your project. If you buy white oak be sure that it's close pored (and not chestnut oak).

[Wes Ramsey]

You should be able to find some post oak or live oak locally. Both are heavy and rot resistant. They're both hard to work, but will last many years outdoors and untreated. The hay barn my father-in-law helped build from post oak when he was young is still standing 40-50 years later.

[Thomas O Jones Jr]

Your two closest suppliers would be the Hardwood Store in Gibsonville (about 30 minutes from GBO), or Wall Lumber up in Mayodan. Both are excellent companies to work with.

White oak, black or yellow locust (but not white or honey locust), black walnut, eastern red cedar and osage orange all tend to be rot resistant woods well suited for your project. If you buy white oak be sure that it's close pored (and not chestnut oak).

Scott, You and Kent Adams both recommended the hardwood store in Gibsonville; I've heard about them but never been there. Where in Gibsonville? I buy a lot from Steve Wall, in particular slabs from which I finished a 16 foot Bubinga mantel not long ago (it took 6 friends to hold it in place while I secured it. Thanks to everyone for your comments. Maybe the red cedar or white oak, depending on local supplies (and cost). Tom Jones

[Scott T Smith]

Scott, You and Kent Adams both recommended the hardwood store in Gibsonville; I've heard about them but never been there. Where in Gibsonville? I buy a lot from Steve Wall, in particular slabs from which I finished a 16 foot Bubinga mantel not long ago (it took 6 friends to hold it in place while I secured it. Thanks to everyone for your comments. Maybe the red cedar or white oak, depending on local supplies (and cost). Tom Jones

Tom, Gibsonville is about 15 miles east of Greensboro on I40. It's right before Burlington.

Steve sold out and retired recently; I don't know the new owner.

[Thomas O Jones Jr]

Scott, is it north of Gibsonville going toward the prison farm or in the downtown area? Can't picture where. Just spoke with Steve last week, he is still around but the young man who bought in is transitioning it into a lot less clutter and its easier to find stuff. Thats a grand log behind you. Have you created treasures from it? Tom

[Thomas O Jones Jr]

Kent, I just asked Scott Smith if he could give me specific Gibsonville directions. I just can't picture that store? Thanks for your comments and help! Tom

[Pat Barry]

I need guidance regarding the wood to use for building a set of these chairs for my step daughter. They will be outside on the ground in Charlotte, NC. I'm in Greensboro, NC and would welcome source ideas, as well.

They don't want to paint them. I've used cypres and it's too soft. I'm thinking yellow pine. Price is a consideration. Thanks for your thoughts.
I can't imagine cypress being too soft. I think the issue you are concerned with is the exposed endgrain on the bottom of the legs. I think you should build with cypress - its an otherwise perfect wood for a chair of this type - and then get some penetrating sealer that the wood will wick up so that water doesn't get wicked up so readily. I think something like the penetrating sealers used for wood that is already showing some signs of rot would be ideal - Home Depot carry's this. Apply it liberally, many times. I'm sure this will work wonders for you.

[Mel Fulks]

Maybe Pat has been lucky enough to get some good heart cypress. Most of the stuff is soft and sappy and only rated "moderately" durable.

[Pat Barry]

I actually have never worked with Cypress although my experience with pine is what I am banking on. Regular stud grade material, that and cedar. Both of these have huge propensity for moisture uptake through wicking. They don't last long in ground contact applications. As I recall Norm had an episode of New Yankee Workshop where he built outdoor furniture from Cypress - he wasn't steering us all wrong was he? Sorry if my info is incorrect about cypress

[Mel Fulks]

Not incorrect ,just needs the "Rest of the Story". Guys buying in quantity for expensive work like Tom King can find suppliers but not many places to buy a few pieces of the really good. Real heart is hard and brittle really doesn't look like it could ever have been what most of us can find. A friend bought a few pieces mail order few years back,think it was about 15 dollars a foot and had a lot of cracks ,looked like sticks for toasting marshmallows. He tediously glued and patched it.

[Erik Loza]

Regular stud grade material, that and cedar. Both of these have huge propensity for moisture uptake through wicking. They don't last long in ground contact applications.

This has been my experience with cedar as well. It soaks up ground moisture like a sponge and pretty soon, the fasteners aren't really that tight anymore. The other issue I experience is the various joints and crevices in the chairs, were pollen and leaves and whatever, accumulate in there and hold moisture. I guess you could mitigate this by keeping the furniture on something like concrete or pavers but for those of us who have our A-chairs on substates like decomposed granite or just the bare ground, or under trees that shed a lot, it's been an issue for me.

I know this is not probably where the OP wanted to go but if I wanted a set of A-chairs that were going to last, it wouldn't be wood. There were some recycled plastic ones at the local garden store that came in all sorts of colors. They were about $300 each but honestly, they will outlast any wood chair and you can just hose them off. For, that would be worth it.

Erik

[Pat Barry]

Not incorrect ,just needs the "Rest of the Story". Guys buying in quantity for expensive work like Tom King can find suppliers but not many places to buy a few pieces of the really good. Real heart is hard and brittle really doesn't look like it could ever have been what most of us can find. A friend bought a few pieces mail order few years back,think it was about 15 dollars a foot and had a lot of cracks ,looked like sticks for toasting marshmallows. He tediously glued and patched it.
Come to think about it, I seem to recall the cypress came from logs they found in the bottom of a lake that had been lost during the harvest process or something. Really old growth stuff I assume.. I think Norm got a deal on due to the publicity he gave the salvage company. Oh well....

[Jeff Nolan]

A couple of years ago I built an Adirondack out of Lyptus and set it outside in an area that gets sun, cold, and rain. After 2 years that chair has weathered nicely, not splintered or degraded, and remains solid when you sit in it. The one problem I had was that the expansion caused some screws to snap off, but I think this could be avoided by using stainless screws.

[Jim Becker]

Jeff, it's a good practice to use SS on these outdoor projects for sure. Interestingly, the two Adirondack's that I built from cypress many years ago (NYW design) eventually fell apart, but every single SS fastener was still pristine. LOL (and salvaged... :) )

[Scott T Smith]

Scott, is it north of Gibsonville going toward the prison farm or in the downtown area? Can't picture where. Just spoke with Steve last week, he is still around but the young man who bought in is transitioning it into a lot less clutter and its easier to find stuff. Thats a grand log behind you. Have you created treasures from it? Tom

Tom, it's downtown.

The log in my avatar was milled several years ago. Here is one of my more recent large logs. 72" diameter, 14' long (two logs similarly sized).

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