Best wood for Adirondacks?

[Jim Mackell]

Made a bunch of them 3 to 4 years ago for family using cypress. Even though they get touch up painting every year, the wood is splitting right along the grain lines. What wood would you recommend for long term outdoor stability? And what type of finish if not a colorful paint specified by SWMBO?*


*She Who Must Be Obeyed

[Mike Cutler]

I'd use Ipe to make the chairs. They'd weigh a ton when finished, but you would probably never need to bring them back in again.
Let them weather to nice grey hue and then seal them.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Cedar or redwood. The cypress you get these days just isn't that great. It splits like mad. I don't think your problem is due to weathering (to an extent) but rather just that it's a wood that likes to split. If you have deep pockets, use interlux boat varnish or paint. It's the best I have found for boats, so it would be great for outdoor furnishings.

[Marc Rochkind]

I'm a huge fan of white oak. So dense that no water can get into it. No finish needed, either.

[Peter Kelly]

I made mine out of teak. If I had to do it again would definitely go with white oak.

[Brad Shipton]

If it does not need to match anything in particular and color ok, plastic. Get one from Costco and it will last forever. If must be wood, I think teak is the best, but it gonna cost ya. I am not sure I love the idea of IPE, but it the humidity is high in Maine it might be ok. IPE gets quite brittle when it dries, and splinters can be a problem.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Larch aka tamarack makes nice outdoor furniture. I made a double glider chair a few years ago and it still looks good. It's not the nicest wood to work with, it's a bit splintery but it has a nice color.
Zach

[Jim Becker]

If you can get vertical grain cypress (which is probably going to be more expensive, old-growth material), the end result will be a lot better, but so much of the cypress I've seen these days has been less that ideal. It grows too fast...kinda the same situation as with many soft-woods these days.

[Alex Zeller]

There's an Amish guy who makes them as well as picnic tables not far from me. A few years ago he switched to the composite decking boards (don't know which brand) and paints everything. He did it because they last, price, and it's easy to get. He offers a lifetime warranty so I'm assuming that it must of made sense over wood.

[Mel Fulks]

The first ones were hemlock and painted. Bright colors were always used outside ,if one could afford them,but I'm sure that right now someone is
trying to make a beige flower. Conifers used outside need to have the bark side facing the weather.

[Lee Schierer]

I'd use Ipe to make the chairs. They'd weigh a ton when finished, but you would probably never need to bring them back in again.
Let them weather to nice grey hue and then seal them.

When I was working for a living we did some tests on surface penetration of stains and preservatives on Ipe. It doesn't absorb any more than a few thousands of an inch below the surface. I've had a piece of Ipe with our house numbers on it hanging outside on the weather side of the house and it is still almost as good as new except for the gray color after more than 15 years.

[Mike Cutler]

IPE gets quite brittle when it dries, and splinters can be a problem.

Brad
Something doesn't seem right here. I have seen thousands of square feet of decks here in New England made from Ipe and none of them have splintered through the years. They all weather to a fuzzy grey that can be easily sanded off.
It could be that what is sold now as Ipe, versus 25 years ago, is something different?? If so, that is really a shame.

Lee
I had some reclaimed pallet material made from Ipe that came in the late 80's and my experience is the same as yours.
It doesn't really seal so much, as people will let it weather, and apply a UV stabilizing coat over it once the get the hue they want.

[Brad Shipton]

Mike, I am in a dry climate and I milled around 600bdft of Cumaru. Everyday I was pulling long brittle splinters out of my hand as it dried. If your climate is more humid it will be better. I think it is perfectly fine on a floor, but I am not so sure if I were sitting on a chair in shorts. These Brazilian species are much happier in 75%+ humidity and I think that is where they should stay. I have a 15"x2"x16' piece in my shed that I cannot find a good project for and I am sick of moving that 250lb thing around.

[Carroll Courtney]

I just believe that anything outside won't last forever,but that composite ideal sure does make a person think.Lets see,several colors,cut with miter saw or what ever,no paint needed unless you want to,plugs for screw holes.Maybe some online shopping at your favorite Big Box store???? And watching Mega Decks,with little heat can bend it.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

About five years ago, I did a lumber run into Northern California to find some premium redwood. There's one place I found that supplied me with B grade material with 20-30 rings per inch. This is the stuff that made redwood famous for exterior uses. They had an office in San Rafael.
The stuff they sell for redwood these days at most home centers and lumber yards is a waste of money.

[Jim Mackell]

Lots of great suggestions, thanks! Teak is out! Never priced Ipe so I'll have to check that out. White oak is readily available and I suspect I'll give that a try. The redwood I've seen sold here in Maine is crummy beyond words.

I'll update my results in 4 or 5 years! :)

[Alan Schwabacher]

Composite from recycled plastic sounds reasonable, but plastic is not wood, so appropriate designs are different for the two materials. Here's what happened when someone tried to make picnic tables of one of the composite decking materials:
388810

[Kurt Swanson]

You may want to try Garapa. I've used Garapa, Ipe and Cumaru in several of my own adirondack chairs. Garapa was cheaper, lighter and easier to work with than the other two. Ipe chair was 70lbs, Garapa only 50lbs. It will be almost yellow in color after machining, but will darken to a golden brown color. I stained my chairs with Penofin to seal the color in.

[Curt Harms]

How about Locust if you can find large enough straight enough boards? White Oak is going to be much more available though, and probably easier to work.

[Jerry Miner]

Whatever species you decide on, you might consider dipping the ends of the parts into some penetrating epoxy before painting.

The wood splits at the ends because the end-grain absorbs and releases moisture much faster than the rest of the board-- causing the ends to expand and contract more. Soaking in epoxy will greatly reduce the moisture absorption of the ends.