Mildew free wood for outdoor furnitue

[Brian Runau]

Outside of very expensive teak is there anything else to be sued for table to be used and left out doors?

Thanks.

Brian

[Bob Vaughan]

Wood is hydroscopic dead plant fiber. It shouldn't be taken for granite.

[Jim Becker]

There are multiple species of wood that are reasonably good for outdoor use and naturally resistant to rot and insects. White (NOT red) oak, mahogany, some cypress, certain tropical woods like the teak you mention, etc., all can fit the bill. They will all grey out from UV and exposure over time, but using a penetrating finish rather than a film finish will make them easier to recondition.

Mildew, as you mention in your title, is a different issue as it and things like algae, can and will thrive in certain conditions. Controlling them is a matter of maintenance.

[Doug Hepler]

Brian,

Not to be picky, but mildew is the least of the issues with wood to be left outdoors. Decay (rot) is the main issue, followed by appearance. If you will paint the wood, decay resistance is somewhat less of an issue.

Redwood, cedar, and cypress are decay resistant softwoods. Old-growth cypress and redwood are significantly more decay resistant than new-growth, and heartwood is more resistant than sapwood.
Pressure-treated pine lumber (treated with ACQ or copper azole) is very decay resistant, of course, but is usually much too wet when purchased. It might need to be stacked and dried under cover for months before being used for outdoor furniture or doors. The toxic nature of treated wood is an issue unless the finished product is varnished or painted.
Among hardwoods, teak is at the top in appearance and durability but, as you noted, is very expensive and very hard on tool edges. The high price of teak has made other tropical hardwoods popular, such as, iroko, red gum (red grandis), ipé, jarrah and eucalyptus. All of these woods are dense, durable, and stand up very well outdoors for decades.
White oak (not red oak) is decay resistant. Other domestic hardwoods that stand up well outdoors are black walnut, black locust, Osage orange, red mulberry (all except walnut are hard to find). American mahogany (S. American, Honduras, S. macrophylla) is decay resistant for outdoor furniture, if you can find it and afford it. (African mahogany is only moderately resistant to decay.) (See the FPL Wood Handbook, available online)

Doug

[John TenEyck]

Any wood left outdoors will require more or less maintenance in order to keep it looking good. I have a black locust bench that I made maybe 6 years ago, finished with Epifanes, one of the best marine varnishes. After two rehabs of the finish I decided to buy a cover for the bench, which I only remove when I want to use it. Two years later it looks unchanged. No more uncovered outdoor furniture for me.

John

[Yonak Hawkins]

Ipe does pretty well as does treated lumber. They'll both still require regular maintenance and paint would help a lot. Covering and stationing on a stone or well-drained concrete surface is best.

[Mel Fulks]

Do you want to paint or stain ?

[Bill Dufour]

Eucalyptus wood is about 1,000 species. the red and blue gum common in California are not decay resistant. the blue rots quickly in ground contact. The red trees seldom get over 30 feet tall as the branches rot at the crotch and fall off. I suppose other species could be more resistant.
But they are the tallest hardwoods in the USA and less then 200 years old at that. They also make great urban firestorms.
Bill D

[Brian Runau]

I built a table out of cypress and finished it with a good marine stain. Sits on a patio in the shade and has a lot of blackening to the top. Legs and skirt are much better and less of an issue, but the top is a lot of work cleaning and re-staining twice a year to maintain the finish. More work than I honestly want to put in. Looking for something that might be less maintenance.

[Art Mann]

Very clever reply!


Wood is hydroscopic dead plant fiber. It shouldn't be taken for granite.

[Jim Becker]

I built a table out of cypress and finished it with a good marine stain. Sits on a patio in the shade and has a lot of blackening to the top. Legs and skirt are much better and less of an issue, but the top is a lot of work cleaning and re-staining twice a year to maintain the finish. More work than I honestly want to put in. Looking for something that might be less maintenance.
Unfortunately, there will be no less maintenance on something like that, regardless of the wood species. The shade doesn't help you either. What you can do is to regularly use an anti-mildew/fungicide to clean the top...doing it more often makes the job a lot easier.

[Brian Runau]

THANKS. Brian

[Michael Costa]

Spanish (Eastern) Cedar is resistant to rot, mildew and insects. It does however, require a UV resistant finish unless you want the patina grayish look.

[Bill Dufour]

I have seen picnic tables made out of plastic wood. 2x6's. and 4x4's for the legs. No rot, no bugs. mold will need pressure wash or bleach.
Bill D.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Maybe you would care to paint the top with a good oil-based paint, once the surface is totally dry. Mildew would wash off with periodic cleaning.

[Jim Morgan]

Spanish (Eastern) Cedar is resistant to rot, mildew and insects. It does however, require a UV resistant finish unless you want the patina grayish look.

Spanish Cedar (actually a variety of mahogany) and Eastern White Cedar are very different species!

[Nike Nihiser]

I think Jim means White Oak, not While Oak :-)

[Wade Lippman]

0\The toxic nature of treated wood is an issue unless the finished product is varnished or painted.

No, it isn't. Don't spread misinformation.

[Jim Becker]

I think Jim means White Oak, not While Oak :-)

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[Michael Costa]

James Morgan, thank you for the clarification and education on the cedar. I'm positive I read somewhere that Spanish Cedar was also called Eastern Cedar. I don't remember where. I did do further research and found you are correct.

On a side note, whether it's wood (trees) for woodworking or wood (trees and bushes) in my yard, precise info on what things are and how to take care of them vary and oftentimes the information is either hard to find or conflicting. It almost makes me wish I had and education as an arborist or in horticulture. I'm a pharmacist and I can say that there isn't anything I could tell you about a drug that you can't read for yourself on the leaflet provided. But this tree to my right, I know nothing about it and can't even find out what it "really" is.