Outdoor Furniture in New England....

[Phil Winn]

I am planning on building an outdoor garden bench and matching chair
for my son who lives in New England....they may be left outside in the sun, rain, and perhaps snow. Which woods should I use?
Cedar, Ipe, Mohogany, Teak, something else???? I would like to leave the wood either "unfinished" or "finished" with some sort of easy to RE-APPLY clearish finish. Finish suggestions also? Not a lot of upkeep... Suggestions please?
Thanks,
Phil

[Gail O'Rourke]

Hi Phil - any of those will work. I have used Mahogany, cypress and spanish cedar for outdoor chairs. I use a clear decking finish with UV protection that I love from Lowe's.

They have all weather the new england weather just fine.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Call Norm (in Technical) at
epoxysystems.com/
<http:>321 206 1833 talk to him about your intended application
</http:>Warning:<http:> it's not cheap.
They have one and two part urethanes (Clear, colored & tintable) that will last as long as 20 years in full exposure outsied.

Dunno 'bout coating teak. The oils may be an issue.

In my opinion paints start to fail about the instant they are applied. I've tried everything on a very tough application and nothing has worked but the urethanes.

The site in my nightmares: Full exposure all year in the northeast, PT spruce 40'*20' recreational deck sitting 6" off a flat torch down roof & surrounded by huge old elms and maples. The detritus fom the trees that collects on the roof (falls between boards) doesn't wash off so it collects and holds moisture becomming heavier yearly. That moisture absolutely destroys any paint's ability to adhere. Two part urethane to the rescue.
</http:>

[Jim Becker]

Phil, you can also add white oak (NOT red oak) to your list as it's excellent for outdoor projects...and native to the region. I prefer unfinished for outdoor use or maybe a penetrating oil product such as Sikkens. Any film finish is going to require a lot of maintenance. Another decent choice is oil-based exterior paint dark tint-base. It dries clear and will last longer than any kind of varnish. You must use an exterior rated product if you choose to finish...they generally have the UV protection necessary to reduce the rate of deterioration of the finish.

Of course, these days you'll need to equip what you make with automatic flotation devices... :)

[Jesse Cloud]

There was an article in Oct 2005 Fine Woodworking showing how to use clear penetrating epoxy sealer (to block water) in combination with marine grade varnish (to block UV). The author says it will last 'several seasons' before it needs a new coat of varnish. The varnish chemically combines with the final coat of sealer.

I tried it on some outdoor furniture here, only time will tell, but its rock hard and seems darn near indestructible. Will work on any wood. I use cypress and pine.

[Douglas Robinson]

I agree with Jesse. I just finished an Adirondeck chair for my sister-in-law using that technique. I coated it with three coats of epoxy and then three coats of ship-varnish with decreasing % of mineral spirits. It is rock hard an looks terrific. I have a second chair almost ready to finish the same way for my sister. So far I recommend it.

Doug

[Ian Barley]

Easiest finish to re-apply is no finish at all. Use white oak like Jim says and in two years, when the timber has silvered off, you (they) will have a beautiful natural looking piece with attractive grain patterns and no more maintenance than an annual clean. Fighting nature is always hard work.

[Phil Winn]

Thanks for the suggestions-I hate the idea of refinishing the pieces every few years....I'm too old. The White Oak-does it turn to a silver grey?
How does Curly/Ropey Mahogany age outdoors? I have some....however the curls will not show on this piece....
Phil

[Ian Barley]

Phil

Yes - the oak will go silver grey over time. In the UK climate that takes about 2-3 years to go fully grey. My comments below relate to european oak but as far as I know also applies to American White Oak. I am sure someone will let us know if there is a big difference.

The Oak will go grey over about three years. When it is first placed out it will go kind of light golden in colour very quickly and you will get brown streaks on vertical planes where the Tannin is washing through. These are perfectly natural and nothing to worry about but they can make the chair look a little scruffy in the first year or so. Just let nature take its course. Basically the Oak starts out beautiful, has an early and slightly difficult adolescence for a year or two and then settles to graceful and beautiful maturity. Of the materials I use Oak looks the most "woody" and thats what makes it my favourite.

You will get small splits and cracks which come and go with moisture levels in the air. Nothing to worry about. I have hundreds of oak chairs "in the wild" and have only ever had 1 failure where a crack became a problem. The little ones are part of what makes the wood beautiful.

[Tim Clark]

Hemlock is another wood that wears well. It's moisture resistant and the deck sealer mentioned earlier will work well to keep it looking nice. It gets lots of use for docks so why not a chair?