Adirondack chairs - your material of choice?

[Art Mann]

I built my Adirondack chairs out of heart cypress 10 years ago and they have survived the test of time. Sap wood isn't very rot resistant. I found out the hard way that spar varnish won't last more than a year or so before it starts cracking and turning white even out of the direct sunlight.

[Bill Adamsen]

I've used spar varnish for a very long time - old habits are hard to break. The latest in durable marine varnishes are the two-part polyurethanes made by about every large manufacturer (Interlux, Epifane, Awlgrip, etc.). Embarrassed to say I've never used one, though I've applied a bit of colored linear polyurethane.

Great comprehensive article (a few years back now) in Practical Sailor for anyone looking for "the latest" on clear outdoor finishes. Well worth the read.

[Jim Mackell]

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies.

[Terry Beadle]

I've made mine out of cypress and pressure treated pine. The cypress is doing great but I did very careful selection of material to avoid fish eye areas.
The pressure treated pine step tread was reclaimed from a deck project that had been exposed to the sun for over a decade. It is hard as a rock...not kidding.
All joints etc, required predrilling and some joint work to avoid breaking screws.

Material selection is a key.

[Dan Neuhaus]

Bill,
I've seen those plastic Adirondacks before as well and they are quite comfortable but they are not Azek. They are sourced from a company named Loll Designs and are made of recycled HDPE. Also they are very very expensive.
https://lolldesigns.com/products/cabrio-patio-chair/

[Stew Hagerty]

I typically discourage film finishes except and unless you paint them, which will need to be repainted every few years (depending on the paint).
Even spar varnish needs to be refinished every so often. Plus clear film finishes really need to be stripped before applying or they don't look good (imho).
That is why I recommended an outdoor oil, specifically General Finishes Outdoor Oil. It has has a fair amount of solids that lodge themselves into the pores and plenty of UV protectant to keep the project looking like new longer. The best part is that the finish will last for several years (I recital my stuff about every 4-5 years) depending on where you live and the amount of sunlight they get. I'm here in northern Indiana and our sunlight is hidden much of the time.
When I mentioned White Oak before, I plan on using primarily Quartersawn. The Outdoor Oil makes the Grain & Ray Flecks really pop!

[Jim Becker]

I, too, used cypress the first time I made Adirondack chairs from The NYW plans. Should I make them again, I'll be using white oak, mahogany or teak...all of which are naturally resistant to moisture and insects. The cypress looked nice, but I found that the early and late wood weathered differently, causing splintering, etc.

I would never us a film finish for outdoor projects...there are better choices, including no finish at all.

[Jim Barstow]

I built a garden bench out of ipe 10-15 years ago. (Ipe is normally used for decking.) It looks as good as the day it was completed. It's actually fun to ask someone to move it since it is double the weight you expect. (It is still possible to move it around.) keep in mind ipe is like teak and you need carbide tools to cut it.

[Jim Mackell]

, but I found that the early and late wood weathered differently, causing splintering, etc.

Jim, I've not seen this expression before. What does early and late wood mean?

[Stan Calow]

Just reading an article in the newspaper about a guy who makes them out of used whiskey barrels. Have to remove the charred surface but otherwise works with the curves.

[Carl Carew]

I usually use white Jersey cedar available locally but I recently did a deck with Azek and had some leftovers I used the Azek for the seat and back but stuck with cedar for the legs worked out great
chair.jpg this is what it looks like after about 4 years outside

[Myk Rian]

Cherry is not at all rot resistant in my experience.

I made a window screen out of cherry 10 years ago. North side, so it doesn't get the sun, but it does get the brutal northern weather.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, I've not seen this expression before. What does early and late wood mean?

Early and late wood comes as the tree grows throughout the year to make the "annual ring"...one of them is "harder" than the other. These are often more pronounced in softwoods, particularly conifers. The "softer" portion of the ring (early wood) weathers away faster than the "harder" portion (latewood) of the ring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Just reading an article in the newspaper about a guy who makes them out of used whiskey barrels. Have to remove the charred surface but otherwise works with the curves.

You mean, like this? Notice the cutout in the arm rest for the wine glass stem. This was posted by "Fritter63" over on Festool Owners Group

Wine Barrel Chairs.JPG

[Sam Murdoch]

If expense is not a consideration I say TEAK - will stand up to years of neglect and weather without the need to finish. The red squirrels, here on the mid-coast however, seem to enjoy chewing on it.

Other less expensive but still pricey options available from a few Maine hardwood lumber sources would be Mahogany or South American cedar. I don't have any current pricing but they are both to be likely in the $6.50 bd.ft. range +/-.

Hancock lumber offers some very nice # 2 or clear white pine that is affordably priced and will make a very durable (and light weight) chair though requiring more care than the the 3 options above.

All but the teak version should be regularly maintained with a good exterior finish. The oil finishes are the easiest to maintain/ recondition every spring.

In all cases I would use GRK screws - do not accept so called "stainless" screws as an alternative. Many stainless fastenings these days seem to be made with a very inferior grade of stainless. GRKs are excellent and long lasting.

AND - in any case I would apply a 2 part epoxy wash to the bottom of the chair feet. 2 coats so that the end grain is saturated will add years and years to your outdoor furniture. I have left picnic tables and chairs out all winter without compromise - except for the red squirrel chew thing .