Wood choice for birdhouse

[Steven J Corpstein]

I'm going to build a bird house for Mom and wanted some suggestions on species of wood to use. I'm not building anything exotic, just a simple design. Thought about Cedar with an oil finish?

[Glenn Clabo]

Steven,
I've made a bunch of birdhouses out of cedar. Never used an oil finish but have left them plain and painted (exterior) some. Don't know if an oil finish would bother the birds.

[Jim Fuller]

Steven, I have made many bird houses for my wife, and the ones she likes best are made of old wood, such as weathered barn wood. No finish.
Are you making a real bird house, or a decorative bird house? If so you need to build it for the type bird you want to attract.
Cedar is good, but almost any wood, especially with finish, will last for years.
Good luck
Jim

[Herb Kelley]

If the houses are to be used by birds they need to be built with a specific bird in mind. Although other birds will use the box. I maintain a Bluebird trail. The houses I build for the trail are all made of cedar without a finish. They attract Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, House Sparrows and Wrens. I did do a few houses with painted roofs. Any wood will do but I would avoid treated wood and painting the interior for the health of the occupants.

[Chris DiCiaccio]

I've used western red cedar with good results for Bluebird Houses. Gave it a good two coats of clear poly on outside only.

<img src="http://members.aol.com/woodwk/BLBIRD1.JPG">
<img src="http://members.aol.com/woodwk/BLBIRDHS.JPG">

[Terry Quiram]

Steve

Any "weather resistant" wood will work. I prefer rough sawn because I DO NOT INSTALL A PERCH. The one way to ensure sparrows is install a perch. Some of your choices are Western Red Cedar, Southern Yellow Pine (barn siding), White Oak, Redwood. You can use Redwood and wire brush the surface to rough it up. Rough sawn gives the birds a surface to hold on to.

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Steve
What the fellows above haven't told you but had alluded to is:
Different birds need different size holes for the entrance to the house.
Also different birds like the shape of the house different from other birds.

I personally prefer a 3 bedroom ranch style house but birds of a feather like differnet styles also.
Now, just being a little silly - I also want to mention that I am not a learned person when it comes to styles of bird houses, so maybe some of the other fellows can lead you onto a good book of birdhouse design or have that knowledge.

I know - I am no help
Best Regards
Daniel

[Earl Reid]

Steven, I'v made several bird houses over the years , and always used pine.some over more than 30 yrs old, painted.outsid and still being used by the birds. My son makes them out of cedar, that works good too. I'll try omiting the perches next time
Earl

[Lee Schierer]

I've used pine, cedar, maple, walnut, oak, hemlock, plywood and pvc to make bird houses. They aren't fussy if the house is sized right and in a suitable area. Just make sure the inside surfaces are rough too so the birds can climb out as well. Hardwoods that have been planed are too smooth for most of them to get a grip.

I've had pine birdhouses survive over 10 years with just an original coating of Thompsons water seal on them. The nails usually fail before the boards do!.

[Tony Falotico]

I have used some cedar but mostly cypress. Its easy to find in N. Fla, works well and lasts. I built several 5-6 years ago and they are still used every spring.

[William Gould]

For those who have used hemlock for birdhouse construction, does it need any protective finish or just left natural?

[Joe Hendershott]

I am no expert but have read that perches are often used by predators so not a good idea for a lot of bird houses,

[Stan Calow]

Our state wildlife office used to put out a birdhouse guide, saying that birds don't like finished or painted surfaces, as its not natural.

[Rob Luter]

Western red cedar. No exterior finish. Make sure the nesting cavity has a mesh or perforated bottom so it can breathe. The wood needs to breathe to prevent decay. I built a big feeder out of WRC 11 years ago and while gray as can be it’s still solid as a rock.

[Jim Becker]

Cedar is a good choice. I will admit that the most recent one I built was made from left-over ZipWall scraps. The birds don't care and it looks quite nice painted with that little bit of texture the material coating imparts.