Wood choice for birdhouse

[Robert Hayward]

I made four of these from western red cedar. A 2X6 off the rack at HD. Finished with boiled linseed oil. They were for the neighbors docks and have held up well so far in the Florida sun and humidity.

[Phil Mueller]

Years ago I made a few out of scrap purple heart. Darn if they aren’t holding up well. Weathered, but solid.

[mark kosse]

FWIW, I've gone to Trex type deck boards for both houses and feeders. I had a lot left over from a large deck. Machines nice, glues well(epoxy) and lasts.

[John C Bush]

I have used "repurposed" cedar fencing for bird houses- one of the advantages of living in the PNW-lots of 50 y.o. 1" x 6" rough saw pasture fencing-solid enough for adirondack chairs as well.
The new stuff is 3/4" or less but still works well for birdhouses and the fencing companies are happy glad to get rid of it.

[Warren Lake]

We have had a number of birds around town request Birds eye Maple.

Like Daniel im not much help

[Randy Heinemann]

I've used cypress and feel that it is more durable than cedar. Also, weatherproof decking is a good choice (not treated lumber but the plastic/wood version). It will last forever.

[Rod Sheridan]

I use cedar or pine, with the bottom in a groove so it can be removed every autumn to clean out the old debris.

I never use a finish on them, they seem to last 10 years or more without issue.

As others have said, dimensions and especially hole size are very important, birds seem to like a much smaller hole than I would guess is best.............Regards, Rod.

[Keith Pitman]

I use rough cedar fence slats I get inexpensively from Depot or Lowes. I also sometimes use old license plates for the roof. No paint.

[Phil Mueller]

Speaking of hole size, the local squirrels chew the holes wider and take over the box. So I started using a 1 1/4” diameter flange sink pipe to line the hole. I cut it about 1/4” longer than the thickness of the board, slide it in and bend over the back to hold it in place. Has worked great to keep the squirrels out. Looks kinda nice too.

5891CB03-A89F-488B-81A9-CC44106698E0.jpeg

[Jim Becker]

Phil, I've made extension rings to help with that, but you have a great idea there!

[Stan Calow]

I epoxy large diameter bushing rings around the hole to protect it. Wren houses need no more than a one inch hole, no perch.

[Kevin Adams]

I epoxy large diameter bushing rings around the hole to protect it. Wren houses need no more than a one inch hole, no perch.

They don’t give them away, but LV sells nice copper hole covers in 2 or 3 different sizes that I’ve been using for my bird houses. Gives a nice touch and seems to keep the rude varmints at bay. And when I really want to get fancy, I bought some thin copper sheets and cut a small piece to make flashing for the roof peak with little copper tacks. They make fun little projects, esp with kids, and nice gifts.

Kevin