Which wood to use for garden furniture?

[GEM]

Which is the best wood to use to make garden furniture?
...and which is the most appropriate according to quality and price

Thanks
James.

[Sommerwood]

Hi my hubby is a cabinet maker / carpenter and have just asked him his 'expert' opinion on this for you. He says the best wood to use would be
'Jatoba' but this is quite expensive. He said 'Sapele' would be the cheaper option that he would recommend which is apparently cheap at the moment. Your normal run off the mill pine would not be would not really be suitable as requires a lot more 'upkeep'. Oak would be ok but would be priced between Jatoba and Sapele.

Hope that is some help!?

[GEM]

Naming two woods that I have never heard of is definately a great help, thanks. Does he happen to know if it's stocked at most timber merchants?

James.

[Sommerwood]

A proper timber merchant may stock them ,or may be able to order them for you if not. You wouldn't get them in somewhere like B&Q or those sort of places.

[MissH]

Teak is best!

Hello there,

In terms of strength and durability, Teak wood is by far the best for making garden furniture. It is slightly more expensive than more readily available timbers, however when you take into consideration that teak garden furniture can, with the right maintenance, last for decades then it really is excellent value for money.

Most benches you find in public parks are made from teak, because it really does last no matter what weather conditions you throw at it, this is also why it is the timber of choice when it comes to building boats.

Also there is a common misconception that you need to oil teak to maintain it. This simply is not true. Teak is such a low maintenance wood that it does not require oiling (unless you wish to do so for cosmetic reasons), and will weather to an attractive silver grey colour if left untreated by oils and stains.

In fact, when you do oil teak you need to do so constantly every 6 to 8 months otherwise it may get mildew.

Hope that helps!

Miss H

[Peter]

Good advice Miss H, but remember this is a craft forum - I've deleted your signature block because of this. We do not 'do' company information. Welcome by the way.

[Works-in-Wood]

Depends who it's for, ie: are you going to sell it or is it just something cheap and cheerful for yourself.
Best thing would be Teak/Iroko/Oak - the first two are dubious in most cases because of their sustainabilitiy and extremely hazardous to most people who machine them for prolonged periods. Oak - particularly 'green' Oak, ie: not completely dried, doesn't have to be too expensive, is long lasting and has an added value factor.
On the other hand, if it's purely for yourself and you want it cheap - Pine, easily obtainable carcassing timber ...and look after it !! ......or if you've got a good local sawmill and can get Cedar - that's excellent, but will still take some upkeep.

Chris.

[NaomiA]

Teak is the most durable wood for garden furniture

Teak is the best wood for any outdoor furniture, it is used in boats as it is so durable. We have a garden set which we have had for over 5 years and have no problems with it at all.

[shiner]

Teak is the best wood for any outdoor furniture, it is used in boats as it is so durable.

I wouldn't use teak in boatbuilding, any timber boat I've been on have been oak or elm I've even been on one made of chestnut but then I've only owned river and canal craft

[robin wood]

I make quite lot of outdoor furniture to commission, my personal taste is for English woods, tropical rainforest timber is of supreme quality and yes it will last for many years outdoors but it really shouldn't be cut down for our garden benches. Many folk make claims about the sustainability of their sources these days, few back it up with evidence.

So if English woods Oak or Sweet chestnut but you must cut all the sapwood off as it rots in 4 or 5 years. Cedar and larch are semi durable or you could go to your local agricultural merchants and buy tanalised softwood (treated with nasty chemicals so it doesn't rot) but if you do that don't sand it becuese the dust would be toxic.

[helen12]

garden furniture

Garden is the place where you can relax and spend hours to give peace to your mind. Therefore, selecting garden furniture is not an easy task as we think. Garden furniture should be of comfortable & relaxed sitting and enjoying beauty of nature in your garden. To give natural look to your garden, always prefer to have wooden made furniture only.

Garden furniture has a collection of footstools, chairs, footrest, tables and other garden items. Choose according to your comfort and affordable prices.

So, what are you thinking about? Go and buy best garden furniture.

[JABBY]

I have been told that oak is not very good for outdoor furniture,as it is prone to splitting.
Just hearsay, so not certain, but if it is prone to splitting, how come oak trees last so long out in the fresh air all day, poor things.
I personally, love working with sycamore, and have made a couple of house numbers, which are fine so far.

cheers
JOHN
www.jbwoodcraft.co.uk

[sharon]

garden furniture

We bought an oak garden table about 15 yrs ago from the company my brother-in-law worked at - they made wooden garden furniture, timber fencing etc & supplied some really well-known companies & celebrities.

It's been outside all this time & has never been treated (although I did buy some oil to treat it with the first year & never used it - thought I would be very good & do the business but laziness set in!)

Anyway, it's weathered to the silvery grey colour with no cracks & only has a wipe down with a damp cloth to get rid of any cobwebs now & then.

One of these days I'm going to paint it & put some stencilling on it to make it more of a feature. So I'm obviously expecting it to last in excess of 20 yrs!

Sharon

[adeliapearlie]

Re: Which wood to use for garden furniture?

Hi,

When i was searching on internet about furnitures i found a site on wooden furniture(Spacify.com). Check it out it might be useful for you?

[pet rogers]

Yes, I agree. Also, Plantation teak wood can be considered eco-friendly due to its long life expectancies. However, buying good quality solid wood furniture also is an investment and a wise choice. It is always right getting products right the first time... the important is the QUALITY.

Teak is the best wood for any outdoor furniture, it is used in boats as it is so durable. We have a garden set which we have had for over 5 years and have no problems with it at all.