As outdoor benches have to face more wear and tear due to direct exposure to harsh weather conditions that is why the kind of wood you need to choose or select id a very crucial aspect here. Outdoor benches are generally made from pressure treated cedar or pine. These species are however considered as softwood and so they demand annual maintenance and application of water sealer. Softwoods behave like a sponge as they have a very porous structure. They tend to absorb water. On the other hand, these wood have resistance to rot and decay and thus last for many years provided they are looked after well. Regular maintenance is important.
On many occasions, people ignore the regular maintenance part and thus end up harming their outdoor furniture. The benches’ paint starts to peel off. Once the degradation starts it is hard to stop. When this starts, the wood is left unprotected and stays saturated in moist weather conditions. This makes them undesirable to sit on. Besides these softwoods sometimes give off splinters and attacks of wood-boring insects are also very common.
Composite plastic lumbar- good for outdoor furniture?
As we have seen too many complaints from people who have used exterior lumbers for their outdoor projects. So nowadays we are not so comfortable selling plastic lumber for outdoor furniture.
Homeowners who have installed a composite plastic deck a few years ago have to in many cases replace their entire decks. So we can safely say that even though softwood does not stand to be the most viable option for outdoor furniture, plastic lumber is a complete no-no. Another shameful problem that arises in many cases is that the manufacturers on various occasions just would not honor the material’s warranty. Tropical Forest Products would rather serve as better options than Plastic lumber.
Woods that are viable to be used in outdoor furniture:
Tropical Forest Products are essentially quite resistant to the factor of time. Even though hardwood is considered to be good quality wood for outdoor furniture, there some categories which are much better than the others. Here is a list that can help you out.
- Ipe wood:
All-natural hardwood in many cases is seen to be quite strong, sometimes even harder thrice to what the teak is. They may last to more than 75 years. For example, we can name the Coney Island boardwalk and the Brooklyn Bridge.
This hardwood not only is the strongest, but at the same time naturally resists wood-boring insects, unlike softwood and does not splinter and will not get hot like plastic lumber either. In addition to all of the above, it is slip-resistant and has a good rating for flame spread. Scratches are also uncommon and these woods are naturally mold and fungi resistant as well.
- Cumaru wood:
There are some qualities of hardwood that even have a range of colours for you to choose from. The colours often range from golden tan to reddish-brown. They are also ok more occasions quite resistant and have lesser maintenance costs associated with them. They are hence quite easy in your pocket too, which is an important factor while purchasing anything. Considered to Ipe wood, their costing can easily be regarded as nothing.
- Tigerwood:
Tigerwood comes from South America and it is very beautiful and incredibly durable. You can easily use furniture made of this wood for more than 30 years. Tigerwood is resistant to wood-boring insects, mold, and mildew and does not splinter either. Due to these amazing qualities that Tigerwood has, furniture made out of them needs very less maintenance. So the benches and other furniture made out of these kinds of wood can be used for many more years to come. They are good long term investments.
- Garapa wood:
It is also known as Brazilian ash. This exterior hardwood is one of the finest quality hardwoods found in the market. These kinds of wood are supremely durable and feature a fine quality of grain. This fine-grain can be light yellow or of a warm golden hue and have a plethora of other colours too. Garapa is naturally resistant to rot and decay. Wood-boring insects also find no place in these woods. They offer more than several hears of life span. They can even last for more than 30 years. They hence do not need that much of maintenance either. They are indeed excellent choices for outdoor pieces of furniture.
- Masarumba hardwood:
If you are looking for the best option for exterior furniture building then you have it right here. This is an actual depiction of the phrase “last but not the least”. Masarumba wood is not the least of the options mentioned, but rather the best. Yes! As always, we save the best for the last. They do not rot, do not decay, and are resistant to almost all insects that may otherwise attack woods. If they are maintained properly they can do wonders to the furniture in your backyard or wherever else you want to put them outside the house. Needless to mention, they are quite light on your pocket as well.
If you had a bad experience with your exterior furniture the last time you went to experiment with it then do give it another shot. This time keep what you read in mind and choose accordingly and wisely. Tropical Forest Products are not that that disheartening if you know which ones to choose.
