I just made two outdoor chairs using cypress. I love the unfinished look. I'm told that it will weather ok without finishing the wood. Is this correct, or will it start warping and splitting in the rain, hot southern sun, etc.?
Thanks for any advise.
-- The Cross-eyed Barber
I have built quite a few items of outdoor furniture from cypress. The wood is fairly stable and does not warp or split very much, although you can expect a little checking at the end grain. But the cypress available today should not be confused with your grandaddy's cypress. The old growth cypress was rich in resin that made it naturally rot resistant and established a reputation that today's cypress can't live up to. The cypress they are cutting now is much younger and is mostly sapwood. It has some rot resistance, but the furniture I've left outdoors in Mississippi is generally ready for the trash after about
10 years. Attempts to stave off the rot with deck stains don't seem to have helped very much. Next time I built outdoor furniture, I'm trying white oak.DonkeyHody "In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice they are not."
It is OK to leave it complete unfinished. However, it will last more years with a UV-applied clear coat. My redwood chairs are 12 years old--no cracks, splits, or cups. I store them in the basement for the short winter here (I'm in e TN). They are nice and dry come spring, ready for another coat.
The Cross-eyed Barber wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
I've had a fair amount of experience with Cypress, mostly from an old house with Cypress T&G walls and cabinets. It is pretty stable but I expect you will get minor splitting over time no matter what if it is left in the weather.
willim3
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