I'm building a sand box in the back yard for my son, and I've decided to go with cedar, as composite stuff is too expensive and I just discovered that my local BORG has 2"x6"x8' cedar (I believe it's western red cedar if that helps) for a not-bad price(~$13 per board). I unfortunately don't have a very good lumber supplier around here (Tallahassee, FL), as the only one I liked went under last year.
So how can I be sure I've picked the best pieces that will be the most rot-resistant? None of the ones I saw were the deep red of the cedar stump I just cleared out of my yard a few weeks ago, but a few of them were so pale that I thought they were pine at first look.
Also, is there anything I can put on the boards in direct contact with the ground to help keep them from rotting away? I'm planning on putting the whole assembly on top of a bed of gravel for drainage, so that may be enough, but any other ideas would be appreciated!
-Nathan