low maintenence

[sal]

I want to make some outdoor benches what would be the best wood and preservative to use . We get a lot of rain , long cold winters.

Sal

[Eric]

I want to make some outdoor benches what would be the best wood and preservative to use . We get a lot of rain , long cold winters.

Sal

=======

Tropical hardwoods without any coating on them.

[tiredofspam]

White OAK resists insects and can handle the weather.

Cedar, and redwood (not easily available on the East Coast here).

[Larry Blanchard]

Cedar, teak, or cypress. Cedar is a little too soft, and teak is a lot too expensive. That leaves cypress as the only easily found (AFAIK) choice.

No finish holds up to UV from the sun or to repeated wet/dry cycles. The best advice I can give is a couple of coats of SealCoat (more on end grain) followed an outdoor UV-resistant varnish.

It would help if you sealed the end grain at the bottom of the legs with epoxy, or metal booties, or something similar. Anything that keeps them away from moisture.

Good luck.

[Leon]

Ipe is a hard wood, an iron wood actually. Commonly use for decking. No need to ever treat or use a preservative at all as it has a 50 year life expectancy as is.

[dadiOH]

I second the ipe. Barring that, pressure treated...whatever species is used in your area. Let it dry for a couple of months then paint it.

[dpb]

Probably the place for the Trex or similar if intending to leave outdoors year-round.

[Han]

"sal" wrote in news:s4pBr.2006$ [e-mail]:

I am seconding cedar. I'm in New Jersey, and 6 years ago I built some simple wooden benches with cedar bought from Kuiken Brothers. No finishing whasoever, and they just stayed outside all year round. Picture to follow.

[Han]

Han wrote in news:XnsA06F94D38BB8Aikkezelf@216.151.153.39:

I hope this shows. Can dig up the plan if anyone wishes.

[Lew Hodgett]

---------------------------- Cut to the chase.

[clare]

Precast air entrained, fiber re-enforced concrete.

[clare]

Acacia works great too, if you can get it.

[sal]

Thanks for the input Guys,I do search the internet , but depend on the Pro's like you.

[Dave]

I build a large cedar garden table for a friend about five years ago. It lives outside and has been experiencing (Toronto, Ontario) winters. She chose not to have it finished in any way. Aside from turning a light gray colour, it's still as solid as when I built it.

[Swingman]

Hell, I can top that. ;)

I built a "worm box" for a friend out or Western red cedar some 20 years ago. When I helped her move it a couple of years back, I expected it to fall apart because it had been filled with dirt and compost for nigh on

18 years ... nay, it was still as solid as the day it was built, including the bottom.

[tiredofspam]

Or maybe not top it but bottome it... :-0

[clare]

Back when I was a kid we had a "lawn swing"made with white oak posts and western red cedar slats on the seats and floor. It stood up to at least 12 years of heavy use and ontario weather - don't know how long it lasted after I left town.

[Dave]

Yabut, I read somewhere, may even have been here on the rec, that worm shit has a petrifying effect on western red cedar.

:)

[Pat Barber]

That does not appear to be any cedar I'm familiar with(eastern red) or any of the west coast cedars but it does look like "spanish cedar", which is neither spanish or cedar.

[Han]

Pat Barber wrote in news:jrd04p$djj$ [e-mail]:

It must be the weathering that makes you think so. The wood had a typical cedar smell when cut. Also, Kuiken Brothers is a very reputable firm around here, and they sold the wood as cedar. If you're near, come by and I'll let you smell a cutoff.