What wood to use for park bench rebuild project.

[chopnhack]

Last year we had a high end wood door & window manufacturer stop by our office with their trailer. The trailer was built as a showroom with all their doors and windows making up the sides. I think their shop was way out west. I was pretty impressed with the oil finishes on the teak woods that were exposed to a lot of weather.

Erik, I am in need of a good product that will stand up to the FL climate. Do you know the name of the product this company was using? Its going over Brazilian Red Oak that originally had a one coat of minwax... not even going to discuss the people that did that.... bunch of hacks.

[Tom Slick]

I vote no paint on the wood and use Ipe or Apitong deck boards.

[pelligrini]

Erik, I am in need of a good product that will stand up to the FL climate. Do you know the name of the product this company was using? Its going over Brazilian Red Oak that originally had a one coat of minwax... not even going to discuss the people that did that.... bunch of hacks.

If it's just a minwax oil stain, it shouldn't be too bad. A minwax poly product might need some sanding.

I couldn't get the specific Penofin product they were using from the rep at the time. I didn't follow up either. The pricing on the custom doors was way, way on up the scale. Beautiful work though, and extremely good looking. They even let us spray a hose at them to show how well they sealed up.

Penofin has several products. http://www.penofin.com/products.shtml From what I've read on various forums the Penofin Red is the one to use for harsh conditions.

[chopnhack]

Thanks Erik, I will check it out. The door probably had the poly thrown over it, because it has lifted in places leaving a thin yellowed bubble of finish, so definitely a film finish of some thickness.

[chopnhack]

Ipe is kinda pricey, never heard of that other one, any ideas on pricing in your area?

[cabinetman]

Okay so no Pressure Treated stuff...

It's looking like White Oak would probably be best. I saw the recommendation for Cedar and had to control an outburst of laughter. Cedar is nice for certain uses, but for putting my fat tail on, forget it!

So I am guessing I would need stain or oil finish of my choice, followed up by either Spar Varnish, or Spar Urethane as either of those should remain flexible enough to allow flexing of the slats when weight is applied...

You have to make a decision whether you want to see woodgrain or paint. Painted PT wood does not stand up to the elements with either waterbase or oil base paint. It lifts and cracks, even in the shade.

If rotting is a question, wood that can dry out is less susceptible. For insect infestation, and general weathering, the already suggested species work very well, such as White Oak, Ipe, Redwood, Cypress, Cedar, Teak, Mahogany, and Eucalyptus. I wouldn't use Red Oak.

If the species is particularly weak, I would use a more robust thickness. There's not that much lumber needed for slats on a bench like that. OTOH, using a species like Ipe, can be difficult to machine and prepare.

So, that brings us back to the choice of paint or no paint. For the no paint thinking, treating with Penofin Red Label would IMO be the best penetrating finish. It's available in clear and transparent colors. It's much easier to maintain than a film finish.

For the paint thinking, your wood selection might be easier. Paint would be the best surviving finish for outdoor wood. You could use Douglas Fir, and clear vertical grain would be a good choice. Untreated SYP would be another. Actually, if painted up well, and maintained, most any wood will be a good candidate.

.

[JimD]

Clear finish would be my choice if you use a "good" wood. If you do not want most woods to go to grey, you need a UV blocker in the finish, however. Most outdoor varnishes have it, the can will say. Cherry darkens from sunlight but it is one of the few (only?) that does. Oak will go to grey (or greyer). I still like syp for this but if I used it, I'd paint it.

Jim

[T...K21]

I've put down Brazilian Ipe for decking a couple times...it's hard stuff and seems to last pretty well when exposed to the elements.

[dbhost]

Okay, I am figuring on going with white oak. It is readily available around here for fairly reasonable prices, is easy to machine, and should hold up okay given UV protection...

Now this penetrating finish that has been mentioned, Penofin, and I went to the web site, and WOW, there are a LOT of options... Any ideas?

I see multiple suggestions for Ipe... Not gonna happen. Too expensive. I'd go with reclaimed Teak from a junked sailboat before I went with Ipe... (junked boats are kind of common here...)

[pelligrini]

I know what you mean about the cost of Ipe. I was looking to make a couple new canoe seats and design a back out of Ipe. Just pricing a couple boards of 4/4 changed my mind.

The teak would look and work better than white oak.

The Penofin Red has the best outdoor protection. It depends on if you want the wood dark or not as to the color choice. It is an oil so even the clear will darken the oak a little.

[Tom Slick]

Ipe requires no sealer/stain/oil. How much is a can of sealer/stain/oil and the wood you are going to use it on cost compared to a couple of deck boards of Ipe?

Apitong is the wood used for heavy duty truck decking. It's hard, weather resistant and not crazy expensive.
http://www.abswood.com/pages/apitong.htm

[tommyt654]

Nice article on outdoor projects , http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/re...ack/index.html