Hi,
I want to re-build a couple of adirondack chairs that we bought years ago, as they are falling apart. I checked out the inventory on-line at a local lumber store near me and I noticed that Aromatic Red Cedar is available at a fairly good price. There is no redwood available and I think cedar is a good choice in the Northeast as this is what all of my wood fences are made of (although not aromatic red cedar). I’m wondering if anyone out there could recommend using aromatic red cedar for outside adirondack chairs. I’m also concerned about susceptibility for splintering. Also, do you recommend any type of varnish for protection? I used epoxy, and marine spar varnish for a table top and it lasts but it is very shiny and I don’t think this would be a good effect for adirondacks. Any opinions would be appreciated.
Regards,
Buzzsaw
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Gil Bailie
Replies
Aromatic Cedar is not a good choice for outdoor projects. It will not resist the insects and rot the way you want it to.
Depending on your location, you should look for one of these: cypress, teak, white oak, douglas fir, western red cedar, eastern yellow cedar, or ipe.
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
Hi,
Could you also comment on any type of treating/staining after completion..Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Could you also comment on any type of treating/staining after completion.....
Staining, in general, is a matter of personal taste -- if you want to change the color of the wood, then have at it.
Treating for water/sun/age resistance is another story altogether -- to a great extent, it depends on the wood and the conditions it will be subjected to.
But, my personal preference (for woods other than teak and ipe) is for boiled linseed oil. It offers the water protection you need and a very nice sheen. Unfortunately, it won't last outdoors -- but neither will anything else.
You'll need to re-treat as often as once a year, depending on conditions.
And note that if you want to both stain it, and color it, you should look for oil-based treatments that include the stain. One such product that I've used is Flood brand CWF-UV.
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
I like red cedar for chairs - I have had two on my deck for several years. I used full 1" thick stock for all frame & arms with 3/4 stock for seat & back slats, finished with Sikkens. The red part of red cedar will hold up even in humid south. The white parts - not so well. Red cedar used to be commonly used for fence posts & the red heart would hold up for years even in ground contact.
I have two rocking chairs of aromatic cedar. Bought unfinished but under a roof on the deck, they looked ragged after a year. I sanded them and varnished them and they look and feel great, but the varnish doesn't like sun or rain. Looks like a new coat of varnish every other year is called for. But, I have to tell you, the chairs are really good looking and get lots of compliments from bill collectors.
Here's an English garden bench I recently finished out of western red cedar. As you can see, western red cedar boards have varying degrees of redness in them, so I cut the seat slats in a way to alternate the dark-light tendencies of the wood. I would think that you could do a similar thing with the slats of an Adirondack chair.
This species of wood doesn't really need any finish outdoors, and in fact is most often left to age into a silvery color or is painted. I wanted to let the grain show some, though, so I put on about six coats of Epifane's spar varnish. The first few coats were actually an even mix of mineral spirits, pure tung oil, and spar varnish. I gradually reduced the mineral spirits and tung oil as the finish built up, until I was applying 100 spar varnish.
The finish is very glossy, which is exaggerated even further in this photo because I took it right after a rain shower. I thought I would let the finish cure for several weeks and then take the gloss down with a light steel-wool sanding, but I find that I've come to like the glossiness next to those dark woods. I will have to sand and apply a coat of spar varnish every spring to keep the wood protected. Obviously paint or no finish at all both require no maintenance at all.
Norman
Beautiful job. I used the exact same spar varnish on a top I built for a wooden wine barrel we picked up in Sonoma. I left it out uncovered over the winter with the snow, etc and it looks exactly as it looked when I put it there the first day. My wife does not like the glossiness that the spar varnish leaves but the protection, along with the epoxy, is unmatched in my opinion. I may use it and take your suggestion of a light sanding with the steel wool. Then again, maybe it makes sense to just let it weather...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
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