Outdoor Living Furniture

When it comes to wooden outdoor living furniture, there is a vast variety of woods to choose from.  There’s also a vast difference in quality between the types of woods.  If you’re getting wooden pieces, you can use the guide below to help you make the right choice for your needs.

5 star:  Teak, Balau, and Ipe

Teak has traditionally been the best choice for durable high quality outdoor furniture wood.  The problem is that teak has been over-forested due to high demand and now is on the endangered species list.  This has led to teak prices going through the roof.  Today, hybrid teak is grown on plantations but here’s the catch.  This modified teak has less resin and natural oil than the old teak and thus results in a lighter, weaker wood that is less weatherproof.

Balau is much better than teak for patio furniture.  Although not as popular, Balau is very dense with rich resins and tropical oils. Mechanically, it is about twice as strong as teak (working stresses greater than 1 ton per square inch according to the Malaysian TImber Industry Board).  Historically, Balau has been used for shipbuilding and other heavy construction.  The wood is very fine and even in texture and can weather well like teak.  What’s great too is that Balau is not on the endangered list and this has made it cheaper to buy than teak.  The foresting of Balau is managed well.  Let’s hope everyone learned the lesson the first time from over-foresting teak so that Balau doesn’t meet the same fate.

… twice the strength for less money … Go Balau if you have to choose between the two for your heavy duty furniture needs.

Ipe is the clear winner for weatherproof outdoor living furniture.  Ipe is 3 times harder and 40% heavier than teak.  Traditional it is used for decking and has been used for many famous boardwalks like in Miami Beach and Atlantic City.  Untreated Ipe can withstand termites more than 15 years.  Untreated Ipe can last outdoors for over 40 years before it starts to show wear.  It can last over 100 years if it’s treated !

Ipe is used for more than just decking.  There’s Ipe furniture out there on the market too.  The high quality of this wood, of course, comes at a high price.  Working with Ipe can really wear your tools down due to its strength.  (boo hoo)  Finally, it comes from South America and there are concerns of it being over-forested in the Amazon rainforest.  Hopefully, the powers in charge can get a handle on this to make sure Ipe is forested properly and not let it get on the endangered list.

So, Ipe gets the gold medal, Balau gets the silver, and Teak gets the bronze.

4 star:  Eucalyptus and Jarrah

Eucalyptus mainly comes from South America and has been traditionally a good wood to use.  You have to be careful though because shipments often now have quality control issues because lesser quality wood is getting mixed in. 

 Jarrah is basically Eucalyptus from Western Australia.  It has great durability and has a rich reddish brown color.

3 star:  Cedar (Red and White), Keruing, Kempas, Cypress 

Cedar – It’s great for repelling bugs but it’s a softwood and not too weatherproof.  Still, it has a rustic look to it that gives you a classic Americana feel.  If you seal it well, Cedar can be a good choice for your backyard.

Keruing – This is an evergreen with straight shallow interlocking grains. It’s comes pinkish brown to darkish brown.

Kempas – This is from Southeast Asia and is commonly used for flooring.

Cypress – This wood produces cypressene oil that naturally preserves itself so you don’t have to use harsh chemical sealants on it.  It’s has great bug and fungus resistance.  The only drawback is that Cypress is softwood and is not as durable as the top of the line woods.

2 star:  Pine, Nyatoh (Asian Pine), Lenga, Jatoba, Rubberwood

These are your economic softer woods that don’t weather as well over the long run.  Pine is very popular but remember, you get what you pay for.

1 star: Solid or Composite Hardwood

Hardwood may be okay for indoor pieces but please don’t use it outdoors.  It just won’t last.  Don’t even go there.