Material choices for Garden Bench

[Howard Pollack]

Western Red Cedar holds up very well outdoors.
-Howard

[cputnam]

I'm going to suggest that the choice of wood really does not matter that much because the only way a wooden structure is going to survive in salt air and sand is for it to be painted with a high grade marine paint, or at the very least, a top rated exterior paint.

If you need an actually heavy wood, then IPE is probably your best bet if oak won't work.

IMO & YMWV

[Pink Floyd]

Teak would be the best but it's horribly expensive. Next would probably be IPE. Of the domestics, Black Locust and Bois d' Arc are both highly rot resistant and heavy.

Cedar would make a good, lighter bench and will weather to a pleasing gray color pretty quickly. The Cypress available these days is not like the old heart Cypress and isn't all that rot resistant. It's also a lot softer than Cedar.

The most affordable option that will last well would be pressure-treated SYP.

[AHill]

There a lots of choices of exotic (non-domestic) woods that do well in exterior applications. In addition to ipe and mahogany, consider jatoba, jarrah, purple heart (won't stay purple though), goncalo alves, and chakte viga. Cost-wise, white oak is an excellent wood. Another consideration is redwood, which is used extensively in fencing, but might be prone to cupping or twisting, depending on how it's cut. If the feet are going to sit on sand, I'd consider putting some kind of cover or treatment on the feet to prevent wicking of moisture into end grain.

[FireWood]

I'm going to go the other way on cedar. Does fine in most climates, but near the ocean? little shade, tons of direct UV? plus blowing sand and folks sitting on it? It won't last.

My folks have a lakefront house... Deck is IPE and looks as good as the day it was put up. Railings and fascia is all cedar, and all in need of replacement. and Ocean front is a far harsher environment.

A bench built to commemorate loved ones needs to last IMO.

[RLMillard]

fire wood

I want to build some more benches the spring and Ipe sounds interesting, but I've never seen it in 8/4 lumber. Do you know of a source?

[JR1]

The best woods are:
Ipè outlasts concrete under adverse conditions.
Osage Orange, not really a commercial wood in most areas.
Black Locust, fairly available and easier to work than Ipè.

One source of Ipè is AdvantageLumber . It will likely last 80 years or more unfinished.

If you are going to finish the wood with a quality outdoor finish like GF 450 and are up for at least touch up every 7 to 9 years then the wood doesn't matter.

[jteneyck]

As JR1 said, Advantage Lumber handles Ipe'. You can buy it up to 6" thick. I bought a lot of decking wood from them last year and the quality was very good. They often have free shipping for a minimum order quantity. Very tough on tools compared to black locust, but it needs no finish to look good for decades.

John

[RedBob]

I had an Ipe deck installed 10 years ago Ipe that was remarkably stable, smooth, no splinters and totally care free. No finish applied. Weathered to an even gray.
Had some ipe left over and used it to make a rifle rest bench. Like John said, it's very hard on tools and creates a fine, yellowish saw dust.
It is also a bit oily and can be a challenge to produce glue joints that will stand up under stress. Suggest doing some research on Ipe glue choices.

Good luck with the bench project,
Bob

[jteneyck]

Advantage Lumber recommends Gorilla Glue, and I used that to edge glue the corners of the planter boxes I made for my deck. 6 months later they are still fine. I'll let you know in 6 years!

John