Wooden You Like to Know? A Primer to Wood Outdoor Furnishings

Article by: Debbie Rodgers

To many people, wood , Compost: Food for the Soil is the quintessential building , Fabric Hammocks material for furniture, , Leaf Blowers both indoor , Save On Outdoor Lighting And Think Solar Lights and out. There's a wooden furniture , November Gardening Tips form to suit every budget and dÃƒÂ©cor -- from rustic , How to Reduce Pollution Using a Robotic Lawn Mower twig loveseats to classis cedar Adirondack chairs , How to Grow Sweet Corn to sophisticated teak tables and benches. , External vs. Submersible Pumps. Which One Should You Use?

In fact, the varieties of wood , How To Start Your Garden From Seeds The Right Way are dizzying. Which should you choose? How should you care for it? And is wood , Top 5 Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants an environmentally-friendly choice for outdoor , How To Start Your Garden From Seeds The Right Way furniture?

Types of Wood

First, understand that hardwood is not necessarily hard and softwood is not always soft. The terms refer simply to the type of tree , Orchids: A Luxurious Look That's Really Not Hard To Achieve from which the wood , The Flower Drying Game - Part 3: An Affordable Home Flower-Press is obtained: hardwood from broad-leafed trees, , Deck Swing Buying and Assembling Tips and softwood from needle-bearing trees. , Leaf Blowers

All wood , Tidy Your Garden Up Cheaply outdoor furniture , Some Favorite Garden Bulbs may be cleaned with warm water , The Garden Gazebo and mild detergent.

Here are the most common types of wood , 9-11 Changed Everything for the Garden Tractor Business used in the construction of outdoor furniture. , Orchids: A Luxurious Look That's Really Not Hard To Achieve

Redwood is a durable hardwood, grown on the west coast of North America (the Coast redwood) and in China (the Dawn redwood.) Redwood is straight-grained with a reddish color, , Preliminary Considerations Before Building Your Own Backyard Garden Pond and has a high resistance to termites and rot. Treated properly, it can last more than 25 years.

The redwood harvested in North American is cut mainly from private lands that are zoned for timber , How to Reduce Pollution Using a Robotic Lawn Mower use. Over 95% of these areas are previously harvested -- that is, they are not virgin, old-growth forests. The Coast redwood can grow , Tidy Your Garden Up Cheaply to 130 feet in just 30 years.

Cedar is a North American softwood, light , Seeding Your Lawn, Laid Bare in color , Lawnmowers and How to Save Work Installing Synthetic Turf on Tennis Courts and naturally splinter free. It resists insects, mold, mildew and decay, and it weathers , Deck Swing Buying and Assembling Tips well. With proper care, it can last 25 years. Since cedar is a quick grower, it's a resource that renews relatively rapidly.
Teak is perhaps the most coveted of outdoor furniture , How to Choose the Most Economical Pond Pump woods and with good reason. It's a honey brown hardwood that is highly resistant to rot and decay and will last 50 years or longer, even if left outdoors , Do It Yourself Landscaping: 6 Things You Must Know Before You Start year-round. Teak is now harvested primarily from plantations in Southeast Asia. Dwindling stocks and high consumer demand have combined to make the price of teak soar.

The high price of teak has made other tropical , Specialty Trees - A Beginner's Guide hardwoods, such as roble, shorea, jarrah and eucalyptus popular. All of these woods , The Flower Drying Game - Part 3: An Affordable Home Flower-Press are dense, durable, and stand up well to weather. , November Gardening Tips

Jarrah, which is reddish or pinkish, is harvested in Australia from government-managed forests to ensure reforestation.
Shorea, grown in Indonesia and Malaysia, is stronger and heavier than teak but because of the large quantity available, is usually priced lower. Both jarrah wood , 9-11 Changed Everything for the Garden Tractor Business and shorea will last up for up to 50 years.
Roble is a golden, relatively lightweight hardwood harvested mainly from dry tropical , How To Start Your Garden From Seeds The Right Way forests in South America. It will last up to 25 years.
Tropical eucalyptus is a native of Australia and is prized for its resistance to rot and handsome look. It also will last decades.

Tropical hardwoods will weather , Preliminary Considerations Before Building Your Own Backyard Garden Pond to a silvery finish over time, unless treated twice a year with teak or other furniture , Orchids: A Luxurious Look That's Really Not Hard To Achieve oil.

Pine is an affordable softwood that is harvested in many varieties from various parts of the world, but especially from American forests. All are yellow color , The Flower Drying Game - Part 3: An Affordable Home Flower-Press with brown knots and are excellent for staining. Pressure-treated pine will last for 20 years but untreated, pine has low rot-resistance. It should be painted, stained or sealed and stored indoors , Leaf Blowers during the winter. , Seeding Your Lawn, Laid Bare
Willow, cypress, alder and other trees , 9-11 Changed Everything for the Garden Tractor Business with pliable branches are used for bent-twig furniture. , Lawnmowers and How to Save Work Installing Synthetic Turf on Tennis Courts Willow is especially renewable as when it is cut, two or more shoots will grow , Rugged Outdoor Elegance: All Weather Indoor / Outdoor Rugs out of the stump of the cut piece. Harvested properly, willow will continue to grow , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (Part 3) Lighting cutting after cutting.

If you use twig furniture , Controlling House Plant Pests outdoors, spray or brush on a good quality clear exterior varnish and use the furniture , Top 5 Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants only in a protected area.

Is It Environmentally , Seeding Your Lawn, Laid Bare Friendly?

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies lumber forests around the world, although only a small percentage of the lumber produced globally is FSC certified. If you are extremely concerned about the future of the world's wood , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (Part 3) Lighting supply, look for an FSC label on the underside of the furniture , Wind Chimes Soothe The Soul piece or on the hanging tag.

If you are not so stringent in your views, you may wish to consider furniture , Do It Yourself Landscaping: 6 Things You Must Know Before You Start made from wood , Compost: Food for the Soil harvested from responsibly government-managed forests or from plantations, which grow trees , Top 5 Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants much like farms , Outdoor Waterfalls grow other crops. In addition, according to the Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, harvesting levels of American hardwood are far below the levels of growth, so that twice as much hardwood grows , How to Sweet Corn each year as is harvested.

Alternatively, you may choose to purchase furniture , Rugged Outdoor Elegance: All Weather Indoor / Outdoor Rugs made from reclaimed wood , Summer Gardening Tips - that is, wood , Deck Swing Buying and Assembling Tips that was previously used for consumer items and that has been refashioned into new furniture. , Are You New To Organic Gardening In addition, some companies offer recycled wood , A Quick Guide To Fish Pond Bridges furniture-furniture made of recycled pallets or barn wood. , Variety In Garden Plants - How To Choose The Best Plants For Your Garden You can find a partial listing here http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/links/recycled_green_furniture_manufacturers.htm

When considering the ecological , Fabric Hammocks impact of purchasing wooden furniture, , Leaf Blowers you should also look at the lifespan of the wood. , Using the Right Hedge Trimmers in Lawn Care Most wooden , Specialty Trees - A Beginner's Guide pieces last decades -- more than long enough for the wood's source to be renewed.

So, whether you go rustic , Brilliant Corners: House Plants and Your Health or elegant, wood , Controlling House Plant Pests may well be a wise choice for your outdoor , Waterfalls furnishings. Take a seat -- and relax!

About The Author

Debbie Rodgers, the haven maven, owns and operates Paradise Porch, , Hibiscus - Tropical Beauty and is dedicated to helping people create outdoor , Lawnmowers and How to Save Work Installing Synthetic Turf on Tennis Courts living spaces that nurture and enrich them. Her latest how-to guide "Attracting Butterflies to Your Home , Hibiscus - Tropical Beauty and Garden"Â is now available on her web , Some Favorite Garden Bulbs site. Visit her at www.paradiseporch.com and get a free report on "Eight easy ways to create privacy in your outdoor , The Garden Gazebo space"Â. Mail to debbie@paradiseporch.com

debbie@paradiseporch.com

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