pine outdoor furniture finishing

[Michael Hult]

Hi, I want to build a bunch of outdoor deck furniture out of pine but I want to have a darker tone in the color (similar to cedar). Any suggestions on what to use? I was thinking a dark toned laquer?

[Don Baer]

Hi Michael, Pine would not be my choice for outdoor furniture. Some folks use Pressure treated wood I would choose a hard wood my first choice would be white OAK. I know that pine is cheaper but will not hold up out doors.

BTW Welcome

[Frank Fusco]

As Don said, in most parts of the U.S. pine furniture is almost temporary. Not a good choice. If you are determined to build it, use deck stain for colorant. Much better choice would be cedar or treated pine.

[Jim DeLaney]

Agree with Don on the wood choice.

White (NOT RED!) oak and true mahogany (not Luaun) are both good outdoor woods, but are definitely pricier than pine.

Pine doesn't weather well. Pressure treated pine works well, but is usually pretty rough, and it's usually wet, and needs to dry out for several months before you can stain or paint it.

I wouldn't use lacquer for a finish, either. It wont hold up, on wood, outdoors. It'll craze and crack - and probably just peel off - after only a short while. A good quality Marine-Grade varnish is what you'll need. Epifanes is probably one of the best, but it sure is pricey! Minwax "Helmsman" spar urethane is readily available at Home Depot, etc., and will work well.

Oh yeah, I see now that this was your first posting, so WELCOME ABOARD! We're a pretty helpful group overall, although you might not like all the advice we give...

[Charlie Plesums]

If you are focusing on pine, I bet you haven't found a good lumber yard yet, and have been looking at one of the big box homes for unwanted, poorly dried, twisty wood. (Yes, I have a bias, based on years of trying).

I suggest that you look for better wood. If you insist on using a borg, at least upgrade to cedar fencing and decking for your raw material. From a real lumber yard, my recommendation would be white oak (not red oak). Old growth cypress is great, but the new growth is not as good, but far better than pine. Or redwood. Or if you want 50 year furniture, and are ready to spend a lot of time building, try ipe. But not pine.

Painted or stained outdoor furniture will need to be finished frequently - perhaps every year. Therefore you might want to focus on a wood that doesn't need to be finished at all - something that ages nicely without finish like cedar, redwood, teak, etc. The wood costs a little more up front, but when it lasts 10 times as long you will be glad.

And Lacquer is an indoor finish. If you insist on finishing, use an exterior deck paint or a spar varnish, to have the flexibility to move with the weather.


And Welcome to the forum

[Bill Arnold]

Welcome to the Family, Michael.

You've already gotten some good advice. My first thought, based on what you said, was that if you want it to look like cedar, then build with cedar.

[Roger Tulk]

I built my first Muskoka chairs out of pine, finished with Behr deck stain, and they are still solid after five years or so. Subsequently I have used cedar, as it's not prohibitively expensive, and looks and holds up well.

[Michael Hult]

Okay! Thanks everyone. You've all giving me some good advice before I go wood shopping. And thamks for welcoming me to the group!!

[Dave Hawksford]

Not Pine of Noty Pine LOL