The pine furniture we feature is strong, sturdy, and an excellent value. Pine has been used for centuries to build everything from homes to the masts of mighty sailing ships. In this furniture, you will experience the same quality, durability, strength and lightweight properties that have made this wood attractive to woodworkers for generations.
Cedar is a naturally
beautiful wood
as well as being incredibly durable and versatile,
which is why it is used to construct everything from siding
to decks to furniture and even roofing shingles. The natural
preservative oils and characteristic smell of cedar
also make it very insect and rot resistant.
Cedar is not a very dense wood, making it one of the
lightest softwoods available, while it also boasts an incredible
thermal co-efficient. That means that the little tiny "air
pockets" between the cells of the wood end up acting
as a great insulator when the wood is dry. So if it is hot
outside, cedar will remain at a lower temperature than most
other materials that conduct heat with more efficiency (e.g.
other hardwoods, metals and some plastics that are more dense).
The result is a cooler chair to sit on! And don't forget, because
it is a lightweight wood it will be easier for you to move
it around (and store it away) than a heavy hardwood that requires
a bodybuilder to lift it!
Even though cedar is a lightweight wood you will not
be sacrificing strength. It is a full 80% the strength
of mighty OAK! That's tough!
Cedar also has amazing dimensional stability. More
simply put, cedar naturally tries to equalize its moisture
content to match that of the air around it, like all woods.
However, unlike many other woods, cedar does not expand or
contract very much when it is absorbing or evaporating moisture.
This is very important because while other harder, denser
woods will tend to crack or warp from season to season, cedar
tends not to crack or warp. If you live in an area where
humidity levels can vary wildly between seasons, cedar is
a must for you.
We hope you never have to worry about this next property of
cedar, but it's worth a mention. Cedar has a very low flame-spreading
ratio and is low on the "smoke developed" scale
when burning as well. This means that it doesn't spread fire
as fast nor produce as much smoke as some other types of wood.
Cedar is very decay and weather resistant. If you leave
the furniture outside you have the option of either staining
it every year or two if you want to maintain its fresh new
look, or allowing it to age gracefully into a beautiful silvery
gray color. If you choose to leave
cedar permanently outside through all of the seasons, every
day, every month, every year, we highly recommend treating
it with Cetol 1 by Sikkens to protect the furniture properly
and greatly extend its natural life. After all, cedar is resistant
to decay but is not impervious to it. No wood is
impervious to natural aging. Staining cedar just gives it
an extra durability edge against Mother Nature, especially
if it is left in constant contact with the ground.
