Outdoor furniture material

[MTbassbone]

One of my least favorite activities is re-oiling outdoor furniture, and this has lead to neglecting our outdoor furniture set.  It basically ready for the trash bin.  I have been looking a composite material furniture.  Does anyone have experience with using composite decking material to make furniture?  If so, does it hold up to the weather.  I hoping to find a material that does not require painting/oiling, does not rust, and can hold a lot of weight (I am a big dude).  Any experiences or thoughts?

 

[Peter_C]

I hoping to find a material that does not require painting/oiling, does not rust, and can hold a lot of weight (I am a big dude).  Any experiences or thoughts?

Stainless steel!

 

[squall_line]

There's a company near me that sells sheds and patio furniture.  The sheds are all wood, but the furniture is all made of composite boards.  One added benefit (for them, at least) is the ability to mix-n-match colors to make custom versions of basic Adirondack-style chairs, etc (think sports team colors) without the hassle of painting.

There were a few posts/threads on here a few months back about working with composite material:
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/...ve-for-composite-decking/msg659832/#msg659832
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/member-projects/lounge-chairs/

[member=396]HowardH[/member] was the main poster in both of those, he may have other suggestions.

 

[HowardH]

I have had great success using Moisture Shield Advantage for the Adirondack chairs.  It's embossed on all sides, cuts like wood and never warps, splits or loses its color. It's about double the cost of wood but well worth not having to maintain it over the years.  For loungers, tables, etc, I use Armadillo 2x4 capped railing.  It weighs a ton but the loungers are rock solid.  I recommend getting a Trex blade for any saw you use to cut it. That material is extremely dense and will dull a regular blade in a hurry. 

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[Birdhunter]

I think the composites look ugly except as decks. I use Ipe for outdoor furniture. It goes gray after a few years like does teak. It’s street name is iron wood. If you use it, the dust can be dangerous.

 

[MTbassbone]

I think the composites look ugly except as decks.

I hear ya Birdhunter.  I certainly don't disagree, but the looks versus the low maintenance seems worth it to me. 

 

[Peter Kelly]

Not the most pleasant to work with but there's lots of different marine board products that fit the billhttps://www.vycomplastics.com/product-families/seaboard/hdpe/

Should be able to find similar on Amazon.

 

[batmanimal]

Some of the composite stuff looks really really good. Most of it is, as birdhunter says, ugly, BUT there are some nicer options there. I like HowardH’s loungers - the dark material disguises the composite and it looks slick under the cushions.

Have you looked into HDPE? High density polyethylene. They use it to make Polywood type outdoor furniture. I am building an outdoor kitchen and considered using it for my cabinets (it is very strong) but the price drove me away.

It is as low maintenance as it gets though. I have a chair made of it, and it is extremely comfortable, heavy, and strong. When it gets gross I just power wash it. Still looks brand new after 5 years of uncovered use and abuse.

Sorry, back to the composite - check out the higher end Trex lines. I am doing a deck this summer, and have been impressed by the choices since I last looked. I opted for a Timbertech Azek line that looks just like French oak; however it is a PVC and would probably be too bouncy for your needs. I also heard that Deckorators Voyage is very nice, a lighter composite with very high thermal stability.

Finally, whatever you choose, if it’s in full sun, just be aware that composite gets scorching hot, so I would choose light colors or use cushions like HowardH has on his loungers.

 

[samsmith93]

Accoya?

 

[Birdhunter]

Years ago, I built some outdoor “objects” for my club. I used treated lumber. After a few years, I had to replace the pieces getting the brunt of the sun and the rain using Trex decking. That lasted about 5 years. Just replaced another bunch of the same pieces. I find Trex to be way more durable than treated lumber, but it does weather and start to fall apart. The Ipe benches I made for the club have lasted better than the Trex.

In introspect, if I had sealed the exposed ends of the Trex boards they may have weathered better.

 

[Bob D.]

What is wrong with using Cedar?

I built this chair years ago from Cedar with SS screws and it's coated with Cabot semi-transparent
deck stain. It stays outside year round in NJ so it sees all types of weather. Last time it was stained
was over 5 years ago and it looks really bad now, but in another 2 years that chair will be old enough
to vote and is still very sturdy so I think it's help up fairly well considering.

The frame pieces are cut from 2x8 Cedar and the back and seat slats are 3/4" thick cedar resawn
from the same 2x8s. IIRC it took three 8 footers to make this chair. Back then probably about $12
worth of lumber but today around $60.

 

[HowardH]

I live in N. Tex and Summers here are much more brutal than NJ.  High humidity and 100 degree heat takes it toll on wood.  I built several of those chairs out of cedar and cypress and they all fell apart within 4-5 years. I've never used Trex but the Moisture shield is guaranteed 25 years so I don't expect there to be any issues.  I just got an order from someone else to build four more of the loungers.  Profit is about $600 per lounger so that should keep me supplied in Festool for quite a while! 

 

[Bob D.]

Yes, our temperatures are not like yours at all.

This is for my location and Amarillo, TX.

We hit 95.2°F already this year about two weeks ago which is unusual.

 

[sancho57]

All depends on your climate what to use and finish with. Here in Az we want something with a good UV blocker. I dont know what the weathers like where you live