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  • What timber for my benches?
  • shifter
    Free Member

    These came with my house:

    Benchends by woldspinner, on Flickr
    They were rusty white with some manky green painted woodwork, now I’ve pulled them apart and had them powder coated I need some new wood – what would the knowledgeable STW wood-workers recommend?
    PS feel free to rate my lawn.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Lawns looking a little pale…..

    Stoner
    Free Member

    depends on your budget. Or more realistically what your local timber yard can supply.

    My dad’s just refurbished the same kind of thing with some iroko I think.

    Cedar would be nice.

    scousebri
    Free Member

    Iroko would be your best bet. Teak is nice but very pricey . I would go for iroko .

    grey
    Full Member

    Untreated oak, it will weather nicely and not require painting and if it gets dirty a good scrub will clean it up.
    I have some cast ends like yours and will be using oak for new slats.
    Oh and use stainless fittings so as not to stain the oak and also the tannin’s in the oak will eat through plain steel bolts in no time.
    Cedar and Teak could also be used.
    Cedar will weather nice as well and is resistant to attack from wood boring insects and doesn’t require any wood treatments.
    Teak will need oiled every now and then, but will last well.
    We have about 25 teak Benches at work dating back to the mid fifties and as they have been treated with woodstain in the past they now need painting very year 😥 a horrible job.

    shifter
    Free Member

    Nice replies, thanks all.
    I really don’t want to paint them ever! Happy to spend now for future benefit so I’ll price up Oak and Iroko.

    shifter
    Free Member

    A quick search tells me I can have PSE Oak cut to length for less than £100 all in (three benches to do). Doesn’t seem too expensive.

    theprancinghorse
    Free Member

    Oak sounds good, did a double take at the price you have and then realised it is for THREE benches, not so bad then.

    neilwheel
    Free Member

    Iroko is now on the protected list due to over harvesting.

    Oak would be nice.

    deepreddave
    Free Member

    Oak definitely for pretty much zero maintenance. Smaller slats no problem but ask your timber yard for wood without knots as I had a one off bench made with 3-4″ sections and one knot has dropped a fair bit but that’s green oak for you! Goes a nice grey silver colour after a short while too.

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